Faith Under Fire

Jun10

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well.

But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

How deep is your faith in the one true God?

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Daniel 3:14-18 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/dan.3.14-18.NASB1995

How assured are you in your faith?
Are you willing to step into the fire?

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”
Daniel 3:28-29 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/dan.3.28-29.NASB1995

Do you have testimonies of faith?

🌹Glory to God!!

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Compassionate & Forgiving

Jun9

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Psalms 103:10 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.103.10.NASB1995

Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear (revere) Him.
Psalms 103:13 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.103.13.NASB1995

🌹Thank You, Lord, for Your compassion and forgiveness.

🙏LORD GOD, do not give me what I deserve.
Sanctify me in Your righteousness, for Your namesake. Humbly I ask in the name of Jesus, amen.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

My Soul is Yours

Jun8

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Psalms 143:8, 10 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.143.8-10.NASB1995

🌹Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Psalms 86:4 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.86.4.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Praise God

Jun5

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ch.29.11-12.NASB1995

🌹Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:13 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ch.29.13.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Faith & Works

Jun4

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
James 2:24 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.24.NASB1995

How many times have I read this verse? Many times. But when I read it yesterday, it had a whole new meaning. I will give thanks and praise to God, who through The Holy Spirit revealed something new.

My heart goes out, breaks, for the person who is content in their faith because they took a class or walked an aisle, making a decision to be a Christian . . . BUT . . . that’s as far as it goes.

True faith in God commands us to serve God for His ultimate purpose and His glory. Our salvation is about God, not us. His desire is to use us to show His love and salvation to others so they may know Him and receive the blessings He has for His people, His creation.

Faith is more than a prayer. More than a confession. It is to work under the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the purpose and glory of God!

🌹For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
James 2:26 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.26.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Faith Saves

Jun3

But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well (saved you).” . . .
Matthew 9:22 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.9.22.NASB1995

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well (saved you); . . . ”
Mark 5:34 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mrk.5.34.NASB1995

And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well (saved you).” . . .
Mark 10:52 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mrk.10.52.NASB1995

And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:50 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.7.50.NASB1995

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well (saved you); go in peace.”
Luke 8:48 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.8.48.NASB1995

And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well (has saved you).”
Luke 17:19 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.17.19.NASB1995

And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well (saved you).”
Luke 18:42 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.18.42.NASB1995

How’s your faith?

🌹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.
Hebrews 11:6 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/heb.11.6.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Faith

Jun2

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
Luke 17:5 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.17.5.NASB1995

How is faith increased?
Is it by trusting in the giver of faith?
By the word of God?

¹Hebrews 12:2 Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith.
²Romans 10:17 faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
³Colossians 1:23 Continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast in the hope of the gospel.

Is faith increased by the encouragement and fellowship with one another?

⁴1 Thessalonians 3:2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,

⁵2 Timothy 1:13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

⁶Philemon 1:5-7 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Faith is our assurance of things hoped for.

⁷Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:6 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.

⁸James 1:3 NASB1995
So let us run this race called life knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance.

🌹For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1 John 5:4 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1jn.5.4.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

¹ https://bible.com/bible/100/heb.12.2.NASB1995

² https://bible.com/bible/100/rom.10.17.NASB1995

³ https://bible.com/bible/100/col.1.23.NASB1995

⁴ https://bible.com/bible/100/1th.3.2.NASB1995

⁵ https://bible.com/bible/100/2ti.1.13.NASB1995

⁶ https://bible.com/bible/100/phm.1.5-7.NASB1995

⁷ https://bible.com/bible/100/heb.11.1-6.NASB1995

⁸ https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.1.3.NASB1995

Grace

Jun1

He (Jesus) said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks (temptations to sin) come, but woe to him through whom they come!
Luke 17:1 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.17.1.NASB1995

Be on your guard (Take heed to yourselves)! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
Luke 17:3-4 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.17.3-4.NASB1995

Grace is difficult. . . until I recall the many times in a day I ask forgiveness for my sin. God’s grace was poured out on the cross for all peoples. Jesus paid the ultimate price already. . . so can I follow His command, His example, to forgive?

🌹Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Matthew 18:21-22 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.18.21-22.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

God of Wonder

May29

Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?
Exodus 15:11 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/exo.15.11.NASB1995

‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours?
Deuteronomy 3:24 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/deu.3.24.NASB1995

. . . “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,
1 Kings 8:23 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ki.8.23.NASB1995

For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?
Psalms 71:19 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.71.19.NASB1995

Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.
Micah 7:18 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mic.7.18.NASB1995

🌹Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders.
Psalms 72:18 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.72.18.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Is Your Light Shining?

May28

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.8.12.NASB1995

Jesus, THE Light of Life, gives His followers the Light of life. He has the authority to do so because He is the way, the truth, and the life.¹  Through Jesus we come to the Father.

So what do we do with this light?

Jesus says:
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.5.16.NASB1995
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Matthew 5:14-15 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.5.14-15.NASB1995

Is the light of Jesus shining through you? Are others seeing the living Light in you?

🌹Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel 12:3 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/dan.12.3.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

¹John 14:6 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.14.6.NASB1995