Posts Tagged With: presence

To the Rescue

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Mrs Knochel


Genesis 29:31-31:55

“O LORD, please rescue me” Genesis 32:11

Boy, I don’t know about you right now, but I can really relate to that statement! It makes me think of the song “Need You Now” by Plumb.

Sometimes we just need Him don’t we? We need to just have a moment alone with the King of kings and the LORD of lords, the Creator of the Universe. Sometimes we need to know that He is the God of angel armies. We need to know that He is faithful.

He IS faithful.

We need to know that He fights for us and not against us.

We need to know that He is for us.

God IS for us.

God is for YOU.

The night before Jacob was due to meet his brother (and the army of 400 men with him), he fought with “a man” who turned out to be God. At the end of the night the man blessed Jacob and renamed him Israel which means, “God fights”. Now in the scripture it explains that the reason Jacob was renamed Israel was because he had fought with God and with men and had won. However, every time I saw those words today I read, “God fights for you“.

God fights for YOU. And if God is for you then WHO could be against you??? I mean honestly? Who? He’s GOD. He is the Creator of EVERYTHING seen and unseen. Would He have been so foolish as to have created something that COULD conquer Him? It may be a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Almighty God. (Hebrews 10:31) But it is a WONDERFUL thing to fall into the arms of the Almighty God! And through the blood of Jesus YOU have been given that right to flee to the breast of the One who conquered death and fought for you against the forces of evil.

Categories: 365 Life, Genesis, Season 3, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Midst of the Fire

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Mrs Knochel

Deuteronomy 3:23-6:15

“Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire.” Deuteronomy 4:12

“Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire as you have heard, and still live?” Deuteronomy 4:33

“The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain.” Deuteronomy 5:4-5

“For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived? Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say, and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.” Deuteronomy 5:26-27

It never ceases to amaze me when a theme emerges from the reading that I so “randomly” put together. It always just proves to me how un-random God really is. He is such a God of order and design, guiding us each and every step of the way; even when we’re not paying attention.

Today’s theme is centered on the fire. The LORD is an all consuming fire and He speaks through it to us. What is He saying to you today? Are you avoiding the fire out of fear and allowing someone to stand between you and God allowing them to interpret His words for you?

Look at the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Where was God in that fire? Look at the story of Moses and the burning bush? Where was God in that fire?

There are plenty of fiery situations that we go through in life, need we be afraid of them knowing the likelihood that God is in the midst of them waiting for us to draw near to Him and hear what He has to say to us through the fire?

“To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him. Out of heaven He let you hear His voice that He might discipline you. And on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.” Deuteronomy 4:35-36

Categories: 365 Life, Deuteronomy, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eyes that SEE

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Mrs Knochel


Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22

“Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done” Deuteronomy 3:21

“Your eyes have seen”, it’s such a powerful statement. It’s such a powerful concept, eyes that see. We take them for granted all too often, and yet some have eyes that are shut so tightly that even the brightest light has trouble penetrating.

There is so much that I long to say to you, things that I pray God opens your eyes to, today and every day. “Blessed are the eyes that see what [I] see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what [I] see, and did not see it and hear what [I] hear and did not hear it.” (Luke 10:23)

Do you know what I see?

I see the Word of God laid out before me filling my lap every morning. Do you know what I see in that Word?

I see God’s love for me. I see His deliverance from evil for me. I see His unshakable faith in me even when I have proven myself so untrustworthy. I see His willingness to put His good name on the line by attaching it with mine. I see His people coming to church to punch their time card and say they’ve been there only to rush back out the door in order to go do something else. I see His CHILDREN begging for bread at the doorsteps of idols because they’ve never been taught that they are God’s righteous children through Christ. I see the LORD’S Beloved Bride opening herself up to be ravaged time and time again by “lovers” who don’t care a bit for her; all because she doesn’t realize that she’s been bought with an un-payable price that has redeemed her beyond any human ability to pay. His Bride is YOU.

Right now you may be reading this nodding your head in agreement and thinking of someone else, but it’s YOU. I don’t want to see others walking through their lives without opening the gift that God has placed in their laps. There is POWER in the Word of God, a power beyond your wildest imagination. Sure, that sounds good, and you may believe it, but have you experienced it? I have. And I can tell you that even the little nibble I’ve experienced is nothing compared to the power and glory of Jesus that waits just beyond those simple books covers.

As Christians we were created to rule this world, just read the creation story. “Dominion over all the earth” it’s kind of a big deal. Yet how much ruling do you feel like you’re doing right now? God has given you the keys to an eternal kingdom. A place where His power and majesty lives and breathes and bestows upon you the strength and courage to keep moving forward through the sludge of life that we deal with day in and day out. Those keys lay in the palm of your hand in the middle of an open Bible. You need only take them out and USE THEM.

What good is having a car if you never drive it? What’s the point of buying that gorgeous new dress if you never wear it? Why spend time making that gourmet meal if you never eat it? What’s the point of having a Bible if you never read it? What’s the point of having eyes if you never use them or ears that don’t listen to the still soft voice of Jesus whispering through the turning pages of a Bible? If your spouse wrote you a love letter would you never read it? Or would you get it out time and time again to pour over their words of adoration for you?

Jesus loves you. YOU. But unless you’re reading your Bible on your own, it’s next to impossible to feel the full force of His love toward you. If I called you my friend, but never answered your phone calls am I really being your friend? Ring, ring, your Bible is calling…

“Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 40:4) God is SHOWING you His love for you each and every day, are you opening your eyes to see it? God has brought you to this place in your life where you HAVE SEEN the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, are you declaring to the world what you have seen or are you keeping it hidden under a basket?

You have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, are you telling people about His goodness so that they may taste it too? How will they know if someone doesn’t tell them? How do you know that that someone isn’t you? What if God has placed you in this circumstance of life, for such a time as this, so that you can reach that one person who’s planted right next to you in the garden of life?

“Lord, I pray for eyes to see You and ears to hear Your voice loud and clear. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

Categories: 365 Life, Deuteronomy, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Breathless

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Mrs Knochel


2 Chronicles 6:1-9:31

“And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more breath in her.” 2 Chronicles 9:3-4

My friends, can I just say, I love my new church! In the last seven days I have met with them three times and each time I have felt the LORD’s presence like never before in a public setting. I have never experienced “church” this way before. I have always been sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His direction, I haven’t always obeyed but I have always heard. Anyway, In the last few years while spending purposeful time in His word I’ve gotten even more sensitive to His movements.

Issachar church is blessed! They long for the presence of the LORD to be in their midst as much as He longs for them and He doesn’t disappoint them by not showing up! It’s been amazing to me how I’ve had experiences with the Holy Spirit on my own, but never with a group of people!

I feel like the Queen of Sheba today, breathless, having gone through the house of God and lost myself in the art of praise. I am breathless at the Grace that God bestows and how wonderful it is to fall INTO Grace.

I am desperately in love with Him for the way He “makes us lie down in green pastures” Psalm 23:2 in those times when we need to rest but don’t feel like we can give ourselves permission to. Time with Jesus isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity! He is Life and breath and bread, without time in His presence we perish; both in the spiritual and the physical.

[it’s a matter of life and death]

It doesn’t have to be just going to church. Actually, church is a supplement to our nourishment. God told me once during church that we should be feeding ourselves spiritually with the Bible at home daily; the message on Sunday is just like going out to eat instead of fixing dinner. If you only ate one meal, one day a week your body would be skinny and devastatingly malnourished barely able to function properly. The same is true with your spirit. If the only thing you’re doing is going to church and thinking that’s enough Jesus for the week then you are sadly mistaken. There is a reason He referred to Himself as the DAILY bread. It’s because He is to be eaten DAILY.

For some of you, this may be me preaching to the choir. At least I hope so anyway. But I’ve learned that there is a difference between reading a scripture here and there throughout the day, and making the time to sit down for a solid 30 minutes to read a daily portion of the Bible. In both instances you’re “in the word daily”, but one is purposeful and distinct while the other is sporadic and much easier to forsake when life gets hectic. And you know that it will! Because it ALWAYS does.

I could stand around and say that I “don’t have time” to read for 30 minutes every day. But I would be lying to you. Because if I have time to watch a 30 minute show on TV, or sit and talk to a friend for 30 minutes, then I do have the time. I’m just not putting it toward something that’s going to sustain me for the rest of my day.

God has taken my daily time in His word and shown me things that I never could have imagined on my own. He’s used His Word to speak Life into a situation that I thought was dead in the water. How? Because He is LIFE! He is everything we could ever need and until we figure that out, we’re lost.

There are a LOT of things that you could do with your time, but none of them will compare to spending purposeful time in the presence of God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth! Make the decision today to set aside 30 minutes of your day, every day, at any time of the day, to spend time reading the Bible. I challenge you to try it for 7 days. Just one week. That’s not that big of a commitment right? That’s not such a big deal. But I promise you that if you do it, in that week God will reveal Himself to you in a way you’ve never experienced before and it will knock your socks off! You will get a taste of what He is, and you will see that He is GOOD. Are you willing to give God 30 minutes of your life for seven days to take your breath away? If you are, please let me know, I would LOVE to pray for you!

Categories: 2 Chronicles, 365 Life, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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