The Story & More - with Nancy Jackson

Originally written July 1, 2011 Originally posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/07/01/so-what-am-i-supposed-to-do/So what am I supposed to do?I’ve been writing a lot lately about resting in Christ and abandoning works of the flesh. About how we aren’t to work to be approved in God’s eyes; just receive His grace and favor. If this is all a new concept to you, as it once was to me, then you may ask yourself, “So, what is it I am supposed to do?”Without a doubt, we are to do something, so how is it we can be certain that what we are doing is truly what we should be doing?I spent most of my life agonizing over decisions and fearing doing the wrong thing. I didn’t want to be out of God’s favor and was concerned that I would make the wrong choice, or do the wrong thing, and there I would be—out of God’s favor.I spent so much time battling with this through the years. I now look back on that with such sorrow regarding the time that was wasted when I could have experienced true freedom and in that freedom, touched lives daily, joyfully.During these struggles, I would read verses such as Matthew 11:30 and wonder how that fit with what I was experiencing; working so hard to be just what I thought Christ wanted me to be.Matthew 11:28-3028) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  His yoke did not feel light to me, and I was weary. I knew God’s grace was freely given, but in my altered perception of grace I thought that once I had received that grace, then I was to ‘be good’ or perform to meet a certain Christian standard which I continually seemed to fall short of.Well, let’s talk about His yoke and the scripture above. Here it appears a contradiction in terms again. Remember previously when I wrote about ‘laboring to rest’ as it says in Hebrews 4:11-16?The contradiction is between the words ‘yoke’ and ‘find rest’. The word yoke in the dictionary has many meanings, but the two that stood out to me were these two:1) A frame designed to be carried across a person’s shoulders with equal loads suspended from each end.2) Something that connects or joins together; a bond or tie.We have seen pictures of oxen with that heavy wooden yoke across their backs and around their necks. It portrays to us a heavy load and something hard to bear. But we must remember that for a muscled up sturdy ox, the load of the yoke isn’t heavy. It might resemble something like a purse slung over our shoulder or a backpack.I like #2—something that connects or joins together; a bond or tie. I consider myself yoked to Him, tied to Him, or bonded to Him by my free will.But let’s talk more about the ox and the wooden yoke we’ve come to picture. I believe that the crowd who were around Jesus in that day understood more completely what He was talking about because they used oxen and knew how to use them to achieve the best results.This is how it was explained to me. When a farmer yoked two oxen together, they would not take two experienced oxen, but one very experienced, strong and mature ox and one new, younger and weaker.The purpose of this was that the stronger ox would know the path and be able to pull the weight. The purpose of the younger, weaker ox was just to follow along wherever the stronger, more experienced ox led.Basically, the younger, weaker ox had no responsibility of choice or decision or power, only the older, stronger ox. The weaker one was just to follow.When I saw this, I broke free into another level of freedom. I am just to follow. But what if I made a terrible decision in my career or home life and pulled to the left? Well, the stronger, more experienced ox would pull me back to where I needed to be. In fact, the weaker ox can’t pull the stronger ox at all.In real life, should the weaker ox pull in another direction, the stronger ox would stop until the weaker one would stop pulling in the opposite direction, and they would once again begin their journey. In our own lives, when we pull in the other direction, Jesus stands there lovingly, patiently waiting for us with no guilt or condemnation.His love is one that wants to give us our dreams and hearts’ desires. He is the one who best knows the way to get there, and if we will follow His lead, we will. How much time have we wasted pulling against the yoke, thinking we knew where we were going and what we were doing while Jesus stood patiently by waiting, ready to resume once we were ready to follow along again!This is a portrayal of those of us who have chosen to be yoked with Christ Jesus. This is not a picture of those who have chosen otherwise.If you have made a conscious decision to be yoked with Christ, you do not need to worry about making wrong choices or decisions. That doesn’t mean you won’t, but that means when you do, being yoked to Christ will keep you where you need to be.It is not up to the weaker ox to know the way, just to follow. Follow Christ today and be free.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

This ties in somewhat with the previous miracle. As I mentioned there, I came back to Oklahoma with no job, no money, and no husband. I also became saddled with new debt that he insisted I pay in the divorce.To top all that off, I began to bleed profusely as if I were having a heavy menstrual cycle every single day. I was so bad that many days I couldn’t leave the house.I kept praying to God about it. My request was to heal me or show me what to do. I knew I didn’t want to go to a doctor for a medical diagnosis that would prophesy something over me I didn’t feel was correct. Not that I had the money to go to the doctor, anyway.There were days it would ease up, and then I could look for work. I finally found a sales job selling hearing testing equipment to pediatricians. I had worked in pharmaceutical sales and in recruiting with my previous employer, so this seemed like a good fit and I was good at it.I kept praying and praying about what to do to fix my health problem. I asked God what was happening and what I should do about it or please just make it stop.As I went about my life, it seemed as though God would bring me little tidbits of information that I knew to tuck away for later. This went on randomly for a couple of months. I felt like I had a portion of the problem, but not the solution.I had a dear male friend who felt like a brother to me, and we spent a ton of time together. One day I was telling him about my problem.I had learned that all the pain medication, including Tylenol, that I had taken a few months earlier during my dental problems had caused toxins to build up in my liver. I had also learned that our liver regulates our hormones, and that was why everything was so out of whack.It had been at least three full months of this. Bleeding every single day. But the moment I told all of this to my friend, he said he knew exactly what I needed and drove me to the pharmacy. He said I needed milk thistle.He directed me to take mega doses for a few days and then gradually ease off. I did as he said.Within two or three days the bleeding eased and then within one week everything was back to normal. I was healed.Many may say that it was not a miracle, that I was healed by milk thistle. But the knowledge of the milk thistle came through the process God took me through. From knowing nothing about what to do to bringing me tiny bits of information that I would need to get to the place where I could be healed.This was a time when, even though we had the internet, it was sketchy with not much information. He led me to the place where I would know to get the milk thistle.He could have stopped the bleeding outright, but I believe that by taking me on a journey to my healing was a faith journey. I was adamant that my answer come from him and not a medical doctor. In my persistence in faith, He answered my prayer with a unique healing miracle.I am not against medical doctors, but I feel that we often run straight to them instead of persisting with God first. Give him time to see your persistent faith, and he will answer and heal. It may not always look the way you thought it would, but the healing will come. In the end, he may encourage you to go see a medical doctor. But make sure you run to God first and get your answer from him before you make a move in any another direction.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

On Wednesday, I talked about the word disobedient and how that word means ‘unpersuaded’ and ties in closely with the word ‘repent’ which means to change your mind.I’ve seen for years people rooted and grounded in a belief that they would refuse to give up on or even listen to or consider another thought. They read their bibles with that close-minded attitude, and what they read is colored by that ideology.I’m not sure at what point a Christian mind becomes so closed that it refuses to accept anything new. As a people, we would all certainly agree that no one knows it all and that we all continue to learn until we die. So why then do we reach a point of refusal to listen and to learn regarding the Bible and God? There is picking and tossing aside. But just how do you know that what you are tossing aside isn’t a critical truth that God himself wants you to know?Do you toss it aside because it was never taught in your church? Do you toss it aside because your pastor said to? Do you toss it aside because it makes you feel uncomfortable? Do you toss it aside because it is such a new concept that you just can’t get your mind around it?Nevertheless, at some point you decide to toss it aside. But what if, just what if, it was from God and it was something that He wanted you to know that would change your life forever?For years I’ve read the parable of the sower. It is in 3 of the 4 Gospels, which tells me it must be a very important principle for us to learn. I’ve heard dozens of teachings and sermons on this parable through the years. But most have been about whether we are on the path or in the thorns. We try to evaluate ourselves to see which example best describes us. We all, hopefully, want to be good ground or soil. I wrote on this parable in the blog Good Ground. Read Mark 4:1-12. We should all desire to be good soil for the gospel. But just what constitutes good soil for the gospel? I began to read every account of this parable and Jesus’ explanation in every translation that I could find. I want to share with you Mark 4:20, where Jesus explains the parable to the disciples. The translation is from the New International Version, but many versions have almost the exact same wording.Mark 4:13-20 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”In the King James the word, “accept” is instead received, but in the Greek that word is paradechontai which means accept.Every Sunday, there are thousands of people attending a church service, even millions worldwide. They are there listening, receiving the word, but they walk out the way they came in, unchanged. I know there are many godly Bible teachers out there and thousands listen to their teachings and read their writings but go on about their lives unchanged for the better.I’ve come into contact with so many people who I talk to or share something in the word of God with, and they shut down, clam up and resist what I am sharing. I’m not just talking about non-Christians, but people who have professed to be Christians for years. They don’t accept what I am saying, or what you are saying, or what the Word is saying.  I know I’ve lost many readers to my blog because the things that God has been leading me to study and write about are new concepts to many, and because those concepts challenge their beliefs, they reject them and never come back. But God made it clear to me that when I began writing these posts that I was to study and write my blogs by His inspiration and not to be concerned with what others did or did not do, nor what they said. I’m certainly not writing for popularity’s sake!Sometimes when hearing a new concept, people will begin shaking their heads and resist what you have to say, no matter what scriptures you are showing them. They are un-teachable. Their grandmother always said… their church’s doctrine believes… that is not what they experienced… and the list goes on. They completely reject the thought that maybe, just maybe, there is something new out there that could benefit their life and their walk with God.There is not one person on the face of the earth who knows everything there is to know about the Word of God. No matter how long or hard you have studied, God will continually unveil another layer, another truth that you had not previously seen.So what is good ground for the Word? Those who hear the Word and accept it, no matter what doctrine it goes against, no matter who taught you differently, no matter what your experience has been.I believe that the spiritual fruit I’ve harvested in my life, the 30, 60 and 100 hundred fold has been because I’ve had an open mind to be teachable and a hunger for the truth no matter how unpopular it may be or how hard it may be to swallow. I’m still learning each and every day. I still hear His voice clarifying and teaching as I read His word. I ponder and meditate prayerfully, listening to the Holy Spirit to teach me and filter out adverse preconceived notions.Now, as I wrote in the post Good Ground, you must be good ground for the fruit of the Spirit to ‘grow’ in your life. But being good ground is much more than that. It is being obedient. Are you so closed-minded to new thoughts and revelations from the Word that you are willing to risk disobedience?If you are sick and don’t believe in divine health or the fact that Jesus received lashings on His back for your health, maybe God’s gift to you is the ‘good news’ that He has provided healing for you so you don’t have to be sick but when anyone teaches on this you immediately reject it because it isn’t what you’ve always been taught. Because you are so close-minded, you are missing out on one of the greatest gifts God has ever provided for you.If you are poor and don’t believe that God has provided a way to gain wealth, maybe God’s gift to you is the ‘good news’ that He wants to bless you financially so you can prosper and give to others as well. But you’ve always thought that having money was evil, or so you were taught.  If you are struggling with guilt and condemnation and are convinced it is from God, you reject the idea that He wants you to be free and living a life of joy. But because you always thought that guilt came from God, you refuse to consider a new concept when the cry of God’s heart is to fill you with joy.Maybe you resist serving God at all because you view Him as a harsh taskmaster and you acknowledge Him and give Him lip service, but go about living your life as you see fit because you believe if you stop long enough to hear His voice he will punish you. When the truth is, he is a god of extreme love, and His compassion knows no...

DisobedienceTransliteration: apeithés Phonetic Spelling: (ap-i-thace’) Short Definition: unbelieving, disobedient Definition: unbelieving, disobedient, who will not be persuaded.Colossians 3:5-75) So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6) It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7) You used to behave like them as you lived among them. 8) But now you must also get rid of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene speech, and all such sins.Some time ago I did a Wednesday Word Study on the word ‘repent’, which means to change your mind. When you read the definition of disobedient, it follows along with that precisely. A disobedient person is someone who ‘will not be persuaded’ or will not change their mind! It also says that disobedience is unbelieving.In doing further research, I found this definition, which I think brings even greater clarity.Cognate: 545 apeithḗs (an adjective) – literally, unwilling to be persuaded (by God) which shows itself in outward disobedience (outward spiritual rebellion); disobedient because unpersuaded.   [Note the root, 3982 /peíthō (“persuade”).]545 /apeithḗs (“unpersuaded”) begins with the decision to reject what God prefers, with His offer to persuade about His preferred-will (cf. 2307 /thélēma). See 543 (apeitheia).I think that everyone reading today’s blog can agree that the sins mentioned in verses 5 and 7 are acts of disobedience. But I want to take this even further. If you are unwilling to be persuaded by God—in any area — you are in disobedience.I’ve written a couple of blogs about what a person believes or comes to believe throughout their life and how it affects their walk with God. If we grow up believing and doing what is told for us to believe from tradition or because Aunt Ida always believed that, then we could very well be living a life that is unpersuaded towards the truth of God.If we are so entrenched in traditional beliefs that we close our minds to new thoughts about the truth of God, we are literally unwilling to be persuaded by God, and this is disobedience.When you listen to a new concept about a spiritual precept, don’t shut off your mind because it differs from what you always thought to be true. It just may be that God is trying to show you the truth of the matter, and your unwillingness to listen could prove to be disobedience.Throughout my journey with the Lord over these last 50 years, I’ve kept an open mind. I am thankful that I did, for my realization of what the truth is has grown and changed many times.  As I have learned and grown, I have realized that I did not have the full truth. I’ve also learned that often a clergy member or someone who is older doesn’t have the whole truth either.So I decided decades ago to listen with an open mind to whoever was teaching about God or the Bible, but that I would listen openly with a Holy Spirit filter. I would listen prayerfully, asking God to show me what to keep and what to toss. I decided I was willing to ‘change my mind’ if I felt the new knowledge was correct and accurate. I was determined not to let pride stand in my way of learning all that I could learn, even if it meant admitting that what I thought I knew had been wrong.I do not want to be disobedient, unwilling to be persuaded, when God is trying to show me more of His truth. So today, as you listen to this blog and other teachers of His word, listen with an open mind and your ear leaning towards the Holy Spirit to show you amazing new things that only He can show you.Keep an open mind and be willing to be persuaded.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Today’s Meditation Verse:Colossians 3:16-1716 Let the teaching concerning Christ remain as a rich treasure in your hearts. In all wisdom teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and sing with grace in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, and let it be through Him you give thanks to God the Father.Today’s verse was taken from the Weymouth version of the Bible. I really love the way it uses these particular words because it reflects just how I feel.Let the teaching concerning Christ remain as a rich treasure in your hearts.A rich treasure. When you hear teaching about Jesus, do you hold it as a ‘rich treasure’ in your heart? I do. And as each year passes, it is more and more dear to me. I believe if we truly treasure in our hearts Jesus and all teachings about Him, then there is little room for anything else. It will push out dangerous desires, and destructive behaviors. How can we treasure Jesus and His teachings in our hearts and still harbor malice and discontent?And then……whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, and let it be through Him you give thanks to God the FatherIf we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, how can we do anything that isn’t loving and kind towards others? And then add to that giving thanks to God while doing it. There leaves no room in our lives for the sinful acts of our old life.Our Father God is a generous and loving Father. Meditate on that this week and allow Him to flood your heart with His love. You will in turn not be able to resist giving Him thanks this Thanksgiving week.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Go and Sin No MoreJohn 8:10-1110 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” This is a beautiful story of a woman caught in the act of adultery, receiving no condemnation from Jesus.But I think that this message of freedom from condemnation has turned into a precept of the church that ultimately brings more condemnation than we could have ever dreamed.First, before I explain my statement above, let’s think about the time here. Jesus had come; He was here on earth working in His ministry. But he had not yet died on the cross. So, the Levitical and Rabbinical laws were still in effect.When the men brought the woman to Jesus to gain agreement in stoning her, they already knew that they had full right to do so under the Law. Breaking any of the Law brought about severe punishment. Remember, it was a law that was literally impossible to keep. Failure was a certainty.Jesus was the only one who had the power to forgive sins. We may never know what He wrote in the sand, but it was powerful enough for the men to drop their stones and walk away.Then he turns to the woman and says that he does not condemn her. Wow, that is the love and forgiveness of our Jesus. Then he said, “Go and sin no more”.We have used this story as one of the foundational pillars of the church. “You are forgiven. Now go and sin no more.”If you are a true believer and follower of Christ, I’ll just wager that you have struggled with this very thing. Not the forgiveness part, but the ‘sin no more’ part. Unfortunately, when we sin again, we feel condemned because we were instructed to ‘sin no more’. It is a cycle that continually repeats.Well, let’s just talk about this a little more.Remember that when this situation happened, everyone was still under the law. It was a time when a sacrifice was still needed to temporarily cover your sins. God’s holiness cannot leave sin unpunished.When Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more, He did desire that she sin no more. He did not want her to be condemned and therefore stoned to death. Because under the law, should she be caught committing adultery again, she would be put to death by stoning.Do you think she walked away from there and committed no kind of sin again? Now keep in mind that the law defined what was sin, and there were thousands of laws to be kept. No, I believe it was impossible for her to not sin again, but I do believe that she never committed adultery again.What we have envisioned when reading this passage or hearing this word taught was the ideal that once we are forgiven, we are to go and never sin again. This has put an enormous weight of condemnation on the body of Christ that was never meant to be there.If all that needed to be done to eliminate sin was for Jesus to tell someone, go and sin no more, then there would have been no need for Him to have died on the cross. But he had to die on the cross because we cannot eliminate sin from our lives by sheer will and a desire not to sin.Jesus freed this woman from condemnation; He never meant to place a burden on her she could not resolve, thus further condemning her.John 3:1717 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Jesus was sent to free us from condemnation forever! He came so that when we do sin, and we will, we will not be condemned.As I mentioned above, God is a holy and pure God and must punish sin. But he hoped to have a people who were completely free from the punishment of that sin. Being free from condemnation, we can approach Him freely, and in that freedom there is power to do that which He has called us to do.So what was the answer to be? To provide the perfect sacrifice, once and for all, receiving the full punishment for all sins committed, past, present, and future! When we sin, and we will, the punishment has already been administered. We can go free, knowing that we will not be condemned and punished.Now, some might say that this freedom will cause us to sin even more! But in fact, the opposite is true. When we continually focus on sinning, or rather not sinning, it creates in us an even stronger desire to sin. We then feel condemned, and it is a continual struggle that Jesus truly died to set us free from.To bring this thought closer to home and make it real to you, what do you struggle with or consider to be sin in your life? Do you desire to lose weight and feel that your overeating is a sin? Do you battle with constantly trying to ‘be good’? You work hard to do right, eat right, so that you will be right. But the result is always the same: fatigue and a feeling of failure. The more you focus on it, the harder it becomes to do what you feel is right. It is a cycle of self-condemnation that must be broken.You could replace the scenario above with a host of others, such as gossip, alcoholism, lying, and so on and on and on. The harder you try to do right, the less right you do.But there is good news! When we realize we are truly free from the condemnation or punishment of sin, it does not create in us a desire to just go out and sin, but an overwhelming love for the Father who sent His only son Jesus. That type of pure love and acceptance gives us the power (grace) not to sin. Not from our own power or effort, but from the grace that is continually flowing from Him through us.His grace is sufficient. We can’t conjure it up. We can’t make it happen. But by clinging to the one who IS grace and focusing on Him, grace will automatically flow from Him through you. There is now no condemnation.Romans 8:11 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. That is why Paul said regarding his ‘thorn in the flesh’, His grace truly is sufficient. Sufficient to overpower any thorn without condemnation.2 Corinthians 12:98 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So when you tell yourself to break free from your stronghold of sin, don’t tell yourself, I’ll just work harder and be stronger. Tell yourself you are forgiven and not condemned. Feel the power of freedom and forgiveness, and watch that stronghold melt away.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: ...

I loved living in Tucson and felt our marriage was good. I loved him dearly, and I felt he love me too.Near the end of the first year, I got word that the contract I was working on was ending. It was the position that I had taken when laid off late in 2001. It had been a contract position. The same company employed me, but they leased out their workforce to other companies. The contract I was on was ending in a couple of months.We discussed what that would mean for us. We had rented out the house I had owned back in Oklahoma City, but had also just gotten notice that the tenant had moved out. Two of our adult children were living there but not paying us rent.That left us paying a mortgage and our rent in Tucson. We could pay all our bills, but had nearly nothing left over. We decided he would move back to Oklahoma City and live in the house and go back to work there.I would remain in Tucson to work out the remainder of the contract and job search long-distance. This was almost exactly one year after 9-11 and the economy had still not recovered.We moved me into a smaller, less expensive apartment, and he moved everything else back to Oklahoma. It was a decrease in expenses and he had found employment, so we were slightly better off.I missed him terribly. We talked on the phone very often, and it often ended with me crying because I missed him so badly. I was also perimenopausal, which I didn’t know at the time. Needless to say, my hormones were a huge contributing factor in my emotional struggle.I was also very insecure because when we met, my weight was low. I had worked on how I ate and my exercise. As I mentioned in the last writing, I ate compulsively when moving to Tucson because of the spiritual darkness I was struggling with.Through fasting and prayer that broke, but I was back on the carb addiction struggle bus. During our time in Tucson, I gradually gained weight. I tried and tried, but again, since I was perimenopausal, nothing seemed to help.I knew from the time we got married that his partner’s weight was an enormous factor with him. As I gained weight, he noticed and let me know he had noticed. I was not obese, just overweight. The more I stressed over it, the more I seemed to gain.Finally, my work contract had ended, and I drove home. He hadn’t been answering my phone calls. I was terrified that something was wrong. When I got home, he noticed I had lost some weight. Being on my own and only cooking for myself, I had become determined to once again get back on a good eating plan.I had not lost all the weight, but he saw my efforts and was pleased. There was something very wrong, though. He seemed distant, and his oldest daughter was still living there. I will admit I struggled with her. In my emotional state, I would often snap or say something hurtful.I had missed him so much and I just wanted some time with him, and she just seemed to be right there with us continually. Often in the evening he would make up an excuse that he was going to see his aging mother to help her with this or that. I loved his mother and would offer to go with him, but he was insistent that I not go with him.My stuff in the apartment in Tucson was still there, and we needed to go get it. That was right after Christmas 2002. I had had some pretty extensive dental work done right before Christmas, having caps or crowns put on. Something wasn’t right, and the pain wouldn’t go away.Right after Christmas my dentist had gone away skiing for the holiday and so he couldn’t see me to see what was wrong. My dentist prescribed painkillers. When that didn’t fully help, I was told to alternate with Tylenol.I was truly struggling with the pain, and the medication made me very sleepy. On our drive back to Tucson, I couldn’t stay awake. One thing we had always enjoyed as a couple was road trips. We had the advantage of taking several and we would talk non-stop the entire time. He truly was my best friend.When I couldn’t hold my eyes open, that left him virtually alone on the trip. I kept apologizing, but for some reason his compassion for me was gone. He didn’t understand and seemed to hold it against me.Now that we knew we were back for the last time, we went to dinner with some friends from a Christian biker group that we had become part of. All wonderful people with whom we enjoyed spending time with.At dinner, one of the other wives had lost a lot of weight, and he noticed and commented. He engaged in talking with her much of the evening, inquiring about her weight loss, right in front of me.Once done with our meal, we were mingling in the foyer, saying our goodbyes. One man pulled me aside and said that he needed to tell me something. He had battled with it, but felt it was only right.He said that David had planned on leaving me because I had gained weight. I was shocked. He said that he had responded that was not right and that something like that shouldn’t hurt a marriage between two people who loved each other. I was so heartbroken that I confronted David when we got back to the apartment. He admitted he had thought about it until he saw I had lost some weight when I had come back.It crushed me. My peri-menopausal emotions fueled the fire, and I went into the empty bedroom, shut the door and bawled for hours, finally falling asleep in the early morning hours. He had tried a couple of times to talk to me, but I just couldn’t. I was too crushed.The next day we headed out and instead of going back to Oklahoma, we headed north to Colorado where his two youngest children lived. I refused to eat for the entire day. I felt bad, but I was still so emotionally broken that I just couldn’t eat.Finally, for dinner, he went and brought some takeout back to our hotel. I barely nibbled. I was so crushed to think that the man I loved dearly had thoughts of leaving me for gaining weight. To keep this in perspective, I had probably only gained about fifteen to twenty pounds. I didn’t realize it, but there was more going on at the time. It was apparent that he was feeling bad because he was being very nice and attempting to accommodate me. However, we had always chatted and had great conversations. That is one thing I enjoyed about our relationship. He was very educated, intelligent, and experienced in the world. I loved hearing his insights, and he actually listened to me and my opinions, and it felt like a deep friendship on top of everything else. But on this ride to Colorado and then back home, we barely talked. I was emotionally crushed, and he had other things on his mind.When we got to Colorado, I stayed in the hotel while he went to visit his kids. I just wasn’t up to it. They came briefly to the hotel, and I was cordial. I really liked his kids and wished there hadn’t been such a distance so that I could have gotten to know them better.Once back home, he insisted we go meet with one counselor at our church. He had gone to his mother’s and was staying there pretty much full-time. I agreed to go to counseling.At our very large church, there was such a demand on the counselors that they set a limit to meet at one hour. It was a way to budget time and help everyone who needed it.When our meeting was over, it had lasted three hours. I sat most of the time just listening, and he kept complaining about things that I thought were trivial but very fixable. I felt like he had decide...

Originally written November 11, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/11/11/defying-disappointment/Defying DisappointmentDisappointment is something that, as people, we deal with continually. It doesn’t matter how much you trust God and believe in Him or how much faith you have, we all from time to time experience disappointment. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the ‘thing’ we have been believing for doesn’t happen, or doesn’t happen in the way or at the time we were believing it for. That doesn’t mean you didn’t trust God enough. That doesn’t mean that you didn’t have faith. But sometimes our faith is in our faith and not in the giver of faith.Huh? If you have been someone who has actively practiced faith for a long time, I think you may understand that statement. We understand how to live by faith and trust in God with hopeful expectation towards certain things. We have seen our faith be fruitful time and time again, which in turn builds our faith further. But I am convinced that sometimes we become so confident of our faith that we leave the God of our faith out of the equation. I am writing this after a difficult week. I have witnessed circumstances where a dear loved one of mine believed something would happen a certain way at a certain time. I was right there, praying and believing with them. I was confident that it would happen. But it didn’t. It will happen. We know that. We have been told that it is now a done deal, just not yet.Disappointment was palpable yesterday. There were many angry people. Many frustrated people. Many hurt people. It affected many more people than just those I know and love.So, if we are being led by the Holy Spirit and following Him, then why would there be disappointment? How could this major derailment happen?We know that without faith it is impossible to please God, so we believe. But sometimes we encounter disappointment that just seems to strip us of any remnant of faith that we thought we had.But I believe that sometimes we intermingle our own ‘belief’ with the ‘faith’ that God has given us, and that leads us to disappointment.For example. We may believe that a certain thing will happen. We feel, from divine inspiration, that God is bringing this to pass for us. But in our minds, we reason how and when, and then we create a belief in ourselves about that very thing.So we have an inbred situation. The situation I just experienced was exactly like that. The main request will happen. All those involved felt the peace of God leading that this was to happen. But it did not happen when, where, and how everyone thought it would. There was tremendous disappointment.So what I have been learning in my life is to discern what God is giving me divine inspired faith for and what are beliefs I am attaching onto that faith. I want to learn to remove those self-generated beliefs and just trust in and rely on God to produce the when and where.That is so hard for us as people. We are planners. We have to know or suspect when things will happen so we can recalibrate all the other aspects of our lives around them. When we put something in a slot and it doesn’t happen, then it is like pulling a can from the bottom of a display—all the other cans just topple. And we have spent weeks stacking those cans just so!So how do we do this, keep from tainting what God is giving us faith for with our own concocted beliefs?I think that is a significant challenge and one that we all must work on individually. But for me, I think I will approach it like this: I will first determine what I sense the Holy Spirit is truly giving me faith for. A situation, a dream, a goal, and then submit myself to allow Him to unfold it in my life in the way and the time that He determines.I believe to avoid disappointment that we must be open to things not happening when we think they will. I always think I do this, but as I look back, even though I mentally do this and vocally do this, I still move forward as if it will happen the way I think it will. I’ve been working on this for a while, seeking the Holy Spirit each day to unfold for me each day and trust Him in that day.So if a situation requires committing to a specific time because of the world we live in. I will abide by that, but not put my faith in that. I know that if God has spoken to me and given me faith for something, then it will happen. But I will determine within myself that even though it is scheduled or planned for a certain way, that God may have a different schedule or plan which ultimately serves His purpose and us better.We’ve often heard the saying, ‘Timing is everything’. And it is. Kairos is the word for time which means the exact perfect moment that an event can occur which will produce the optimum results. I’ve always loved that word since the first time I came to hear it and know what it was.Think of it like swinging a bat at a baseball. If you swing a fraction of a second too late or too early, you won’t get the optimum results as if you swing and hit that ball at the exact perfect time to produce the optimum results.So here again we must trust that God, only God, knows the kairos moment for every event. We can perceive in our own minds what is best for us, but only God knows the kairos moment. Should he choose to share with us what that kairos moment is, then and only then will we know. But I believe that mostly He wants us to trust Him in this area as well. To choose the perfect moment for an event to unfold.So let’s not be disappointed because a situation or circumstance did not unfold exactly the way we felt it should. It doesn’t mean that it won’t happen, or that we didn’t have faith. What it means is that if God has given us something to have faith for and the faith for it to come to pass, we must also trust Him that it will also happen at the exact perfect kairos time.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written November 9, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/11/09/wednesday-word-study-double-minded/Double-mindedTransliteration: dipsuchosPhonetic Spelling: (dip'-soo-khos)Short Definition: double-minded, waveringDefinition: (lit: of two souls, of two selves), double-minded, wavering.On Monday, we discussed the scripture.James 1:5-85 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.The word I want to explore today is the word double-minded. I found it is only used twice, and both times are by James in the book of James. In the definition it says that it is literally two souls or two selves. Another expansion of the definition said …a person "split in half," vacillating like a "spiritual schizophrenic."I can relate to that. Have you ever been in a situation where you had set yourself to believe God for the outcome and then kept finding yourself vacillating back and forth in your mind? You would catch yourself ‘reasoning’ it all out in your head and eventually worrying about it. Then you would have to force yourself to readjust, say a little prayer, and put it back in God’s hands. Sometimes it seems like a never-ending cycle, around and around, reasoning—worrying—believing. After a while, it will make you feel crazy. I know. I’ve been there.The only other scripture where this word is used is in this verse:James 4:8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you who are half-hearted towards God.This is the Weymouth translation and substitutes double-minded for ‘half-hearted towards God’. I thought that was a very astute observation.On Monday, I talked about the importance of relying fully on God at all times in all things. That the mark of a child of God is one who leans entirely on God in faith, believing.If we are double-minded, we are struggling with believing God fully in any situation; then half of our hearts are towards God and the other half is not. So the term half-hearted is dead on. We haven’t fully come to know that we can trust God in everything. I believe we are fearful of where He will lead us and where He will take us, or that He won’t come through for us.So where is the disconnect? In understanding His complete love for us. If you are having trouble in this area, don’t beat yourself up and memorize more scriptures on faith; study in the Word about His love for you. As you receive more and more revelation of the love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for you, the doubt will fade away. You will believe. You will be His child.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written November 11, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/11/07/monday-meditations-james-15-8/Today’s Meditation Verse:James 1:5-85 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.Today I am giving you more than one verse because these must be read together.The entire Kingdom of God is based entirely on faith.You must believe, and then you will receiveYou must trust in a Jesus whom you have never seen with your eyesYou must sow seed and trust that you will reap a harvestHebrews 11:66 And 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 seek Him.Without it, faith, it is impossible to please God.The mark of a child of God is anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission. So, to become a child of God, you must learn to have faith - completely.We are given a measure of faith, and then we are to cultivate that faith by sowing it time and time again in our circumstances and seeing the harvest that it returns. This will in turn increase our faith, and we will have to move to sow into our lives and cultivate an even bigger harvest of faith.Too often we just ‘handle’ the things we have the ability to handle. Then, when a serious situation comes along that we cannot handle, we attempt to exercise our faith. But because we have not trusted God in the small daily things, we have not cultivated our faith to handle the big things.By choosing to handle the small things on our own, we are exhibiting pride.  We can do it ourselves.  We can do it well enough.  We don’t need you for this right now, God.  …but be waiting there for when we need you…I believe that is one facet of a double-minded man. You believe and you doubt. But do you ever really believe? I think if you ever really did believe, you would exercise your faith all the time in everything. You would be of one mind; the mind that faith is the only way to live every day for everything.So, here it is… A double-minded man, a man who only believes part of the time, should never expect to receive anything from God, ever. You either believe in and trust in God fully (willingly), or you don’t. There is no in between.Are you really a child of God? Or, are you a double-minded man? Make the choice today to trust in and rely on God in all that you encounter today, just like a child, a child of God!Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written June 24, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/06/24/elevator-buttons/Elevator ButtonsIt is hard to resist. You know, pushing an elevator button more than once.We push the button, and nothing happens. So we look at it long and hard. It is lit, but nothing is happening that we can see, anyway.So, we push the button again. It must not have ‘heard’ us the first time. Sometimes we get really frustrated and push it over and over very hard. That should make the elevator hurry!Yet we know that whether an elevator is fast or slow, once the electronic signal has been sent to retrieve the elevator, the process is in motion. It will come, but must work through its system or processes that gets it to us.Even knowing this, we still can’t resist the urge to push the button again and again.I think that sometimes our prayers are like that.We pray and ask God for something. Then, in a little bit, we pray again. Then, in a day or so, we pray again. And we keep praying.1 John 5:15 (Amplified Bible)15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.The scripture above says that He listens to us and hears us when we pray. So when we pray again, do we think He did not hear us? So we pray again, just in case… and again…But I believe we should pray once, and since we positively know that He heard us, then we should be settled, knowing that we have been granted our request.Just because we have become a microwave society and expect instant results when a button is pushed, we expect instant results when we pray. It doesn’t mean that God has said no. It doesn’t mean that God has not heard us. I just mean that we must have faith and patiently wait for the process that God desires to grant our prayers to be complete.It takes faith to push that elevator button one time and know that it will come. But sometimes I think we have more faith in the elevator coming than we do in God granting us our prayers.Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified Bible)6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists, and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].The verse above says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. What that is saying to me is that we pray, then because we know He has heard us, we believe He will give us what we have prayed for. If we truly believe that, then we will not ask for it again.Ouch! That hurt even me!So in the meantime, while we are patiently waiting, the faith-filled thing to do is—thank Him. Thank Him, we know He has heard us. Thank Him that because we know He heard us, He will send the answer to our prayers.As you thank Him and praise Him for sending the answer, see yourself or the person you are praying for as if the answer has come.The kingdom of God is backwards to natural man. They want to see it, then they will believe it.God says, believe it, then you will see it.So today, when you pray…Know that God had heard your cry.Know that he is answering your prayers.Praise Him for sending the answer.See your answer.Rest in Him.ADDEDUMAfter reading a few comments below, I thought I had left this post unfinished. So, to elaborate just a bit more, let me add the following.This blog came to me as I was lying on the sofa and had just prayed for something. I lay there a minute or two longer, and the same prayer I had just prayed bubbled up within me. Then, after a lengthy 5 or 10 minutes more, the same prayer came to mind, and as I uttered it I distinctly heard, ‘elevator buttons’.It was at that moment that the entire blog came rushing into my spirit. God was showing me I was doing just as I described above, pushing the same button repeatedly.In my case, it was because I didn’t know what else to say. I knew he had heard, but my mind was focused on the subject and my need, and not on the fact that God had heard and was answering.As this blog came rushing to me, the scripture in Luke 18 regarding the woman ringing the bell over and over again came to my mind. After all, I had used this scripture in my defense many times as justification to keep repeating prayers out of my desperation to be heard.But what God revealed to me about this scripture is that the woman had to ring the bell repeatedly because the judge was an unjust judge who did not fear God or man. And the point of the scripture is that even at that, he did finally answer. So how much more will our loving heavenly Father answer our prayers quickly.Luke 18:1-8 1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”He wants us to see the contrast here between the unjust judge and our good heavenly Father.Please know that if you feel that you have not received an answer to your prayer that there is nothing wrong with you. If you keep asking, there should be no condemnation. Also know that to ask once and leave it to God doesn’t mean that you stop communicating to Him about the situation. He is our friend, our confidant, and our true love. Of course, we are going to continue to communicate with Him about the situation. But as we do a friend, we talk in more ways than requests. We pour out our hearts in love and concern and joy.This blog was not meant to bring condemnation to anyone, but to bring encouragement that our heavenly Father hears our prayers the very first time we cry out to him. We can have confidence in that very thing. Take peace from that knowledge.The following are some scriptural promises that you can base your asking on.Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?Matthew 18:19 Again...

Earlier I told about fasting and prayer targeted at a very misguided outcome. I knew how powerful prayer and fasting were, but was very immature in applying them to my life at that time.If we submit our lives with all sincerity to God and his plan for our lives, then to manipulate situations for our own personal desires, we are not truly in submission to God. He honored my faith, though when I prayed in that misguided way. He showed me that my fasting had been heard and was powerful, but because I had submitted my life to him and that he has given us all free will, he wouldn’t force another person to bend to my will even through prayer and fasting.I didn’t see that at the time I decided to fast. I thought it was the enemy keeping us apart, and I thought I was coming against him. But I wasn’t. The person I was praying to be with had his own free will, and it wasn’t to be with me. That is using a precious tool that God has given us to manipulate a person, and that is akin to witchcraft. My naivety, and God knowing my true heart, spared me.He wanted me to see that my fasting and prayer were powerful without giving in to my desire. That was very important because after that I would remember the power of fasting and would incorporate it into my life in order to fight back against the enemy in appropriate ways. Had God not allowed me to see the power of it, then I might have been much less eager to continue using it as a warfare tool.Sometime around the end of 2001, I met someone at our church’s singles group and we began dating. Also, in that same fall, less than 3 months after 9-11 I was laid off from my job. The economy took a giant hit and our company laid off most of its non-essential employees.They were an excellent company and had given all of us very large severance packages. I began the job search, but as the economy was in a downturn, it was challenging. There were, however, openings in other areas of our company, and they offered me to pick from two different locations.I lived in Oklahoma City and had lived my entire life there, even though I had traveled extensively with my job and for other reasons. These two different positions were pretty far away from Oklahoma City.The man I had met was working, but was in the final interview stages for a couple of different Oklahoma State positions. We had toyed with the idea of getting married, so we discussed the positions I had been offered.He had lived all over the US and wasn’t afraid to move. He felt that with his double degree and excellent work history, he could find work wherever we went. So we chose Tucson, Arizona. I had been there and loved it.We made the leap and moved to Tucson. Prior to moving, he had enrolled in a several-week course here in Oklahoma City, and once we got moved, he came right back to attend the class. I had a training that I had to fly out for just a day after we arrived. So we unloaded the U-Haul and then, in a couple of days we went our separate ways.He had given his car to his daughter. He had a motorcycle, and I was getting a company car. She needed a car, so in an effort to help her out, he gave her his car.When I arrived back in Tucson, Maraña actually, a suburb on the north side of Tucson, I had not received my company car yet so I had no transportation. When I flew back in, I took a taxi to take me home.I got home and realized I was stuck there. I couldn’t really go to the grocery store or anywhere else. We had bought a few groceries, so that was fine. But I didn’t like the idea of not having my own transportation.Almost immediately, I felt a heaviness. It snuck up on me gradually. I found all I wanted to do was sleep and eat. It seemed I could do nothing else. I had tons of boxes to unpack but just didn’t have the wherewithal to do any of it. When I wasn’t eating compulsively, I was sleeping.For several years I had been working on living a healthier lifestyle. I had cut out sugar and other unhealthy foods. I went to the gym every day and worked out. I felt very good about where I was with my body and health, but now could do nothing but eat, poorly too, and sleep.We had found a nice rental home that was fairly new and it was in a beautiful and safe neighborhood. I could have easily spent hours out walking and enjoying my surroundings. But I just couldn’t.Then, after several days of living like that, I was in the kitchen yet again getting something to eat, and I realized the cloud I was suffering under. I knew that was not like me, and I knew the enemy was the cause.I decided to fast and pray for the spiritual heaviness and depression to break. I fasted for three days. I believe I fasted from food and did a water-only fast. I may have done a sunrise to sundown fast, but I'm not sure. I often opt to do that type of fast.I wrote in my prayer journal what I was praying to be accomplished through the fast. I wrote about thankfulness and journaled godly declarations of faith from the Bible. And each day, several times a day, I would sit and read those declarations out loud.Then the power of fasting and prayer broke that spirit of darkness, and joy flooded my soul. I felt it physically lift, and the scales of depression fell from my eyes. I was still stranded for several more days without transportation, but I could get out and walk and enjoy my beautiful surroundings. And I began unpacking boxes and getting our house in order.The entire time we lived in Tucson, I could feel the spiritual darkness that was out there around me as I worked throughout the city, but it never again came close to me. It couldn’t. I was protected, and it knew that I knew the power of Christ that I carried.There have been many, many times in my life where I fasted and prayed, and spiritual darkness was broken. In fact, I never remember it not working. It is a tool that God has given us and one we should use even more.The self-denial we exhibit when fasting fortifies us and allows the angels of the Lord to rush in and battle on our behalf in a more profound way. I liken it to when Moses had to keep his arms up so their army would win.Fasting is like that. Our self-denial when praying for a specific situation gives the angels power to win on our behalf, just like the army was winning while Moses held up his arms. I don’t pretend to know the spiritual mechanics of it all, but I know God has given us this tool. I’ve seen its power, and will be forever grateful for all that it has helped me do in my life.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www...

Originally written November 4, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/?s=bowling+with+godThere are many people who want to challenge the concept of grace in its entirety. A little grace is fine. You get just enough grace to get saved, and then we are to ‘crucify our flesh’ and live a godly life, following the ‘right and wrong’ rules. That is how we become holy, by seeking holiness and living a godly life.Sounds good. Anyway, it sounded good to me for years. For years I pushed toward holiness and tried to be godly. And on the outside, everyone could see that I was ‘good’. My heart was right. I loved the Lord will all my heart, soul, and body, so seeking to do right was an extension of my love for Him. Or was it?In my recent post The Rules That Break Fellowship I talked about my never-ending quest to follow the rules so that I would be right with God.I love God. I wanted to go to heaven. I wanted to please God. I wanted a holy life.  I wanted all the blessings of a child of God. But more than anything, I didn’t want to make God angry with me. The theology I had learned from a child taught me this.Unfortunately, I didn’t really know the heart of God then. I am so thankful for this past year and a half of getting to know, really know, the heart of God. And He has satisfied that unquenchable desire, and so much more.Grace, too much grace that is, scares people. They don’t trust themselves to live by grace. So they receive just enough of the grace of God to become born again and declare that they are Christians. Then they put grace on the back burner and begin living by the rules. To please God—and man or man’s theology.So, I’ve heard it said—Without the rules, how would we know how to live?  How would we know what to do and not to do?  I’ve been gnawing like a dog on a bone for months now about following the Holy Spirit. But we still feel the need to know the rules of doctrine (man’s theology) so that we can know that we are OK.Let me make the perfectly clear here. If you follow the Holy Spirit:He will never lead you to do anything that violates His own spiritual fruits.  He will never lead you to be unloving or harmful to others.  He will even lead you away from things that will harm you.  He will lead you to obey the laws of the land, should they not violate your relationship with the Lord.  He will lead you to follow to the letter the God theology that God Himself wrote upon your heart when you became His child.That pretty much included every pertinent rule that I can think of. I emphasize pertinent.So why do we fight so hard for the rules and our theology? Yes, fight! When you mention living daily by grace and the total leading of the Holy Spirit, many people get so uncomfortable that their skin crawls and a trickle of fear runs down their back. They are more defensive with this teaching than an animal backed into a corner protecting its food. They insist the rules bring godly living, therefore righteousness, and to even mention not living by them is sacrilege to them.When praying and meditating more on this subject, God showed me an analogy. I love analogies. They drive a point home and make it so clear. I believe that is why the parables make such an impression on us and are so memorable.So, let’s think about bowling. The bowling lane is our path toward our different goals in life, the pins. Now, at first, when we can barely roll the ball, we can have the bumpers put up on the sides so that there is no chance of going into the gutter. It doesn’t matter how we throw the ball, we will get to the end.I’ve watched my grandchildren bowl, and they are so cute. Sometimes they even get one of those ramp things to aim their ball with. If they roll the ball hard enough, It will get to the end. Sometimes they even get a strike, but rarely. I’ve even seen the ball just stop right before it hit the pins. During that time, the hope is that they will learn to bowl on their own so that when the bumpers come down; they are rarely needed anyway.But after a while it is embarrassing to have the bumpers up and after all, where is the challenge in that? So the bumpers come down and the ball goes into the gutter time and time again. But we get the ball back and keep trying. The more we try, the better we get. And then we get so good that the ball rolls from our fingers fast and furious and heads straight for the pins, and boom—a strike! Always the bowler whizzes around and shouts a voice of exuberance!Now, once you are at that point, you can still put the bumpers up, but what is the point? You will be nowhere near them. Yes, occasionally I’ve seen an extraordinary bowler wiggle wrong or make a slight misstep that causes the ball to hit the gutter or maybe just knock down a few pins. But oh well, we’ll try it again. The game keeps going. You get another chance.It is never anyone’s goal to hit the gutter, bumpers or not! Our goal is to stay out of the gutter. We know if we hit the gutter we won’t hit the pins (goals)!!Rules are like bumpers. When we are children, our parents are like bumpers, teaching us moral living. Hopefully, it is according to the word. We love God. We love others. We are kind to others. We don’t cheat and steal and harm others. We don’t do things that will harm ourselves, like drinking excessively or smoking.Now there are markings on the lane. I used to be a horrible bowler, but now I am slightly better. My oldest son taught me about the marks and some basics, and almost instantly I became a better bowler.Follow the marks. Let them lead you to your goal. If I do that, I don’t go into the gutter. I could put the bumpers up. Just in case my ball were to head for the gutter. But then I would get so reliant on the bumpers that I wouldn’t be so diligent to follow the marks. I wouldn’t be so diligent in seeking suitable form. And then reaching the goal, a strike, would not have the same satisfaction.Yes, you’ve guessed it. The marks are the Holy Spirit. As long as you follow the Holy Spirit, you will reach your (His) goal for you. Over and over we keep trying until we get better and better at following Him.But oh my! What if our ball goes into the gutter? Gasp!!! Well, it will roll down and be sent back to us. We experience disappointment, and then we try again. Our friends slap us on the back, express encouraging words, and we take a breath with resolve to do better next time.You are not punished severely, taken out of the game, or ostracized. Unless, of course, you are in a league, but then that could be like a church where the very people who should encourage you are actually the ones who are criticizing you for your mistakes or violating their theology.  But the game goes on, gutter or not. You don’t quit because your ball hit the gutter. You keep trying to follow the Holy Spirit, and eventually following Him will become second nature.We know where the gutters are whether the bumpers are up or down. Life is just the same. We know what the right thing to do is without someone telling us. We just know.  Hebrews 810 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAELAFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,

Originally written November 2, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/11/02/wednesday-word-study-law/LawTransliteration: nomos Phonetic Spelling: (nom'-os) Short Definition: a law, the Mosaic Law Definition: usage, custom, law; in NT: of law in general, plur: of divine laws; of a force or influence impelling to action; of the Mosaic law; meton: of the books which contain the law, the Pentateuch, the Old Testament scriptures in general.3551 nómos – law. 3551 (nómos) is used of: a) the Law (Scripture), with emphasis on the first five books of Scripture; or b) any system of religious thinking (theology), especially when nomos occurs without the Greek definite article.On Monday, we looked at the verse:Hebrews 8:1010) FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAELAFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. This verse says that in the New Covenant God will write His laws onto our minds and hearts. So I looked up that specific word, law, in verse 10, which you see above. I particularly like the part, ‘any system of religious thinking (theology)’.In the next verse, verse 11:11 “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. In America, the land of religious freedom, we have many churches in almost every city. From the time most people are taught about the bible, they are in some church somewhere being taught. Each church has a particular slant on its view of what the law (theology) is, and that is what they teach to their young and old alike.I’m going to make a very bold statement here. Theology should not be taught in churches, or anywhere else for that matter. For every brand of church and cult, for that matter, there is a theology. We get so anchored into theology that is learned/taught that it clutters our minds to the truth.If you have recovered from my last statement, let me go on to say that what we should share with our young is the undiluted grace of God and His enormous love for us. We should teach them that once we have become His, have given Him our life and become His child, He will then at that moment write upon our hearts His theology. We should teach our young that once God has written this upon their hearts, then they should seek to follow the Holy Spirit in all things.I can almost see the hair on the backs of your necks rising in fear over this. Why? Because it takes control out of our hands and places it in God’s hands. But how can we trust they will do the right thing if we just tell them willy-nilly to follow what God has placed on their hearts? Because God says so. That is faith: following Him blindly wherever He leads.And you know… they won’t always do the right thing. But even those who are taught don’t always do the right thing. So wouldn’t it be better to teach them from the beginning about our helper who was placed on this earth to lead and guide them in every area? Teach them how to listen for that inner still small voice to lead them. Teach them about peace and following God’s peace on a case-by-case basis.But what if what’s on their heart is not good? Then they aren’t true Christians, but counterfeits, and they need a heart conversion, not an outward modification.Today, my challenge to you is this…De-clutter your mind from all the old teaching and theology that has been taught to you from a very young age and learn to listed inwardly to your heart. To the God theology that He has placed on your heart. He will lead you to the right place.His desire is to free you. Be free today!Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written: October 31, 2011Posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/31/monday-meditations-hebrews-810/Today’s Meditation VerseHebrews 8:1010) FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAELAFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. I love this verse. Here the author is talking to the Hebrews. He is talking to the people who have made a life of living by the law. Thousands and thousands of them. Their entire life was covered, and from the time they were tiny children, they were indoctrinated with the law. Because that was what God had told them to do.But this verse shows the true heart of God. It is a show of love that he said long ago in the Old Testament that He intended to do away with the law, to free them. And when He would free them, He would then put ‘right and wrong’ on their hearts and in their minds. It would be automatic, and they would know what to do.In the New Covenant as the engrafted branches into the Jewish nation, we too have had this stamped upon our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit lives in all true believers in their heart and He is there to teach us ‘right and wrong’.I also like the next verse of this scripture because it says that they won’t have to be taught what the laws are. With so much of their life spent day after day trying to learn every law to please God, they were consumed by it. But God was not only going to set them free from the responsibility of having to learn, since He was just going to PUT it there, they no longer were slaves to an endless life of teaching!Hebrews 8:1111 “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.His greatest desire is not for us to have to follow the law and to ‘be’ right, but to KNOW Him! He did away with it all so that He could just draw us near. That is the heart of Father God!Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written June 22, 2011 Posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/06/22/patience/Do you think we will ever have all the patience we will need? As for me…I doubt it!!! Oh my!! Just about the time I see myself exhibiting extreme patience, well then you know how that goes…But let’s consider a few whose patience was more than I can ever hope to achieve.In John 1:10, 31 and 33, John the Apostle declared that when Jesus came into the world, the world, even John himself, did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, as the deliverer, as the Word made flesh.John 1:10      He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him (did not know Him).John 1:31      And I did not know Him and did not recognize him [myself] …John 1:33      And I did not know Him nor recognize Him … Amplified Pondering on this for sometime, curious at how some most assuredly knew and some could not have known or recognized the deity of Jesus as the Messiah.John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, and his mother Elizabeth, knew and believed when Mary came to her to share the news of Jesus’ conception. For John the Baptist recognized Jesus even from the womb and leapt for joy.To imagine what directives must have taken place regarding him sharing this revelation with others can only be measured by other happenings and statutes in the Word.Ecclesiastes 3:1To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven. Amplified Because there was a specific purpose for the Son of Man to be revealed at a designated time, those who knew could not take it upon themselves to reveal it.What self-control and discipline these men and women of God must have exercised, certainly a standard by which to gauge our own discipline.We get so excited over each little new word or revelation or event, immediately seeking out someone to share it with. We feel an instant urge to act on it; to proceed forward accordingly.I have to ask myself, could I have kept this glorious revelation to myself until the appointed hour, sharing it only with the single person who God chose for it to be shared?We frequently ask God in prayer, over and over, for knowledge about our future, our calling, and our purpose. We ask Him to show us what lies ahead for us, usually out of a zealous heart which is willing to follow God’s designated path for us.But can we be trusted with future revelations? Do we posses the discipline and self-control to ‘wait on the Lord’ until His appointed time? Are we content to wait patiently, only preparing for that time and not rushing ahead?Since He created us, God knows our human nature well. He will give us only what He can trust us with. Beyond that, we must simply wait, trusting Him. Waiting develops trust, and when full trust is achieved, the fruit of the Spirit flourishes, particularly self-control.True trust is abiding in Him, waiting. II John 1:9 says that anyone who runs on ahead of God, not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, does not have God.II John 1:9Anyone who runs on ahead [of God] and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ [who is not content with what He taught] does not have God … Amplified God’s purpose for our lives comprises a plan and a time for that plan. When He shows us the plan, we must wait patiently for the time. Attempting to bring to pass the plan in our own time and in our own way removes the plan out of the will of God. When that happens, the plan is no longer God’s plan because the timing is all wrong.In our fast-paced world, I believe it is much more difficult to wait patiently. God and His purpose for our lives are not instant. By rushing ahead of God, we spend unnecessary energy. By waiting on God, we gain strength, as it says in Isaiah 40:31.Isaiah 40:31But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. Amplified But a day will come for the appointed hour.John 2:1-51 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited with His disciples to the wedding. 3 And when the wine was all gone, the mother of Jesus said to Him, They have no more wine! 4 Jesus said to her, [Dear] woman, what is that to you are to Me? [What have we in common? Leave it to Me.] My time (hour to act) has not yet come. 5 His mother said to the servants, Whatever He says to you, do it. Amplified How precious it was that when it was time for Jesus to begin His ministry, the one who knew first, the one who had kept the secret the longest was the one to declare that the time had come. Oh my, what patience!Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

This is another miracle that my daughter experienced around the same time as her car wreck. Bless her heart! She was having such a challenging time. I hadn’t included this miracle originally; after all, it is her miracle, but I know in my heart that my continual praying for her, as well as her own prayers, helped her to live a miraculous life as well.After she left college and had her first son, she worked several good jobs, but was limited in growth without a degree. I told her she could move back home if she wanted to go back to college, and she did.With her home, I could also help take care of her son, which allowed her freedom to go to class, work a part-time job, and not have to worry about having time to study and other things.One class she was taking at college was a drama class. She was always very good at drama and even toyed with the idea of going professional. I believe she could have; she was that good.In drama class she met another young lady, and they became fast friends. In fact, the entire drama group became close. Near the end of one semester, the drama instructor planned a weekend retreat where they would stay in cabins at a lake. They were also going to work in various dramatic situations. The Blair Witch Project was in theaters at the time, and that intrigued them. I can’t say that I truly remember much about the details of their plans for the trip.The instructor had rented several cabins, and my daughter and her friend shared a cabin. The following details are a bit foggy, so please bear with me if I don’t get the exact details correct, and if my daughter hears or reads this, I ask her forgiveness for the things I have gotten wrong. But I believe, though, that the important points are etched into my mind.Through the first night, Friday night, they were having fun running around the property. I am sure dramatic situations were unfolding amidst the fun.During the evening, one of the other classmates, whom they all thought was odd, and his friend acted strangely. His role-play turned very aggressive, and even though they called him out on it, nothing changed. He continued to be not just aggressive, but borderline violent.Often he assaulted other classmates. It didn’t seem serious as they were attempting to have a spontaneous drama unfold and no one was actually injured. They didn’t know if he was playing, acting, or serious. No one had gotten hurt, so they went along with it, mostly attempting to avoid him.But then he shoved my daughter’s friend up against a stair rail and held a knife to her throat. He verbally threatened her. The knife wasn’t pressing on her skin, only his arm that held the knife, but she was still very alarmed. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if he was playing, being dramatic, or if it was real. With a bunch of drama students, it would be hard to tell. I think there must have been something in his eyes that truly alarmed her.He had been acting this way to others all evening, so she told her instructor. At some point it had gotten terrifying enough that eventually the local sheriff was called, and they raided his room. There on the bed lay multiple guns and knives. Some guns were assault rifles.They also found out that he was on antipsychotic and other SSR drugs and was very unstable. One of his close drama friend, admitted that he had suspected that he planned to use those weapons on everyone at the camp. He was afraid that if he said anything, he would be the first one killed. So he went along with everything always hoping he was just acting, and helped him in the beginning.Later, the sheriff ran his priors and found multiple violent arrests. In fact, he was much, much older than he had let on, and he had also not given his real name.The Sheriff commented to the instructor that they had all been very fortunate, because they discovered he had planned to kill them all. But I don’t believe in luck or coincidence. I believe in divine protection from evil through prayer and faith.The practice attacks, with them running and avoiding him, had lasted several hours that evening, with them initially believing it was all dramatic fun. It eventually terrified them. After an evening of terror, they finally realized when the Sheriff came, they had genuinely been in real danger from a sociopathic killer.We can’t afford not to pray over our kids and ourselves daily. I even pray over people who just randomly cross my mind. I do not know what they might be going through, so when I think of them, I pray for them. I don’t just pray for their safety, but also for their prosperity, peace, and joy.I knew nothing of the terrifying ordeal until my daughter came home on Saturday morning instead of Sunday. Of course, she told me everything. She was still in shock and so thankful that God had been watching over them.To this day, I still feel bad for her drama instructor. He felt such a weight of sorrow over his students going through the ordeal that he left teaching. That is sad because he was an excellent teacher and that student had fooled the entire school.Let me say here as well that we don’t need to work ourselves to pieces praying. Pray simple, easy, and quick faith-filled prayers. God doesn’t require long, wordy, elaborate prayers. Simple, heartfelt and to the point will do.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written October 28, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/28/your-unique-zoe-life/This week we have been learning about this verse:Matthew 7:14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.On Wednesday we discussed the word narrow – to press or afflict.  Narrow defines the path or road to life, but as I began to study even more I found something else very revealing.In the verse we have the word ‘small’ which describes the gate.  Here is the definition of this word according to Strong’s:Probably from the base of histemi; narrow (from obstacles standing close about) -- strait.From the Helps Word-Studies we get this definition:4728 stenós – properly, narrow; (figuratively) the closely-defined path God ordains to travel on to gain His approval (used three times in the NT).Another very interesting word in this verse is ‘find’.When looking at it closer I noticed that the word ‘find’ (heuriskó) means to learn or find especially after searching.This is yet another key to the ‘few’ who find life (zoe).  The ones who do find it are ones who are searching for true life and learning about true life.  I felt it could be said, ‘seeking to learn about life (zoe)’.  Hungry for life and seeking after it.So let’s use these definitions to reword this verse just a bit to see if we can gain a clearer view of its meaning.But the God ordained path for you to travel on has obstacles standing close about it, the journey is contracted by pressure, and only a few will find it after learning and searching for it.Could it be that there are so few who find the path to life because so few seek it out by learning how to find it? Could it be that the key to finding the path is by following the one who knows the way, the Holy Spirit? Could it be that everyone’s individual God-ordained path is different and that the only way to find the exact route for you is by the leading of the Holy Spirit?I am learning more everyday how the Lord loves secrets and mysteries.  Just as He disguised the meaning of the parables and even told the disciples that the meanings were mysteries.  That they should understand them because they know Him and that if they can’t understand them they can know nothing about the kingdom of God.The word path in this verse is ‘journey’.  Our own individual God ordained journey will not look like any other.  To follow in someone else’s path is not your path.  We must all find our own individual God ordained path or journey and to do this is to develop an intimate relationship with the Father and “learn” and “seek” the Holy Spirit’s leading in all that we do.Our paths will all be different and that is the beauty of God.  That He does know us intimately and has designed a wonderful God ordained life – a zoe life for us all – unique to us as individuals.Become intimate with the Holy Spirit today and begin to follow Him on the journey of life."For the gate πύλη pulē 4439 a gate a prim. word is small στενὴ stenē4728 narrow a prim. word and the way ὁδὸς odos3598 a way, road a prim. word is narrow τεθλιμμένη tethlimmenē2346 to press, afflict a prim. verb that leads ἀπάγουσα apagousa520 to lead away from apo and agó to life, ζωὴν zōēn2222 life from zaó and there1510 I exist, I am a prol. form of a prim. and defective verb are few ὀλίγοι oligoi3641 few, little, small a prim. word who find εὑρίσκοντες euriskontes2147 to find a prim. verb it.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written October 26, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/26/wednesday-word-study-narrow/NarrowTransliteration: thlibó Phonetic Spelling: (thlee'-bo) Short Definition: I make narrow, persecute, press hard Definition: (a) I make narrow (strictly: by pressure); I press upon, (b) I persecute, press hard.Matthew 7:1414 But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.For years when I read this verse, I would visualize a path with a narrow gate, and I saw very few walking on that path.Then I read this verse in the Amplified version and saw the parenthesis that says that the word narrow means constricted or contracted by pressure. Then when we actually look up the definition of the word, we see the word persecute and press hard.We know as Christians that Jesus has come to give us life (zoe) as it states in John 10:10. But we also know that the life of a Christian is one of persecution and pressure from the enemy. Not that this should steal away from the abundant joy that is imparted to us, but to know that there is nothing wrong with us or unique about us that we should encounter trials and tribulations here in this life.James 1:2-32) Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.Here James tells his fellowship not to despair at the encounter of trials, but to consider it “all joy”. He had a much broader and eternal perspective on trials. Trials require our faith to be exercised, and that use of our faith will strengthen it and create in us endurance. When we can endure a lot, our joy will not be easily dampened.John 16:3333) “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”Jesus said this to his disciples when he was about to be taken and crucified. But the same is true for us. In this world we will have tribulation, but He, Jesus, has overcome the world, and because of this we as children of God have the authority over the enemy who is forcing this pressure upon us. We have faith given by God to endure and come through any trial.So when we read that the way to life is constricted with pressure, do not despair, for we have been given the tools to overcome and the authority to do so. In Christ we can do all things, including live a life of abundant joy during trials.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

 Originally written October 24, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/24/monday-meditations-matthew-714/Today’s Meditation Verse:Matthew 7:14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.I’ve been a Christian for almost my entire life. Most of the people that I’ve been around in my life have professed to be Christians. So when I would read this scripture above, it would make me wonder. Who are the few?From my standpoint, there had to be many people on that road to life.Jesus said:John 10:10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.So—Jesus came so that we could have life (zoe) and yet he says that few find it. To me, that seems very discouraging. If I were Jesus and I knew I was about to die for others to have life, I would want the masses to be changed and to experience that life. But He is willing to die, knowing that only a few will find it.Again, that brings me back to: who are the few?If you read last Friday’s post The Punishment of the Imposters you probably already know by now who the few are.Well, they are not evil men. We know they are going to be cast into the lake of fire, and they are not on the road to God. (Matthew 13:41).BUT so are those who are counterfeit Christians. Those who are not living by grace, but by the law.Matthew 7:21-2321) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22) “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23) “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’When you read the above verse, it states that on that day MANY will say to Jesus that they “professed to be Christians” but as you see they are turned away. They fully expected to be going to heaven, not into the lake of fire. So why did He turn them away?Because they practiced lawlessness. Now when I looked at this word closer, it refers to sin or not doing the will of the Father. It is not referring to the Law itself. The will of the Father is to live by grace. To not live completely by grace is to live lawlessly.So if we know that the will of the Father is to live in grace by faith and not by living according to the law, then we have sinned and we will be cast into the lake of fire. And that, my dear readers, is why there are only a few who will truly find life. Each Monday I am going to be having ‘Monday Meditations’. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ! Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=enShop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written June 15, 2011 Posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/?s=hard+workHard Work…We wear that phrase like a badge of honor.“I worked really hard today.”“I logged 50 hours this week at work.”“Man, I’m exhausted. I’ve worked so hard.”And I know you can come up with many more. After all, we have said something like that so many times and been very proud of that very fact.But what I’ve been learning over the past year is that the only labor commanded of us under the New Covenant is that we labor to enter into his rest.Hebrews 4:11-1611) Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. WAIT!!That sounds contradictory.Labor to Rest??What can that possibly mean?One major clue can be found in the title of this book of the Bible—Hebrews. From the beginning, the Hebrews were God’s chosen people. Centuries before He had given them the Law. A set of rules so impossible to keep that intervention was a necessity.And if those Levitical rules were not enough, through the years the Rabbis, or Pharisees and Sadducees, had developed even more rules, or Rabbinical rules. At the time this book of the Bible was written, the Hebrews knew no life outside of legalistic rules. It was their nature; it permeated every thought, action, and deed. In the Bible, there have been two ways to be in right standing with God. The first was the Law. To be right with God through the Law, you had to keep EVERY law, and there were thousands! To gain atonement for your sin, you had to get a spotless sacrifice such as a lamb, and once sacrificed, its blood covered your sins temporarily.But Jesus came to give us a higher and more perfect way to be in right standing with God. This higher form is called grace. Grace is so much higher than the law that it took the entire New Testament to share the wonders of all that it meant.The writer of Hebrews had a tough task ahead. They wanted to help the Hebrews understand that they no longer had to follow rules to be in right standing with God. Many got it and lived by it, but for others it was easy to fall back into their old habit of living by the law.I am sure it felt comfortable to them, like bathing themselves in a warm bath. But the truth is that the law brings about the punishment of death.Romans 4:1515 For the Law inflicts punishment; but where no Law exists, there can be no violation of Law.It was imperative for the writer of the book of Hebrews to caution them not to fall away, or fall back into living by the law.Hebrews 6:4-64 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.The highest form of life is living by the grace provided by God through Jesus Christ. To live by the law is substandard. To live by laws which provide certain punishment of death because they are impossible to keep, is far below the life God had planned for mankind. In verse 6 above, the writer is urging them not to fall from grace back into the law, where death is a certainty.Grace is a FREE gift from God. We cannot earn it and to try to do so puts us in a fallen state; a state of disobedience and faithlessness. To perpetually work to earn favor keeps us in an unrepentant state.If this seems odd to you, think of it like this. When you are working for favor the focus is on you and what you have done. This is sinful pride.But to ignore works and to focus on THE work that was done at the cross by Jesus Christ, we can receive the fulfillment of His love, and good deeds will manifest naturally, apart from our own works or effort.Our own works or efforts to ‘be good’ or ‘do right’ are like filthy rags to the Lord. But freely receiving grace, allowing His blood to cleanse your sins once and for all, is true freedom. The freedom that Jesus died to give us!Beware that you to do not fall from grace back into living by the law. Not Rabbinical or Levitical Law, but the laws of man, that have continued to be made, in an effort to achieve that right state with God.Yes, even we gentiles can fall from grace into law. Check yourself daily, not to see if you have done right or been good, but that you have maintained total dependence on the grace of God to do all things and not of your own hard work.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

I am not sure of the exact date of this miracle, but I know my grandson was around a year old. This miracle is one my daughter experienced.As I have said several times, I always, and still do, trust God with my children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren. Not that I don’t pray for them, I do. I am frequently in prayer for them. But prayer isn’t enough. Yes, you heard me. Prayer isn’t enough. We must pray in faith, believing.Panicked, last-minute prayers are often the norm. We are grasping at straws, crying out in desperation to God for help. He hears those prayers, and in compassion for us, he often answers them. Our anxiety level is at its peak, and we are frantic and frantically praying.I have prayed that way. We all have. But I believe that a lifestyle of praying, believing that God has heard and is answering those prayers, is a much better way to live.Roughly 1998 or 99, again I don’t remember the exact date, my daughter had left the house one Saturday night. I remember it was Halloween. As most young adults do, they leave late in the evening to start their nightlife. It was somewhere around 8 or 9 in the evening. She was driving to her older brother's house, which was about 20 miles away.The road was mostly interstate highways with heavy in-city traffic. I was home with her son, who was about a year old or so. Not long after she had left, I would say about 15 minutes, I got a call. We did not have cell phones then, but my cordless handset had caller ID. It was rudimentary back then and would sometimes scroll across the small screen.I looked and knew it was some type of police or emergency service. My first thought was to wonder what my youngest son had done. He was mischievous, and my first thought had been to assume he had gotten himself into a mess. Let me emphasize here that I didn’t feel any panic when I looked at the caller ID.When I answered the call, the voice on the other end said, “I am with EMSA (our emergency ambulance service) and your daughter is here with me. She is okay, but we need you to come pick her up. She has been in a wreck.”I still didn’t panic. They said she was fine, and had she not been, they would have been taking her to a hospital, not calling me to come pick her up. I asked where she was, and they told me. It was one of the largest interstate crossings in OKC.Since my grandson was asleep, I called my best friend at the time and asked her to come help me. She had two young teen boys, and they stayed there while my grandson slept.I rode with my friend to get my daughter. When we got to the nearest on-ramp to the highway, traffic was backed up for miles. We had tried a few other streets, but there was no way we could get anywhere close. There was an officer at the on-ramp stopping cars and having them turn around. He attempted to do the same with us until I told him I had been called to come and get my daughter. That was a blessing because I had been wondering how on earth I was going to get there midst all the traffic pile up.He asked for some ID then radioed ahead to inquire. They confirmed they had called, and yes, I was to come to the crash site. We drove on the shoulder and finally could get to the ambulance where she was. Her car was a crumpled ball, burned black by fire. On the other side of the highway was a semi-truck, also wrecked and burned.She was in a panic and glad to see me. On the way home, she told me the story. Here it is, the best I can remember, and trust me, it is one I will never forget.She was driving south on the highway I-44. There was a slight drizzling rain as she drove. She was in the center lane. A semi-truck pulled up beside her, and she could tell it was moving left into her lane. With so much traffic, she couldn’t speed up or slow down to give him room, so she moved one lane over to the left.But he continued to move left. She continued moving to the left to avoid him. Finally she had nowhere left to go as there was a concrete barrier to her left. He didn’t see her car until suddenly he did. When he did, he slammed on his brakes, causing the large semi to jackknife on the wet pavement. When it jackknifed hurtling 70 miles an hour down the road and caught my daughter’s car in the bend where the diesel tank was. The diesel tank exploded, and they were then both hurtling down the highway locked together, on fire.She said that when she saw he was about to hit her and then felt the impact, she cried out to God, “Help me, I’m going to die now!” She immediately heard, “No, you’re not. Just shut your eyes and hang on.” So she did.When the movement stopped, she heard, “Open your eyes, unbuckle your seatbelt, and get out of the car.” And she did.She and her car were on the left exit ramp heading to I-40 East. The truck was on the right exit ramp heading to I-40 West. At some point they had popped apart and gone their separate ways. I believe that in this entire situation God was honoring my lifelong daily prayers to watch over my daughter. He was also honoring her prayers because she was a praying young woman.Her car, a Nissan Altima, was curled up in a wrecked ball, like when you crumple aluminum foil into a ball, and it was burned black from the diesel tank exploding and burning. But when you looked inside, you could see what appeared to be an invisible protective bubble around the driver’s side seat where my daughter had been.The backseat where my grandson’s car seat had been was completely bent forward, crushed inward up to her passenger seat back. The rest of the car was equally crushed inward, but not at all where she had sat. The front of the car was also crushed inward towards her, but stopped where she had sat. The steering wheel that God had told her to hang onto was also not moved or damaged at all.The fire department was still putting out the fire on the semi-truck when I got there. And unfortunately, he died in the accident. That demonstrates just how bad the wreck had been. Father God divinely protected my daughter, and even though she had a hairline crack in her wrist where she had held onto the steering wheel too tightly, she walked away unscathed.However, she carried years of survivor’s guilt from her coming away protected and healthy while the truck driver perished.We had pictures of her car for a long time. I lost track of where they were. My daughter may have found them, and she may now have them. But from time to time I would look at them and be in awe of what God had done.There will always be questions when something like this happens. Why did God protect one while another died? I don’t believe that God is a respecter of persons, and I don’t believe he loves one more that another. However, I know he honors faith and faith-based prayers. I remember several years earlier, after God answered many of my prayers to heal my father, and he did so with miracles. Until he didn’t. He even spared me the effort and hope of praying by saying my dad would go home this time.Again, I don’t know why. Is it true that it is sometimes just our time to go? Maybe. Is it that it may save someone or something further down the road? Maybe. I don’t have an answer for those and many more questions.But I know I will never stop praying and believing. I didn’t pray over my daughter before she left that night, but I had prayed for her for years and for her protection daily, still do. I believe God saw and answered.Shop all ver...

Originally written October 21, 2011Posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/21/the-punishment-of-the-imposters/Christians have gotten a bad rap in many circles. The term ‘one rotten apple spoils the bunch’ is not true in this case, but it can certainly spoil the reputation. I’ve met many people who said that the Christians they knew were critical and judgmental. And that the churches they had been to just expected them to live a certain way, which they could not; therefore, they were rejected and ostracized. So those people wanted nothing to do with Christianity and its narrow-mindedness towards others. Convincing them that Christ meant for it to be different was a hard task. They wanted nothing to do with people like that.We discussed last week in the post The Rules That Break Fellowship that there are only two ways to live as a Christian: under the law or by grace. You cannot do both. If you live by the law, you must pay the penalty of the law, which is death. If you live by grace, you are free from living by the law and the penalty of the law.Let me emphasize that the law is all laws made by man in an effort to get man to live a certain way. Living by those laws gives the appearance of righteousness. It may appear that a person living by the law is righteous on the outside, but the truth is that they are not transformed from the inside out.Jesus gave us only two commands to live by under grace.Mark 12:29-3129) Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30) AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31) “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”If we submit ourselves to Father God to become transformed, and we endeavor to keep these two commandments and are diligent to listen to and be led by the Holy Spirit, then a byproduct of that relationship and lifestyle will naturally produce a genuine appearance of righteousness.So you have the two living side by side, the tares (a close counterfeit) and the genuine wheat. On the one hand, the person who lives by the law appears to be righteous, and the other who is transformed and really is righteous because of the blood of Christ and His grace. And from the outside, they are nearly indistinguishable.Those who live by the law are strongly cautioned with a severe penalty in the end, not to cause those who are genuine in their faith and righteousness to stumble. To stumble? To cause us to stumble by falling from grace and into living by the law. Because to revert to living by the law when Christ died to free us from that law is sin.Matthew 13:41-4341) “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42) and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43) “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.This is when the sons of God will be revealed, as I wrote about in the post Orphans. The true children of God will be separated from the counterfeit, those appearing righteous on the outside and living by the law, but untransformed on the inside.Consider this scripture passages:II Timothy 3:5-13 (ellipse added for continuity, please read here in context)…5) holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these... 7) always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth… so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith…12) Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13) But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. A form of godliness. Just what we have been discussing: appearing righteous on the outside, but no power (inner transformation). We are to avoid these people.Never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, even though it says they are always learning. Do you know someone who sits in church Sunday after Sunday, but they are not being transformed internally?Regarding the faith. To live by the law requires no faith. It requires faith to trust in and rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us daily.In Christ Jesus. A genuine believer’s righteousness does not come from living right, or by the law, but through Christ Jesus by grace.Imposters. There are two types of people mentioned here: imposters (tares) and evil men, just as there are two types mentioned in Matthew 13:41 who will be cast into the lake of fire in the end.Deceiving and being deceived. On Wednesday, I mentioned that deception is:Believing you’re doing the will of God while under complete control of the enemy.People who genuinely believe they must live by the law to be right with God are deceived and attempt to force that deception on others. They teach it as the will of God.I grew up believing that even though I was “saved by grace” I still had to “do right”. If grace saves us and we are submitting ourselves to the leadership of the Holy Spirit daily, then we will be transformed, and the natural outcome is doing right. If we attempt to do right by our own outward effort, that is living by the law.We know what is right and we desire to do it. That is good. But if we are doing the right thing to be right with God, we are in error and we nullify grace.So what about when we do wrong? Transformation takes time, and during that time we will do wrong things. But that is the beauty of grace. Living under grace frees us from the penalty of our wrong actions. We pick ourselves up, we dust ourselves off, we thank God for His precious grace and move forward with earnestness to listen harder to the Holy Spirit and His leading.No matter how much good we do, we will never live a perfect life. We are not called to be perfect, but to love. Remember the verses at the beginning? Mark 12:29-13. We are commanded only to love. Loving the Lord our God with all our heart puts us in the prime position to be led by the Holy Spirit.So today, please ask yourself these questions. Are you mixing grace with the law? Are you performing right acts out of fear of angering God? Does the denomination you ascribe to demand you live by a set of rules or laws? Do others see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life? Do you continually or frequently suffer from a feeling of guilt? Do you seek to learn but find no revelation in your heart and soul of the truth? Is it hard for you to read the Bible because you have trouble understanding what it is saying? Do you criticize others for not doing right? Are you often pushing others to do right?If you answered yes to any of these questions, just take the time to get alone with Father God and allow Him to show you any error in your life. Ask him to help you receive revelation concerning the scriptures. Be open to change where He leads you. Submit yourself and your life h...

Originally written October19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/19/wednesday-word-study-tares/TaresTransliteration: zizanionPhonetic Spelling: (dziz-an'-ee-on)Definition: spurious wheat, darnel; a plant that grows in Palestine which resembles wheat in many ways but is worthless.  2215 zizánion (plural, tares/zizania) – a tare (darnel); (figuratively) a pseudo-believer (false Christian); a fruitless person living without faith from God and therefore is "all show and no go!"On our Monday Meditation this week, we read the scripture Matthew 13:30:Matthew 13:30Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.For years, when hearing this passage taught, I saw the people of the world who were obviously on the enemy’s side mixed in with those of us who called ourselves Christians. I thought they were not removed to give them time to learn about Jesus and how He has died just so that they too could have abundant life. To give them time to learn just how much He loved them.But when I began to study this deeper, I learned that the word tares means a fake or false Christian, a fruitless person living without faith from God. Wow! Mostly, wouldn’t those people be nearly indistinguishable from true Christians?But doesn’t it make sense for the enemy to really undermine us in every way possible? He would need to infiltrate our camp with those who profess to be Christians? People we would interact with on a daily basis because they profess to be Christians?Once while praying for a person who I knew was deceived based on their behavior at that time, God spoke to me and said this to me:A person who is operating under deception believes they are on God’s side while all the while under complete control of the enemy.This got my attention and made me stop and think hard. It has been my prayer ever since that He would help me not to fall into deception of any kind. Because once you do, you do not know. You believe you are right, but you are not.Take a minute to re-evaluate your Christian walk. Does it align with the word of God? Do you rely totally on God for all things pertaining to your life? Do you believe you will one day be revealed as a child of God? Are you led by the Holy Spirit or by your own desires? Just how much do you trust God with your life?Make sure that what you believe is real. Make sure today that you lean on, rely on, and trust with your whole heart Jehovah God.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written October 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/17/justice-delayed/Today’s Meditation Verse:Matthew 13:30Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.Justice is something we all want and seek. But many times we are left wondering why doesn’t God do something sooner? Why does He wait to deal with those who are in the enemy’s camp? Why does He allow them to kill, steal, and destroy? Because there is a divine appointed time to administer justice.We may not understand, we may not see why, but this is yet another area to just trust in God.In this parable, when the wheat was planted, and the tares were sown, they grew together side by side. If a tare were to be pulled out, the roots of the tare would also uproot the wheat. So to do what is ultimately best for the wheat, the tares MUST be left until the end of the harvest when it is okay for the wheat to also be uprooted.So, when we see injustice and wrongdoing, let us trust and pray and patiently wait. There will come a time for the sons of God to be revealed, and at that time, justice will also be done.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written July 15, 2011Posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/07/15/my-life-as-a-pot/I’ve been writing a lot lately about God’s love for us and how we should reject condemnation because it is never from God. It is always from the enemy or our own insecurities. This type of writing is encouraging and uplifting, and it causes us to move closer to the Lord.Some of my posts have talked about being yoked with Him and letting Him lead and guide you through life, which removes so much of the stress regarding bad choices and wrong decisions. How wonderfully freeing this is!It has all seemed like such a wonderful message. A true feel-good message. It is a message I am clinging to and more than grateful for. If you had known me and the path I have taken, you would understand much more my eternal gratitude for this message.But I want to talk about something else today. I had another blog on being yoked planned, but couldn’t escape the strong feeling that this is what I needed to write for today. My prayer is to keep it blog-length. It will be a challenge because the period of time in my life I want to talk to you about is packed beyond belief with life truths that I could write an entire book about and maybe someday will, should God deem it beneficial to others. So I am warning you now, this may be longer than a normal blog. But bear with me. I believe you will be blessed.I want to set up one pinpoint in time and hopefully, if you are going through a very difficult time right now and have difficulty trusting God to lead you, this will help you.I’ve been married more than once. My husband, Rick, is my sweetheart. I love him so very much, and he is such a wonderful man. I thank God for him every single day. I truly do. I am very thankful that life has led me to him. I wouldn’t change a thing.But several years ago, before I met Rick, I was married to someone else. Before I married this man, I was conscious of making wrong choices and was terribly fearful of making them. When I met the man, I just referred to I prayed diligently daily asking God if this was a relationship I should be in or not. I did not want to be in a relationship that I had chosen and was not God’s will. I knew how horribly that could/would turn out.So I prayed and prayed and prayed some more. We dated. He prayed. We counseled with pastors at the church and got the green light. They all knew us well. We were so in love and were best friends.  A hiccup on my career road led us to move to Arizona. It was not a popular decision with my friends and family, but I loved living there and do not regret the move. I still today feel like I am coming home every time I go back there.I loved our life there. I loved our life together there. But one day, because of several extenuating circumstances, we started migrating back towards Oklahoma. We made the decision that he would move back before me, go to work, and then I would job hunt long distance and then move back, too.So we separated by distance for a time to achieve a goal. Did we pray about the decision, or did we just reason it out and act? I don’t know. What would I do differently looking back on it? I don’t know.But not long after that, he left me. He suddenly and abruptly ended our marriage. We were so in love, and then it was over and done, and it left me reeling. There was no warning, no preparation, or opportunity to build up anger that would help buffer the pain. There was only pain.So,My husband, whom I loved dearly, just up and left me for another woman.My job ended and I was laid off.I suffered physically, literally hemorrhaging daily.The church I moved back home to suggested that I ‘take some time’ and not volunteer while allowing him to continue to do so.The person who had been my best girlfriend for years would no longer speak to me. I had no idea why. She wouldn’t respond to my phone calls, messages, or even a knock at her door.I know there were also other things that I just prefer not to mention right now. The items listed above were sufficient. I felt I had no one, no money, no health, and no purpose.But the one thing I knew, without a doubt, was that I had the Father and His loving Son Jesus and the Comforter—the Holy Spirit. I literally clung to the Trinity daily. Each day I would spend hours with Him, and He would talk to me. I believe I heard His voice more during that period than ever before or since.The hardest part of the entire ordeal for me was that I had prayed before marrying this man and had asked God if I should do it. I felt so good about the decision because God confirmed it on so many levels to me. I was convinced that the marriage would not only succeed but flourish. After all, it had God’s stamp of approval all over it.So why did it end and why was I hurting so badly? Why oh why? I cannot describe the pain I felt. I am sure each one of you reading this can relate to a point in your own life when you have felt pain on this level.I struggled with feelings of betrayal from God. Why would He tell me to go ahead, knowing that it would come to this, knowing that he would leave me and I would have to suffer like this? I really did not understand.I am a survivor. I’m a shake the dust off my feet kind of girl. So, I pulled up my big-girl panties and get on with my life. You don’t want me, fine! I’ll be better than fine without you. Then God said, “I want you to pray for your marriage.”I groaned, and we had an argument. I didn’t want to think about him, much less pray for our marriage. That would take love, forgiveness, and effort, none of which I was willing to muster up at that time.I try to be an obedient child to Father God, and I truly loved my husband, so I agreed to pray for our marriage. I once again had hope. If God were asking me to pray for our marriage, then certainly that marriage would be restored, right? So I dove in with both feet, believing and praying.Then one morning God said, “Just pray for him personally, not for your marriage”. My reasoning was that if I prayed for him, then the marriage would naturally be restored, right?What I found was that praying for him kept my emotions raw. There was no healing or moving on. Praying for him fervently in the manner we are called to pray kept the deep love I had for him alive, and the pain even more alive. I experienced the raw pain I felt when he initially left me over and over on an almost daily basis.During the entire process of the divorce, he kept making unreasonable demands on me. He asked me to pay him $250 a month for two years, even though I was the one who had supported us while we were married. He had worked some, but finding a job in Arizona was difficult for him. I understood that, but not him asking me for money.I went into fight mode. Then God said, “Agree to pay it.” I said, “But it is wrong”! God said, “Let him do you wrong.”It was the worst nightmare one could imagine. I could not get my head around it all. I am not an advocate of allowing your bible to fall open to get a word from the Lord, but this particular morning it just fell open to this…1 Corinthians 6:7 (Amplified Bible) 7)  Why, the very fact of your having lawsuits with one another at all is a defect (a defeat, an evidence of posit...

Not long after God helped me retrieve my stolen car, that car and my other one were repossessed. I was making the payments and was current, but on one car there was an unpaid late fee that I was unaware of.The credit union where I had worked held the loans. Gossip got around that my finances were unstable, and with the one late fee, they had the legal right to repossess my cars. An attack by the enemy, yes, but not the credit union. The dark enemy that the world fights against every day.There were still major, major life situations going on in my life. I was juggling them and several other things. It was but for the grace of God that I came through that period. I just kept praying and leaning on Him.When they repossessed my two cars, I was shocked. Could that be right? Since I had friends still at the credit union, I called one and they said that they had become afraid that I wouldn’t pay back the loans, even though my actual payments were on time. I honestly couldn’t believe it.Just a few months prior, I had dropped my debit card in an airport in Houston, and the person who found it spent as much as they could. I did not know it had been stolen until the next morning. I had flown to New Jersey late and didn’t need the card until the next day since I always used a company card for work.As soon as I noticed it, I called the credit union and told the lady who handled the cards. I told her the date and time I last remembered using it, and she cut it off there and reimbursed all charges after that. But what neither of us thought at the time was that even though that was the chronological cut-off time, many charges I had made prior to that were still coming through.She took it to the CEO of the credit union, and they decided I was committing fraud and that my card was never stolen at all. They never even came to me and asked me about it. They just turned it all over to the authorities and filed charges against me.When I got the notice, I did not know what was going on. I was finally able to get with them and work with them, and it all got sorted. It was as much the lady at the credit union’s fault as it was mine. Neither of us thought that all my charges might not have come in.That incident factored into their overall decision to repo my cars. They didn’t trust me even though I had a good credit score, money in their bank, and had never defaulted on any loan. I had also worked there faithfully for a long time. But there were people there who had never liked me since I had been promoted to positions they had hoped to obtain.Back to the car episode, I had no car. I traveled extensively for work, always flying or renting a car or some such thing. I would get a taxi to the airport, and then if I needed to drive to a location, I would rent a car. But on a day-to-day basis when I was home, I had no transportation.Soon after the cars were repossessed, more massive debt started to cave in. Huge medical bills in relation to one of the other major life events I spoke of earlier came crashing in. There were several other things piling up astronomically; the enemy attacks were not slowing down. My credit score was still good and my bills were being paid… so far, but I felt like I saw the writing on the wall and decided to file for bankruptcy.I must admit here I was bone tired both physically and certainly emotionally and when I say I saw the writing on the wall, I was not seeing through eyes of faith, but my own carnal eyes that expected the worst and was looking for a way to get myself out of the mess I found myself in.Looking back, I know in my heart that had I leaned into God, he would have helped me get out from under everything without filing for bankruptcy. I can say without a doubt that it was one of the worst decisions I ever made. That unfortunate decision followed me painfully for years.It took several months, but my major debt was gone. I still had to pay my mortgage and a few other things, which I don’t remember now. But I didn’t own a car, which meant that I was stranded at home when at home. I couldn’t beg, borrow, or steal a ride from anyone either. For some reason, no one close to me had any sympathy for me.So, I often walked several blocks to the grocery store and only got a very few things at a time since I would have to carry them back home. It took about six months for the bankruptcy to be discharged. Until that time, I was in limbo and frozen, unable to do anything financially. To top it off, I was still dealing with other major life events that just wouldn’t seem to resolve. It was one of the lowest points in my life.Because the credit union that held the car loans repossessed my cars, they also closed my accounts, taking what little I had and applied the money toward the car balances. In doing that, they put some type of black mark in the banking system against me, which meant I couldn’t open another bank account anywhere. Also they may never have rescinded the filing against me for fraud, which had already been resolved.I remember one day going into a local bank, close enough that I could walk to, and tried to open an account. The man looked over at me and said, “We can’t open you an account; it says here you are a very, very bad person.” I can’t tell you how I felt at hearing those words.But I was finally able to open some type of internet account that gave me a debit card since I would have my paychecks automatically deposited. The grace of God helping me.Once the bankruptcy had been discharged, I decided I would try to get a car. I knew it was probably futile because of the bankruptcy and the two repossessions, my closed accounts, and who knows what else, but I tried anyway.I couldn’t go to any of the dealerships, so I got on the phone and started calling every dealership in town. I told them the entire story, and each one laughed in my face and ridiculed me, saying it would be years before anyone would give me a lone to get a car. I can’t even remember how many did the same thing. Laughing at and ridiculing me.But I didn’t give up. I don’t know why I was so persistent, but what did I have to lose? I kept praying to God to help me get a car. Then, finally, at a dealership just a few blocks from the house, the guy there actually listened to my story and didn’t laugh. He pulled up my credit report and looked it over while we were on the phone. He commented I had had a great credit score before all the issues and I agreed.He said he thought he could get me a loan. There were two different new cars on the lot that I could pick from and just come on down and sign the papers. I was dumbstruck. I asked him to confirm what he had just said. Yes, I had heard right; I just needed to come down and pick out a car.I walked down to the dealership and picked out my brand-new car. All the way there, tears of gratitude washed down my face. I wasn’t getting an old clunker from one of those buy now pay later places with 20% interest; I was getting a brand-new car with only a slightly higher interest rate.After calling multitudes of places that laughed in my face, God led me to someone who was kind and understanding, and I believe He urged them to help me out. But what if I hadn’t been persistent? What if I had taken on a fatalistic attitude and not even tried? If I had given up, I am not sure I would have gotten that new car and with it a way to build back my credit. I kept that car for years and made every payment on time.The major life issues continued to press in on me for a while, but this once aga...

Originally written October 14, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/14/the-rules-that-break-fellowship/1 John 1:77 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. (Amplified Bible)I grew up in a denominational church that taught us we were constantly in and out of fellowship with Christ. I am sure they used the scripture above as their basis for this.We would do something that we thought was a sin, and then we were told we were out of fellowship with God. To repair that, we would have to repent and get “right” with God, and then our fellowship would be restored.But from everything I’ve been studying in depth over the past year, I have found that theology to be incorrect.The scripture above says that as long as we are walking in the light as He is in the light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations.The light is the revelation of the grace of Jesus Christ. How His death on the cross broke through so that we no longer had to live by the law.As long as we walk in grace, we have true, unbroken fellowship. So when we are not walking in grace, we have broken that fellowship.There are only two forms of existence for Christians. One is living in grace, and the other is living by the law. You are always doing one or the other.So if you are not walking in grace, then you are living under the law, and that breaks your fellowship. In grace, sin has no effect on you. You cannot come under its penalty. But if you are living by the law, then you must suffer the penalty of that sin and therefore your fellowship is broken.We have taken many phrases from the world, and we have adapted them to our thinking.“You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”“If you dance, you have to pay the piper.”But there is one that we have actually taken from the word, but have taken it out of context.“You reap what you sow.”Where this scripture is taken from is a teaching on finances and giving. It is not talking about a sinful life. That may be the case if you are not born again, but if you are ‘in Christ’ then you are covered by His grace. If it were true, then everything Jesus died to give us on the cross would have been in vain.So let’s talk about the law. I don’t think many of us have much problem not following rabbinical or Levitical laws, but what about all the other man-made laws that we ourselves have made through the years?There are only two commands that Jesus himself commanded us to live by. Beyond that, every rule regarding how to live life is a man-made law.Now, when talking about this, do not confuse the laws governing our communal living, such as speed limits, etc.I’m talking about spiritual living and laws of that nature.  If you get a tattoo, you are in sin.If you’re a women and don’t wear dresses, you are in sin.If you have long hair, you are in sin.If you sing praise songs written after the 18th century, you are in sin.If you use credit cards, you are in sin.If you smoke, you are in sin.If you don’t go to church each week, you are in sin.If you drink alcohol, you are in sin.These statements are all wrong. You have fallen out of fellowship, and the blood cannot cleanse your sin if you are in fact living by these laws. You have stopped living by grace and begun living by the law.Now that I have your attention. Let me give you this scripture.I Corinthians 6:1212) Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me.I Corinthians 10:2323) Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.In the first scripture, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about sexual behavior. In the second one, he is talking to them about eating. But his statement that everything is permissible brings it into the realm of not being sin. But no doubt it can lead to a damaging life. There are consequences to our actions. But that isn’t punishment from God for our sin.What is the key here? If we are permitted to do anything, then what do we use to govern our lives? If we don’t have a set of laws like the Ten Commandments to live by, how do we know what to do?By the Holy Spirit. We must, absolutely MUST, learn to live by the governing of the Spirit.It is not a bad thing to eat, but to overeat is gluttony. It is not a bad thing to drink alcohol, but in excess it is drunkenness. Having sex is not a bad thing, but outside of marriage it is fornication. What is the pattern here? Overindulgence - excess.Once we cross that line from moderation to excess, we have allowed that behavior to control us, and we are no longer controlling the behavior. If a behavior is controlling us, then we are not being governed (led) by the Spirit but by the desire to engage in the behavior.To live in grace, you must be led by the Holy Spirit. When you live by the law, the rules lead you.Grace gives life; the law brings guilt and condemnation, and death.Now rest assured that the Holy Spirit will not lead you to overindulge in any area. But his plan to get you out of debt, help you lose weight, work on a project, minister to others, succeed in business, etc. may not be how the rule books tell you it should be done.If we get too comfortable living by plans, which are rules, then we get desensitized to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We fall into a rut of following the leader to achieve a goal, and it is a mindless trap.Start your day with an acknowledgement of the Spirit. Ask him to lead you in every area of the day.  If you need love, ask Him for love. If you need joy, ask Him for joy. If you need peace, ask Him for peace. If you need to be patient, ask Him for patience. If you need to be kinder, ask Him for kindness. If you need to be good, ask Him for goodness. If you need to be more faithful, ask Him for faithfulness. If you need to be gentler, ask Him for gentleness. If you need self-control, ask Him for self-control.The Holy Spirit is the author and container of these things. If you need them, and we all do, get them from Him. Get them by fellowshipping with Him. God is on the throne. Jesus is at His right hand, but the Holy Spirit is her...

Originally written August 12, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/12/wednesday-word-study-fellowship/FellowshipTransliteration: koinónia Phonetic Spelling: (koy-nohn-ee'-ah) Short Definition: participation, communion, fellowship Definition: (lit: partnership) (a) contributory help, participation, (b) sharing in, communion, (c) spiritual fellowship, a fellowship in the spirit.  properly, what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship (partnership, community)This is another word that Christians use often, which the rest of the world does not. We often use this word when referring to our Christian brothers and sisters.But on Monday, the verse that was highlighted was:I John 1:3 AMP3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).In this verse, the word fellowship refers to our relationship with Father God. When we read about fellowship, I believe we draw a picture of friendly interaction and communication. Maybe even events where we gather and have fun. Many churches have ‘fellowship halls’ for just such occasions.But the part that I really love about this word is in the definition where it says, ‘contributory help, participation’. When we think of fellowship in this way, it takes the meaning deeper than just friendly communication and fun times. Let’s insert this into that portion of the scripture.And this contributory help and participation that we have is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (brackets removed for ease of reading).Fellowship is so much more than we have ever realized. To provide contributory help is to invest in someone’s life. You are not just a casual observer, but a ‘participant’ in their life.This is exactly what the church in the book of Acts was! When they fellowshipped, they contributed to each other’s lives, and they took part in each other’s lives, just as Father God contributes and takes part in our lives!I must say that I am part of a small group that lives this type of fellowship, and am so thankful that God has placed me there. If you are a person who maybe attends church but is not actively involved in a close-knit group of Christian friends or some type of small group that exhibits this type of fellowship, then let me encourage you to seek one out!God never intended for any of us to do life alone. He never intended for any of us to feel isolated from Him or other Christian believers.And for those of you who maybe haven’t entered into this type of fellowship in your group, contributing and taking part in others’ lives, let me encourage you to stop sitting on the outskirts. Dive on in! It will be the most fulfilling type of life you can know!Who can you reach out to? Make a difference for someone by contributing to and taking part in their life. Reach out, contribute, take part, and invest in others today.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written June 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/06/17/do-people-ever-really-change/Today’s Meditation Verse:I John 1:33 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified Bible)The point that I want to bring out in today’s scripture is shown by using the Amplified Bible. And that point is where John states that we have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The brackets in the Amplified state that this is a distinguishing mark of Christians.So, we as Christians know Jesus said the only way to come to God is through Him. We believe that and receive that. So we know that anyone who says that there are many ways to God and many forms of God is incorrect.But here John states that the thing that distinguishes us is our fellowship with God and Jesus.If you look at other so-called deities, they are worshiped as we worship our God, but the dividing line is that they don’t enter into a sonship with their deities who allow them the opportunity and privilege to have fellowship with them. They must serve them from a distance in a subservient position.We honor God and revere Him, but He is our Father. Jesus is the firstborn of many, us! He is our big brother whom I love so dearly and can, and do, talk to continually.I know my God is the one true God and I serve Him for that very reason, but just the thought that He also has made a way for me to be His child and for me to fellowship with Him is overwhelming humbling. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to serve any other deity but Jehovah God!Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

We often say that people don’t change. We warn those in relationships of that very thing. If you are in a relationship and think that you can change the other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong. You never change that person.The same is true of friendships. If you are staying in a relationship that causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong. You might as well raise the white flag and abandon ship right now. You will change no one.But people do change. I’ve seen the most despicable, sinful people become godly men and women seeking after the Father. People I would have long since given up on become more than I ever thought they would. I’ve had to eat my words.I’ve also seen people once seemingly on fire for God have an event or something happen in their lives and they are suddenly adrift out to sea to parts unknown.Are you frustrated that you are not seeing the changes or transformation in your life that you so desire?So what happens? What is it that changes a person for the better? Is it our own willpower? Is it developing good habits and doing all the right things? What creates change that is not just temporary?True transformation always happens from the inside out and never when you are watching for it to happen.I’ve been going to church for well over 50 years now. I’ve heard ‘be good’ preached from every standpoint that a preacher could preach it from. So for years I tried to do all the right things. Many were easy, but many were short-lived. No matter how hard I tried, I seemed to always slip back into previous behavior.I tried to live by the rules, you know, the 10 Commandments and the teachings of the New Testament. But what I have found is that even if I force myself through my self-control, that is just me forcing myself to be a certain way. And honestly, this means nothing. For me to force myself to be ‘good’ without transformation means absolutely nothing! In II Corinthians 3, Paul refers to the 10 Commandments as the ministry that brought death, but that there is a better way, the ministry of the Spirit!II Corinthians 3:7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!What God wants for us is true transformation, a glory that will last. With true transformation, we will automatically choose the things that are best for us. We will automatically live by ‘the rules’ naturally without thinking about them because they are written on our hearts.The Pharisees and Sadducees followed all the rules and made a great show of it, but they were not transformed. They were living a lie and were spiritually dead. The only people in the Bible that Jesus appeared to have no compassion for, but only disdain, were those who appeared to be doing good while all the while not being transformed on the inside. In fact, he was almost vicious towards them.So today, if we say good and charming things to a person while in our hearts we are seething with anger towards them, are we transformed or just ‘following the rules’? If we go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help whenever needed, but dread it or, almost worse, do it to gain praise from God and man, we are not transformed.If you are living by the rules because you know that is what you are supposed to do and not naturally from the heart, you have fallen from grace. For to live by grace is to live by the spirit and the unction of the spirit, not by rules, not even the 10 commandments.So what are we to do then? Live lawlessly? Yes! We are to live rooted and grounded in Jesus. Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. Read the Word of God with passion. Then and only then will true transformation come. You will become like who you hang out with. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will become like Him.Hebrews 7:18 So a previous physical regulation and command is cancelled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness—19 For the Law never made anything perfect–but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God.”  I have said this to too many people, but that seems overwhelming to them, almost like giving them another law to live by. Spend time with Jesus—check. Read the word - check. So, what is the key here? How do we desire to live by grace? How do we desire to spend more time with Jesus? How do we desire to spend more time reading the Word?The key is in the only commandment of the New Testament. If you live by these, then transformation will begin, and you will live a godly life, a life of transformation.Luke 10:27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”  John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 “This I command you, that you love one another.  So how do we just arbitrarily love Jesus? How do we develop a love that compels us to spend time with someone? How do we truly love others?It begins with the realization of just how much He first loved us. We are all attracted to healthy love. But this is no ordinary love. It is a love that transforms, heals, protects, elevates to royalty, prospers, vindicates, admonishes, promotes, prefers, favors, comforts, and on and on and on.The very first step to transformation is to learn about Jesus’ love for you. Learn about the Father’s love for you. Look in the concordance of your Bible or go to an online Bible and search out the term ‘love’. Read and re-read about God’s love for you. Read with an open heart, accepting and receiving.As you soak in the reality of His love for you, you will transform into a Jesus lover. Then you will want to spend time with Him. Then you will want to read the Word. Then love and joy will flood your heart, and you will want to serve others.Start today by seeking to learn more about His love for you.<...

Keeping with the theme of God saving me from careless and stupid actions, here is another one. I am convinced that I have a gene in my DNA that has pre-programmed me to believe the best in a person, any person. So, needless to say, I have had my fair share of stupid moments when I believed someone was telling me the truth, and they were not.Each time I would firmly resolve not to get duped again, and each time it would happen again. I Corinthians 13:6 in the Amplified Bible, says love believes all things [looking for the best in each one]. I guess you could say that is what that gene is in my DNA. It could be worse. I could be entirely cynical and suspicious of everyone and everything. I would rather love and believe the best.But back to the story. There was a period of time when the entire world seemed to crash down on me. There were major, I mean major life events that I was having to deal with on my own. I won’t discuss those ordeals here because others are involved and I want to protect their privacy.On top of those multiple major events, I had decided to buy another car and sell the one I had on my own. But I couldn’t sell it. The double car payments on top of everything else I was dealing with were almost more than I could endure. This was in the 90s when we sold things via advertisements in newspapers or specialty papers. I had placed an add in one such paper.One night I got a call, and it was a man who said he helped people sell their cars. He had a lot, and instead of buying the car and reselling it, he would allow customers to put the car on his lot, and then he would get a commission or cut of the proceeds when sold.I met him at his office. I didn’t see a car lot. Not sure why that wasn’t the first red flag. His office was virtually bare. Not sure why that wasn’t the second red flag. He seemed incredibly nervous. Not sure why that wasn’t the third red flag. I signed some kind of paper, gave him the keys and went home to wait for him to sell the car. I was excited and hopeful that this man, whom I didn’t know, would get the car sold.About a week later, I got a call from the OKCPD. It was an officer who asked me a few questions, such as my name and address. Then he asked me if I owned a silver Mustang. I said yes. They said that they had my car and that I could come down to the police station and get it.I was shocked. When I got there, two officers were in the parking lot of the station, standing beside my car. I explained to them what the situation was. They explained to me that I had been scammed, and that man had stolen my car.They said it was a fluke that they had even stopped him. But they just felt like they should, and sure enough, nothing added up. They arrested him and gave me back my car. They were very serious when they said that I should feel incredibly lucky to have gotten my car back.I knew it wasn’t luck. It had been another miracle from God in the midst of another stupid mistake. God retrieved my stolen car, which I didn’t even know had been stolen. The officers were so wonderful. They were so sympathetic towards me.They told me this scam had happened before, and they rarely found the cars. When they did, they were usually in parts or crashed. Again, they emphasized just how fortunate it had been for them to stop the man and retrieve my car.Needless to say, I was once again humiliated but so eternally grateful to God for getting my car back. Again, perfection is not a prerequisite for God to perform a miracle for you. If you trust in Him and lean on Him, He will work on your behalf even when you don’t know you need it. He will literally save you from yourself.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

This week we have been talking about caring and the cares of this life. We have learned that we must care about certain things to a certain degree, but when something causes us concern that affects us adversely, then we have crossed the line to anxiety, which is basically fear. And fear is distrust in God.I don’t think as Christians our problem is that we don’t care enough, but that we care too much. We carry many burdens that we were never supposed to carry. We reserve certain issues in our lives for us to carry while only bothering Father God with those things that “we just can’t take any more”.But that was never meant to be. On Monday, we read the scripture:1 Peter 5:7 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)I like where it emphasizes ‘casting the whole of your care upon Him’, “ALL of your anxieties, worries and concerns”. Not just some, and not just anxieties, but worries and concerns too.How many times have I heard someone say, “well I guess I’ll just pray about it. That’s all I can do”. So many times casting that care, going to God is a last resort, not the first refuge.We have geared ourselves up to worry and to be concerned. In times past, the degree of your worry was an unofficial indicator of how loving you were or how much you cared about someone. A person would tell someone that they worried about them as if it were the same as showing them the degree of how much they loved them.We have worrying and anxiety down to a point whereas as a society we must take medication to slow that boat down. The cares of this life have so overtaken us we cannot live the life that Jesus came to bring us, the life that He died to give us.John 10:10 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). (Amplified Bible)Worry and anxiety are the key things that the enemy is using to steal, kill, and destroy our lives. Jesus said that He came that we might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance to the full until it overflows. We cannot entertain worry and anxiety and enjoy our lives. The two do not and cannot co-exist.When was the last time that you could genuinely say that you were enjoying your life in abundance to the full until it overflowed? Does that describe your life?So we must cast our cares on Him. We must exchange our worries and concerns for His abundant life. As we hand over our worries to Him, He will in turn hand back to us a joyful life. A life of abundant joy to the full, until it overflows. And why is it important that it overflows? So that it will overflow onto those around us, so that they can genuinely see and experience the joy of the Lord.What a trade-off! We hand Him the things that worry us and drag us down, and in exchange for that He hands us His perfect peace and joy. So why then do we hang on to the worry? So why then do we hang on to those anxieties? Do we really feel that we are abandoning those that we are worrying about if we cease to worry about them? By placing them in God’s hands, we are doing the most admirable and beneficial thing for them.So the next time someone says, “So long, take care”, just smile and say, “I’ll have a great day, but I’ll leave the care with the Lord.”Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Strongs Concordance Number:  3199Transliteration: melóPhonetic Spelling: (mel'-o)Definition: it is a care, it is an object of anxiety, it concerns.Our verse for Monday Meditations this week was I Peter 5:7 and in the King James reads like this…I Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.At first glance, we would think that the first care and careth are just similar versions of the same word, but they are not.The word above is the second word, careth or cares. When it says that the Lord cares for us using this word, it means that we are the object of His concern.Here is the word care as it is in the first part of the verse.Strongs Concordance Number:  3308Transliteration: merimna Phonetic Spelling: (mer'-im-nah)Definition: care, worry, anxiety, properly, a part, separated from the whole; (figuratively) worry (anxiety), dividing and fracturing a person's being into parts.This word is a noun and was translated to anxiety in the Amplified Bible. It is similar, but paints a different picture from the first care. In the first word we are an object of concern or an object of care. Here we see that the word care is taken to an extreme.When studying this word, it refers to word #3309, which is the verb derivative of this word. The expounded definition is: drawn in opposite directions; "divided into parts", "to go to pieces" because pulled apart (in different directions), like the force exerted by sinful anxiety (worry).I have heard many mothers and fathers talk about worrying about their children. When they are not home late at night or don’t call when they should. There is no doubt that we should care (3199) about our children and the other parts of our lives.But when that care (3199) turns into the care of (3308) it will literally pull us apart in different directions and we will go to pieces. And this is sinful. So let’s insert these meanings fully into this scripture and see what we find.Casting all your sinful anxiety, which pulls you apart, upon him; for you are an object of His concern.Do we take care or concern to the wrong extreme? When we feel it pulling us apart, we can know that we have crossed the line and we must cast this care on the Father, because we are the object of His care.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Today’s Meditation Verse:1 Peter 5:77 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)I Peter 5:77 casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (King James Bible)Mostly when a scripture comes to my mind, it comes to me in the King James Version because that was the version I was reading and studying when the word of God first came alive to me and burned into my heart.So that is the way I remember it, not from memorization, but because that is how it was seared into my heart.But many years later, I discovered the Amplified Bible and fell in love all over again. Above you will see today’s Monday Meditation scripture in both the King James Version and also in the Amplified version.The Amplified version expounds the meaning of the words so that you will have a clearer understanding. Sometimes, if you are reading long passages and you are not used to it, it becomes cumbersome. But in time you become comfortable with how the brackets divide out the meanings.Today’s scripture is amazing in the Amplified version. It tells you to take the WHOLE of your care, not just a bit or the part that is troubling you the most, but ALL of your care and concerns and cast it [ONCE AND FOR ALL] on Him.How many times do we attempt to do that and then, before we know it, we have picked them back up and have to do it all over again? Well, we must practice the art of casting them once and for all on Him!We can do this peacefully because—He cares for you and me affectionately and cares about you and me watchfully! Awe, His eye is there, watching over us always! Affectionately, as a parent watches over that tiny infant that they love so dearly, always watching, always attentive. That is our Father, God!Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

I remember many years ago when I was studying computer science, first in Vo-Tech in the 70s, then in college in the 80s, there was a term that was frequently used. It sounded funny, and we tossed it around flippantly, but nevertheless, one that is true and was birthed out of truth. The irony of that term is that it is pretty much universal, not just for computers. That term is GIGO, or Garbage In, Garbage Out.Through the years, I realize this is critically true of us as humans. From the moment a baby is born, they are learning. They are taking in information which will develop them into the person they will become. The better the information they take in, the better person they will grow to be.They take in information through their eyes, ears, and touch. The first years of a baby’s life are massive sequences of data input and storage. Each progressive step is built on the previous step. Much, if not most, of what a child learns is not taught to the child directly, but indirectly as they perceive the world around them.We are still the same today. It is probably safe to say, however, that our learning process slows with time. We stop receiving new experiences or become set in our thoughts and ideals and refuse to receive or accept information that is new to us. We develop biased opinions over time, which influences every thought or piece of knowledge that we receive.Right now, I am still studying the parable of the sower. God keeps impressing on me that there is much more to see in that parable than we have ever dreamed. Today, this scripture stood out to me. Luke 8:1818 Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and guesses and supposes that he has will be taken away. Amplified BibleThe word ‘how’ really stuck out to me. Not be careful ‘that’ we listen, but ‘how’. As I meditated on this, reading the definitions of the Greek root words, I saw this as further confirmation that we must listen to the Word with acceptance and not resistance, as I spoke about in the recent blog Good Ground.There is a strong warning in this verse. To gain spiritual knowledge, you must accept that whatever the Word says is truth and determine to receive that truth with an open mind. If you do this, you will gain more spiritual knowledge. The spiritual knowledge needed to produce a good outcome in your life.If you don’t; if you close off your mind and heart to aspects of the bible, picking and choosing what you decide to believe and manipulate the interpretation based on pre-disposed ideas, you will lose even that spiritual knowledge that you think you already have.We must feed on the truth of the Word and not on false, partially correct, or out of context teachings. They will produce toxic results and will not transform our lives the way Christ intended. So how then do we know if what we are hearing is delivered to us with the correct interpretation and not with a predisposed bias? Hebrews 8:10-1110 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  11 And it will nevermore be necessary for each one to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen or each one his brother, saying, Know (perceive, have knowledge of, and get acquainted by experience with) the Lord, for all will know Me, from the smallest to the greatest of them. Amplified Bible.It is good to listen to preachers and teachers of the Word, but the most important thing you can do is read the Word for yourself. Read it with an open mind and ask with sincerity for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the accurate interpretation of the Word. Don’t read it with a preconceived notion or thought, but fresh and new as the Spirit reveals it to you, and then accept it as it is.That is one of the primary services of the Holy Spirit to us: to reveal to us the truth in the Word. If you ask with a genuine heart to learn and know the truth, then you are developing good ground and this is HOW you listen, by listening not to men only, but to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you the truth with an open mind.And with this truth, with this revelation comes the power to transform, to change. Not by your own might, but by the Spirit.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Several years after graduating from college, I worked for various companies. I hated leaving jobs; however, various situations led me to work for several employers through those years. It was good in the aspect that I gained a ton of expert knowledge.One morning while I was driving to work, a thought ran through my mind, not a prayer. The thought was so outlandish that I would never have been able to believe it could have come true. Just musings in my mind, as I sometimes did.I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be nice if I could work from home, but not with a business of my own? But with a company, so I could get a steady paycheck. Oh, and maybe even get to travel on top of that. I chuckled as I rolled this over in my mind at the cherry I had added on top.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Originally written September 2, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/23/orphans/Romans 8:19-23 (Amplified Bible)19 For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].20 For the creation (nature) was subjected to [i]frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it--[yet] with the hope(D)21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children.22 We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.(E)23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God's sons).Picture the scene from Apple Cider Rules when a couple came to look over the children at the orphanage to find a child. All the children made sure that day that they looked their best. They tried not to hope too much that they would be chosen. There was always a huge possibility of disappointment. As the children grew older, their chances of being chosen grew slim, and many became adults having never been chosen.We are orphans. And yet, when we hear that there is a Father who owns and rules the entire universe, that wants us to be His children, wants to adopt us, many times we just shrug our shoulders and walk away.This Father had a son, only one. But he wanted to be able to adopt us so much that he gave up that son so that it would be legal for Him to adopt us all. But rather than waiting with anticipation for that moment when we could be chosen with our hands extended high in the air, crying out, ‘pick me, pick me”, we wait unconcerned.The entire universe is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. They wait expectantly for that very day. But it is delayed. This Father who rules the universe waits to see that as many as desire can become His sons. But one day the wait will be over and those sons will be revealed.Yes, I know we call ourselves children of God if we go to church and we said the sinner’s prayer at one time. But if you remember from the Wednesday Word Study last week when we talked about the word children, that word means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.But how many out there who call themselves a child of God really are? Do they, in their heart of hearts, live in FULL dependence on the heavenly Father, willingly relying upon Him in GLAD submission?Do you? Do I?Phillipians 4:13 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.This is a favorite scripture for Christians. We love to quote it. It gives us encouragement. But what I have come to see and to know is that our perception of this scripture is that we can do many things, but for those things we cannot do, He will give us strength. We go through our days full steam ahead, doing what we do. We do our jobs; we do our lives at home. But when it gets tough, we turn to God.The Father that I know wants us to submit as little children do. Children who rely totally and completely on Him as infants do on their mothers.  He calls those who are COMPLETELY in all areas dependent and submissive to Him, His children.Are there areas of our lives that we have chosen not to submit to Him? A stronghold or a bad habit? We will let him handle all but that? What about areas that we feel we have conquered on our own, from our own strength, persistence, and willpower? It may have appeared that we have conquered it, but if it was brought under our own submission, then it was not brought under the Father’s submission.He wants to do it! He wants to take care of us in all areas. He wants us totally submitted and relying on Him completely. He wants to do the small things for us, not just the things we deem too difficult for us to handle. Then he can call us children.When will those children be revealed? Not until that day when we are redeemed from our flesh. I believe that the revelation on that day will be that so many who declared by their voice that they were children of God, were not really His children at all.Are you hungry for Him? Are you waiting anxiously to be adopted? So you submit EVERY area to Him willingly and submissively? What are you waiting for? You must trust Him with your entire life. Your sonship depends on it.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Wednesday Word Study | Children - Episode 8Originally written September 28, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/28/wednesday-word-study-children/ChildrenJohn 1:1212) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,Children This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043Transliteration: teknon Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non) Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.In this particular scripture the word children means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.It has often been said that the kingdom of God is backwards to the world.  In God’s kingdom you give to receive where the world takes and holds onto, to have.  And this is only one of many comparisons.The scripture above is another such precept.  When we receive Christ we are usually strong and mentally self-sufficient.  Even in the Jewish culture the age of 12 or 13 is considered the beginning of adulthood for spiritual purposes.  It is the point where we can take accountability for our decisions.We’ve grown from a baby that is totally dependent on our parents to provide us with everything, to someone seemingly self-sufficient.  But it is at this point that we must make the choice to reverse the process and transition into someone who is living in full dependence on the heavenly Father.It doesn’t happen overnight.  It is a gradual process, a releasing of control over our own lives.  But with time and persistence, we will grow in reverse and become totally dependent on the Father and then can rightfully be called His child.But as many as (actively take hold of) Him, to them He gave the (authority) to (transition into) (a child living in full dependence) on God, even to those who (believe in a way that leads to and proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith) in (the manifestation or revelation of Jesus’ character).In the notes are the other words in this scripture with their root meanings.ReceivedThis is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 2983 Transliteration: lambanó Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o) Definition: to lay hold by aggressively (actively) acceptingRight This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1849 Transliteration: exousia Phonetic Spelling: (ex-oo-see'-ah) Definition: authority, conferred power; delegated empowerment ("authorization")Become This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1096 Transliteration: ginomai Phonetic Spelling: (ghin'-om-ahee) Definition: come into being/manifestation implying motion, movement, or growth, transitioningChildren This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043 Transliteration: teknon Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non) Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.Believe This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 4100 Transliteration: pisteuó Phonetic Spelling: (pist-yoo'-o) Definition: the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith.NameThis is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3686 Transliteration: onoma Phonetic Spelling: (on'-om-ah) Definition: the manifestation or revelation of someone's character(name) Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

John 1:1212) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,From the time Christ was here and He came to bring the pure undiluted and perfect gospel, man himself as set out, even if unintentionally to dissect and dilute it.Through the years there are thousands of different beliefs on not only religion, but also the gospel itself.  Churches continue to split even now regarding what they want to believe is the truth.There is a belief that permeates many hearts and minds of people around the world.  That belief is that ‘if I am a good person’ I will be ok.  I will go to heaven.  Many people who even attend church believe that very thing.I want to start your mind to thinking and your heart to searching today.  If you will bear with me through the week I hope to unravel and allow God to reveal more about the scripture above as well as related scriptures.  But today I want to dissect this verse just a bit to get you thinking.If you will look at the scripture where it says “that as many as received Him, to them He gave the RIGHT to become children of God…”When you receive Jesus he gives you the authority to BECOME a child of God, future tense.Meditate on this scripture this week.  From the time we accept Jesus and acquire the right to become a child of God, just what happens to cause us to actually become a child of God?  You won’t want to miss the Wednesday Word Study this week and my blog on Friday.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

LOVE!What a word!We hear that word from the moment we are born.Mommy whispers in our ear, ‘Mommy loves you”.As we grow we hear, and therefore learn, that big brother just ‘loves’ the neighbors new car. Big sister, ‘loves’ her new boyfriend she just had one date with. Mom ‘loves’ the new wallpaper in the bedroom. Dad ‘loves’ his new job.Our first impression of love is one of tender affection. And honestly it IS our whole world. But as we grow, that word becomes watered down. That once powerful word which was the definition of our closest bond, has come to be on an equal playing ground with the neighbors new car and wallpaper.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Many years after that last miracle, I was through college and working a full-time job. I had bought a house and felt like life was good. I was attending a church I loved and had many good friends. I thought I was past that last toxic relationship and in a good place. But I wasn’t.Once again, I am going to divulge another shameful episode in my life with a miracle attached. I am being vulnerable to you so that you can see that if you maintain a relationship with God, no matter how much you mess up, He will always be there for you. I had a heart to do what was right and to serve God, but I was still broken with an overwhelming need to feel loved. That is the operative word right there - feel.The truth was that I was loved. God had so much love for me that there aren’t words to describe. Even though I sought him out daily, I didn’t allow myself to feel His love for me. If I had, it would have changed everything, and later it did. But during this period, I still felt ‘less-than’.During this time, I was working as the office manager for a large commercial construction company. We had operations going all across the United States. As office manager, I frequently spoke with employees in various parts of the country. There was one particular employee who flirted with me, and my damaged soul ate it up.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Sometimes when we are in the middle of something, we can’t see the big picture, and it is hard to take a bird’s-eye view and see the overall plan.One well know phrase is, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” I think that is very fitting.Perspective is also very important and has been the crux of division for years. For thousands of years, man has been fighting over what is correct because our narrow perspectives become the entire picture to us. We all do this.None are completely wrong and none are completely right. But it causes divisions, and that is exactly what the enemy wants. When we are critical of other brothers and sisters in Christ, we are playing right into the enemy’s hand and being disobedient to Christ. Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

At the beginning of Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit and fell dead. It was an excellent lesson, and there were many comments for discussion.I wanted to write today because this very thing ties so closely with what I have been writing about. Ananias and Sapphira were tares, or counterfeit Christians. How do I know this? Because their hearts’ motives were revealed and their hearts were not turned towards the Father, but that Satan had filled their hearts.As I said above, they attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit. I used the word attempted because, in their ignorance, they really thought they could deceive Him, not recognizing His deity. But the Spirit revealed to Peter what was going on. He would not let their deception go unnoticed.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Strongs Concordance Number: 3153Transliteration: mataiotés Phonetic Spelling: (mat-ah-yot'-ace) Definition: vanity, emptiness, unreality, purposelessness, ineffectiveness, instability, frailty; false religion. Aimlessness due to lacking purpose or any meaningful end.On Monday, we talked about the scripture Romans 8:19 and how all of creation is waiting eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed. This holding pattern we are all placed in until that time is described by the author with the word futility. All of creation is in a futile period of time, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

Today’s Meditation Verse:Romans 8:1919) All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are.Monday Meditations are designed to get you to thinking about scriptures that you may have not previously thought much about.  It is to hopefully get you to meditating on a particular scripture for the entire week.  I think this week you may ponder this one for some time.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

How many moments in our lives could truly be labeled… “Attention. Attention. This is a test of the emergency GODCAST system!”?As children of God, we are continually being tested as to our quality.I Peter 4:12 in the Amplified reads,“Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.” (Emphasis mine).Sometimes it takes years before we even realize that we are being tested. We look at it as just another of life’s experiences and act according to our impulses. Then at some point we realize it is a test, and that God desires a specific reaction from us in any situation. The tests are not for God’s benefit to see how we will react but for our own benefit; for our growth.Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop HereMy Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.comCheck out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.comFollow me here:Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/NAJacksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjacksonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJacksonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

I wrote the previous eighteen miracles sometime ago. When coming to this spot, I just froze. I debated for literally years before deciding to include this one. It is no doubt a miracle, but one that honestly I am ashamed to admit to.However, including it may very well help someone else. There is a lesson to be learned here, so I am going to humble myself, admit to my naivety and immaturity at the time and write about this experience.Major Life ChangeNot long after my father passed away, everything changed. My marriage had been rocky for years. I had been so on fire for the Lord and reading my Bible and going to church that my life felt truly alive, except for one thing. My marriage was, for me, horrible. He worked very long hours. He was a good provider, but that left very few hours at home with us.The details of the downfall of my marriage is a story for another time. Suffice it to say that I had become horribly depressed and longed to be loved. My father had loved me unconditionally. My mother loved me the best she could, but the scenario surrounding my conception and birth clouded me in a dense spirit of rejection, which I spoke about previously. A spirit of rejection prevents a person from feeling loved and accepted and, in return, pushes others away. I never felt loved or accepted and yearned for it.Even after being delivered, the damage from years of experiencing that bondage remained. Let me encourage anyone who is walking through any type of deliverance; you still need to work on allowing God to heal what was damaged. Once delivered, so many walk away assuming that all is good and well and nothing more needs to be done. But where wounds were created, there needs to be healing and forgiveness.Craving To Be LovedAs I said, my father had loved me unconditionally. But he was gone. I never ever felt loved other than that. I craved to be loved. I never ever felt that my husband loved me. If he had, he never once showed me or told me.So, during that dark period of my life, I was subconsciously on a quest for love or to be loved. I dated a lot. I began a life of falling into relationships compulsively and hanging on to them for dear life, hoping I would feel loved. They were horrible and toxic relationships. I knew I should change, but couldn’t help it. After my divorce, I did not handle the freedom from being on my own for the first time well. But I eventually began the climb out of the toxic fall God had allowed, not caused, but had allowed. I moved to Oklahoma City and got out of the area where I had lived and out of a relationship that I shouldn’t have been in.I Wanted a New StartA new start. I started going back to church and living a way that I knew to live. I felt so much better. I was in a Christian singles group and made great friends. But I carried guilt, shame, and sorrow for the previous few years. I told none of my new friends. I honestly didn’t even feel worthy to call myself a Christian. I was so ashamed.I also carried still that compulsive need to feel loved. A need to be in a relationship that would fulfill that need to be loved. In the huge singles group I was in, there was a sea of single men. And I always seemed to pick the wrong ones. Unhealed wounds will do that to you. Those wounds draw you to the wrong people and wrong places. And not all men in a singles group are good, Godly men.Early on, there was one man I fixed my eye on. I was determined that he was ‘the one’. I would talk about it with my new best friend. She also had fixated on someone. So, we would pray and talk about it. We would try to rationalize what and how to make it work out so that the relationships would happen. In other words, we were attempting to manipulate the situation.As I look back on this, I am so very ashamed that my focus was on this and not on the kingdom of God. It breaks my heart when I think of it. With all that I knew spiritually, there was still so much toxic behavior that was unresolved. I had been delivered from a spirit of rejection. I had been delivered from a spirit of fear. But there were still toxic tendrils remaining from having lived like that for so long.I was not healed emotionally. As I said earlier, I felt shame about how I had lived for so long. I unconsciously felt as though I didn’t deserve to be loved. I felt like I didn’t deserve to have a good man love me. I honestly didn’t believe that God would give me someone just right for me. With all my faith, I still couldn’t believe it. So, I didn’t trust Him with that part of my life.Surrender Would Have Solved So MuchHad I only known, if I had just surrendered that part to Him, He would have performed miracles I never knew could be done. And He tried to. He brought a great man into my life who had become a great friend. But I didn’t believe he could ever love me beyond friendship, and I pushed that miracle away.But that is not what this miracle is about. It may seem like I have been very long-winded here. And yes, I have, but feel like in order to talk about all of this you needed context.To go back to that man that I had become fixated on and how determined that I was to ‘have him’, I decided I would fast and pray for him. Not for him as a person, but to have him as mine. What a waste of fasting and prayer. It moves mountains and so much spiritual darkness.. But to use it in a way that is so shallow and immature brings me embarrassment and a galling bitter taste in my mouth.I knew fasting was powerful. So, I did it. I fasted for three days. No food, only water. I journaled what I hoped would happen from my fasting. That he become more than a friend. Let me say here that we had gone on a date, and then he decided I was not what he wanted for a mate. But I still hoped that prayer and fasting would ‘force’ him into another decision. That makes me cringe to this day.My fast ended at midnight Saturday. The next morning I was so hopeful heading to church. There was nothing different when we saw each other. He said ‘hi’ and went his way. I was disappointed, but still hopeful. Church ended, and I went home devastated.Fasting and Prayer Does WorkBut once home, I went before the Lord and reminded Him I had fasted and prayed and believed, and that what I had believed for should happen. I knew that prayer and fasting were powerful and I was so confused by the outcome.Then there was a knock on my door. It was him. He seemed a little flustered, as though he wasn’t sure why he was there. He asked me if I wanted to go to Target with him. He said he was on the way there, and before he passed by my house, he felt the overwhelming urge that he was supposed to stop and ask me to go with him.Well, you can imagine how thrilled I was. I knew, just knew it was the answer to my fasting. We went to Target and sparks didn’t fly. It was fine. It was two friends going to Target. I am not sure we ever did anything together again after that.So, what is the miracle here? What is the takeaway? Prayer and fasting moves mountains. I believe God wanted to show me how powerful my fasting and praying had been. But it wasn’t meant to be for me to be with that person. He wasn’t someone who could love me the way I was meant to be loved. I saw the power of fasting and prayer that day, but without the complete answer.It was after that when God presented me with that friend who would have made a great husband. But I was so damaged still, ...

Only the Hungry have the Authority to Become a Child of GodMonday Meditations – Episode 6Originally written September 12, 2011Today’s Meditation Verse:John 1:9-13 Amplified Bible9) There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.  10) He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.  11) He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him.  12) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—  13) who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].This passage says so much. Jesus is the true light who came into this world, this earth which He had made. And yet the world, those on this earth did not recognize their maker. His Jewish people, did not receive Him.But that is okay because He came so that ANYONE can now receive Him and therefore become a citizen of His kingdom.  And those who were His people that rejected Jesus at that time, brought themselves under judgement.In verse 12 John tells us that anyone who receives Jesus was given by God’s authority the right to become a child of God. The walls were down, no more an exclusive club defined by lineage. Now anyone, regardless of race, vocation, or culture who received Jesus was given permission to become.In verse 13 we learn it isn’t by natural conception (Jewish lineage), not by physical impulse (just because you want to), nor by a natural father or person. Only by God and His divine supernatural birth are you born of God.Good works cannot get you there.Nationality cannot get you there.Force of will cannot get you there.Culture cannot get you there.Becoming a child of God cannot be done by any measure other than receiving Jesus. Once that genuine reception of Jesus happens (we will talk more about that soon in this week's Wednesday Word Study and Friday Finale) then anyone is given permission to become a child of God.Wednesday Word Study – Episode 6Originally written August 10, 2011ReceiveToday I want to discuss the contrast of one word that is used twice in one passage but has very different meanings. The word receive.John 1:9-13 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.This scripture is talking about receiving Jesus as the Christ. In verse 11 it says… ‘His own did not receive Him.” In this instance the word receive. paralambanó: To take, to receive, to take along, to acceptOriginal Word: παραλαμβάνω Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: paralambanó Pronunciation: pah-rah-lahm-BAH-no Phonetic Spelling: (par-al-am-ban'-o) KJV: receive, take (unto, with) NASB: took, received, take, taken, receive, took along, took aside Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2983 (λαμβάνω - receive)]  1. to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation) 2. (by analogy) to assume an office 3. (figuratively) to learnStrong's Exhaustive Concordancereceive, take unto, with.From 3844 para "from close-alongside" and 2983 lambano "aggressively take"; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn -- receive, take (unto), to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.I find it interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is talking about ‘His own” meaning the Jews not receiving Him. In the definition of that case of the word receive it says ‘to assume office’. Jesus had come to fulfill the promises made to both Abraham and David per their respective covenants with God. He came as both a Priest (Messiah) and King. He came to assume those offices, but His people did not receive Him as such.Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there. They didn’t acknowledge Him as priest (messiah) or king.The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.lambanó: To take, receive, obtainOriginal Word: λαμβάνωPart of Speech: VerbTransliteration: lambanóPronunciation: lam-BAN-oPhonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o) 1. (actively) to take 2. (passively) to receive 3. (objectively) to get hold of (with the hand) {in very many applications (literally and figuratively); whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove}HELPS Word-studies2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.This is a very good example why to get a good and clear picture of scripture, we need to go to the root to find the genuine meaning of a word. Root words along with historical context will bring a much more acc...

 Friday Finale – Episode 6Originally written September 16, 2011 posted here: https://forthhttps://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/esakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/Feeding The HungryJohn 1:9-13 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.I know that some may question why lately we are going to such lengths to dig below the surface of a scripture to see what the greek words are and what their meaning is. But the more I dig, the more I find that it does make a difference. The Greek language is so much more exact than our English language. Love for instance is a word that we casually throw around and yet also use for our dearest devotion. We know that in the Greek Language there is a word for each and every varying kind of love. So when we read the scriptures in our English language it is interesting to see it in the way it was first written.There is an example in the previous passage of one word in the English being use in two varying degrees. That word is received. In verse 11 it talks about Jesus coming to His own, the Jews, and they did not ‘receive’ Him.Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there.The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.This study this week has answered many questions that I’ve had for a long time. Questions like why do some people agree to their need for Jesus, say the sinners prayer, and then go on their own way as if nothing ever happened, living that same old lifestyle. Then in others we see an immediate and radical change.I believe one key is here. Let’s take this and move it to something more familiar to get a strong visual on the subject.For a person who eats on a regular basis, sometimes life distracts us and we get busy and for hours we don’t even realize that we are hungry. In fact because we are so well fed on a regular basis our hunger is just a slight reminder. It is one that can easily be ignored when we are engaged in things that we find more interesting and entertaining.But there are so many out there that never eat regularly and are really starving. Eating is their only thought and they long for it and crave it every second of every day. Just a morsel to eat, just a scrap, they will take it eagerly.Many times I’ve cooked for someone and when the food was ready they were engaged in something that they wanted to finish before eating. I would bring them their food and they would acknowledge it and ask me to just set it down and they would get to it when they were done with what they were doing. They received, or acknowledged the food. But their receipt of it was very passive.Let’s contrast that with feeding genuinely hungry people. We’ve seen pictures of missionaries who bring food to starving countries in trucks, and as they are coming down the road the people run to them. When the food is passed out they aggressively take it, many times fighting for even a small share of the food. This is much different than the ‘received’ example previously.So, now that we have a visual in our minds let’s move back to the spiritual application of it. Jesus says that those who received (actively take hold of) Him…I believe that the difference in one’s life transformation when receiving Jesus is their degree of hunger. How many people have been pushed by guilt or peer pressure to answer an alter call when they have not yet reached a point of true spiritual hunger? They passively accept Jesus, but have no true hunger for Him. As we see in verse 12, it is those who receive Him aggressively that He gives the authority to transition into the children of God.We know that Jesus is the way and we are hungry still for more of Him. We ‘cook’ a good meal and are eager for everyone to eat. But they are not hungry. So, they receive it by acknowledging it, I believe out of a sense of duty, obligation or pressure, and then set it aside. Then there it sets getting cold and forgotten. By passively accepting it they will not be transformed.To our credit we have experienced the hunger and the satisfaction of being filled spiritually and that experience brings with it an eagerness for others to experience it as well. So we push. We manipulate and we engineer places and times so that they too will accept Jesus.But from what I am seeing here, if that person does not have a true hunger on their own, then it will not transform their life. It will be set aside and in my opinion do more harm than good because it will have no effect on them while they continue to do life their way.Our example can be taken from Jesus Himself when He walked on this earth. He was the bread of life yet he never forced Himself on anyone at anytime. He knew He possessed life eternal and yet He did not force feed anyone. But to those who aggressively sought Him out and actively pursued Him, He fed.Many walked away from Him, but he never ran after them attempting to explain Himself and what it was that He was providing so that they would come back and receive Him.Many might say that passive reception is better than no reception. But, I believe Jesus would disagree. It is to those who hunger and aggressively receive that He gives the authority to become the children of God.If a person passively received Jesus, they may have the belief that they have become a child of God and are good to go, but because they did not aggressively pursue and take hold of Jesus they were not given that right and therefore are deceived into believing a lie.Jesus wants to feed those who are hungry, really hungry for transformation, hungry for Him. He wants to see their ‘life denying hunger’ and then satisfy it.So, as followers of Christ who have experienced this very thing, what are we to do? Well, we are not to push and manipulate others to get them to ‘say the sinners prayer’. We are to create a hunger within them by living a life that is filled with the bread of life.Jesus lived it and loved them and they came! And they came in droves. Since He is our example, why are we trying to improve on His way of doing things? Why are we trying to improve on His design. Because it is easier to do it our way than it is to live it His way. Living it His way just seems to take too long. We are more concerned about quantity than quality.If we eat of the bread of life daily and are loving and kind and giving… If we allow the ...