I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
From Fear to Courage
Have you ever had questions or doubts that you felt you had to figure out on your own?
Sometimes, we’re embarrassed to ask our questions because we think we should already know the answers. But Jesus invites us to bring all of our doubts, fears, and questions to Him.
In John 3, we see Nicodemus, a respected, religious man of influence, come to Jesus privately one night to ask him some questions.
Many people think Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because he was afraid the other Pharisees, who were always looking for ways to get rid of Jesus, would see Nicodemus and judge him.
As a Pharisee, Nicodemus had spent his entire life studying Scripture. But he still didn’t have all of the answers. Instead of relying on his own abilities and knowledge, Nicodemus set aside his pride and status and went to Jesus.
While Nicodemus may have been afraid of the Pharisees’ judgment, Jesus didn’t judge him. He welcomed Nicodemus’ questions and answered him with the truth.
In Jesus’ response to Nicodemus, He says this: “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
Jesus is saying that whoever lives by the truth and follows Him, lives in the light. Those who don’t live like Jesus, run away from the light and live in darkness.
Nicodemus approached Jesus at night out of fear of what others might think. But Jesus challenged him to live in the light and follow Him. This encounter with Jesus changed Nicodemus’ life. He no longer followed Jesus in the shadows. In John 7, he defended Jesus to the other Pharisees, and in John 19, he was there to bury Jesus’ body.
Just like Nicodemus, when we choose to walk with Jesus, we move from darkness to light and from fear to courage. And when we come to Jesus, He meets us where we are and guides us toward His truth.
“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, ...
Fulfillment of God’s Promises
Hundreds of years before Jesus, the people of God were in trouble.
They were stuck in life, unable to help themselves, and perhaps beginning to doubt that God would save them. Have you ever felt the same way? If so, you might relate to the original audience of this verse—the exiles in Babylon.
The Babylonians conquered God's people and land, sending them hundreds of miles away. Maybe they thought that God had abandoned them, or that He couldn’t hear their cries. But God is always close—especially when His people call on His name.
Isaiah let his people know that God would provide a way out of Babylonian captivity. And God kept His promise, allowing His people to return home.
Generations later, many of God’s people saw themselves as being in a new exile. They were home, but all was not well. So they remembered this verse and its promise—that no matter how dark or desperate our situation might be, God is able to provide a path out of brokenness, ...
