Ever wonder how to be sure God loves you? Take a look at these scriptures!

“In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.” James 1:18 NLT

1.) “In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word….”
He chose to make us his own children. Consider this an adoption by parents who are capable of conceiving their own children, who have their own children, yet choose to adopt more children out of the love in their hearts. And also consider these parents to be able to bless their children “exceedingly and abundantly”.

2.) “And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.”
Choice. Favorite. Most prized possession. The King James Version translates this verse: “…that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” Your first fruits are your very best. In olive oil, the first pressing, the extra virgin olive oil, is the top-of-the-line, highest quality, very best. God created us to be His top-of-the-line, highest quality, very best. We are indeed His prized possession!

Kwanso Daylilies

“Look at the lilies and how they grow……Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you?” (Luke 12:27,28)

This was spoken by Jesus himself. The Son of God. The perfect reflection of God (John 14:9). Who could know God’s heart better than Jesus? In earthly terms, we would say “the mirror doesn’t lie”. Knowing full well God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2; Psalm 89:35), neither, then, can Jesus.

Roget’s New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition has two distinct entries for the word “care”, as used in this verse. Both are verbs; the first, defined as “tend to” (synonyms: attend, baby-sit, consider, foster, look after, mind, minister, mother, nurse, nurture, protect, provide for, sit, take pains, tend, treasure, wait on, watch, watch over), and the second, defined as “regard highly” (synonyms: cherish, desire, enjoy, find congenial, go for, hold dear, like, love, prize, take to, want). Both of these definitions declare how strongly and to what extent God truly cares for each and every one of us!

©BarbiDarbey – Original Post Date April 27, 2007 – Share Freely – Do Not Sell

Please take time to stop by our Library Blog and read The Separation of Church and State, an article I wrote a few years ago concerning the intended lack of separation of church and state.

I also recommend watching the “Your Vote Makes the Difference“  series of web casts* with Kenneth Copeland and David Barton, in which they discuss how your vote affects your religious freedom (May 28 – June 1, 2007) as well as the “Education Based on the Word of God” series (June 4 – June 8, 2007) which shows what happens when you begin to give up the basic rights this country was founded on!

© BarbiDarbey – Original Post Date June 2007

* Note: It is easiest to find this series and others like it in the KCM archives by simply using your browser’s search function and the keyword “vote”!

It took me only two days to read this book, which is almost a miracle in itself, as most books don’t hold my interest long enough to finish them quickly. My mind tends to wander to the cares of the day and plans of the future. The typical American way, where our day-to-day lives overshadow the more important things in life.

In India, as well as other Asian countries, there is a true and clear sense of urgency among the native missionaries. Responding to the call of God, they willingly face stonings and death, fully understanding the verse in Hebrews that it “is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Following the life of Dr K. P. Yohannan from childhood to his present-day status as founder and international director of Gospel for Asia, this book is indeed filled with fascinating stories and eye-opening statistics. Prepare to be moved into action as you are filled with compassion for the world of lost souls desperately needing the Gospel!

©2007 BarbiDarbey – Original Post Date June 11, 2007 – Share Freely – Do Not Sell

Have you ever gotten a direct word from God and then had it seem that you had to fight tooth and nail to get what He promised you? I have.

It was my second litter of puppies and their mother’s milk went bad a week and a half after they were born. Needless to say, they were in bad shape. Now this might seem a little strange to you, but God had promised me a strong, healthy litter; not just any litter, but one that would grow up to be a blessing to their owners, their community, and maybe even lead people to Christ. He also promised that for each puppy, there would be a soul won for Christ. Knowing full well ten puppies would equal ten souls, I was not about to give up easily. After all, He promised.

I stood firmly on that promise, for days, even to the point of telling him I was willing to “wrestle the angel” like Jacob did, even if it meant he had to break my hip in the process. Fortunately for me, God is not only faithful, he’s merciful!

By their fourth week, the puppies were back on track and doing well. By ten weeks, you would never know they had had a problem.

Lately, as I look back on this ordeal, I wonder if the time spent with God crying “You promised” would have been better spent not crying, but standing on and quoting the scriptural promise that he is faithful. How much faster might the puppies have mended? Would there have been a second round of fighting for a few of the puppies? I’ll leave that as food for thought with a recommendation: READ YOUR BIBLE. KNOW YOUR BIBLE. QUOTE THE SCRIPTURE.

As for me, I’m chalking this lesson up as a lesson in faith and understanding, knowing full well I’ll probably need the experience later on.

A Few Verses to Stand on When You’ve Gotten a Promise:

Hebrews 10:23
“Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.”

Numbers 23:19
“God is not a man that he should lie.”

Jeremiah 1:12
“I watch over my word to perform it.”

Hebrews 6:18
“So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.”

©2005 BarbiDarbey – Original Post Date May 23, 2007 – Share Freely – Do Not Sell

The Separation Between Church and State

Let’s start this article off with some basics: There is no real separation between church and state as the statement is being used!

It was stated in a letter by Thomas Jefferson as “I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”

The “wall of separation” was not intended to keep religion out of politics, but to preserve the freedom of religion as stated in the First Amendment (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”).

Let’s keep in mind that this was during a time of recent separation from England, and was designed to prevent the governing body from forcing the religion that they have chosen on the peoples of this country.

Today, it is unfortunate that the “non-religious few” have taken so much from the “religious many”. Perhaps more Christians need to stand up and lobby for thier religious freedoms instead of standing silently by and allowing others to make thier decisions for them.

After all, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord….” (Psalm 33:12), right?

Links for more info:
Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Letter

© BarbiDarbey – Share Freely – Do Not Sell

“For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14).

In the above verse, we discover an important life principle: the process of sanctification for an unsaved husband or wife actually begins when their partner is born again of the Spirit. The word sanctify means “to consecrate or set apart to God.” In this context, however, sanctification does not automatically imply salvation; rather it means that a process leading toward possible salvation has begun in earnest.

From God’s view, the influence of Christ’s power working in the life of the redeemed has a drawing effect upon the unsaved marital partner. The unbelieving spouse experiences the blessings, benefits and influence of a life in the process of transformation; they are eyewitnesses to Christ’s love as He reveals Himself to, and then through, a redeemed spouse. In all these ways, the “unbelieving” soul “is sanctified through” the “believing” spouse, so that even their “children . . . are holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14).

What is true in principle for a marriage is also true on the wider scale of a neighborhood or community. An unbelieving city can be sanctified, or “set apart for God,” by the presence of a believing, praying, active church. Even a very evil region, one that is due the penalty of divine wrath, can be set apart unto the Lord because holy people are walking its streets, praying for its sinners and working toward redemption. God sees the influence of the redeemed and, because we are willing to walk in mercy, He is willing to forestall wrath.

This preserving effect of the saved upon the unsaved is exactly what Abraham discovered when he interceded for Sodom. As he stood praying before God, Abraham learned that the influence of ten righteous souls could spare an entire city from divine wrath (see Genesis 18:23-33). This also is exactly the same thing Moses realized about the power of his intercession. The Lord would have destroyed Israel for its flagrant sin, yet He granted mercy instead. Moses “stood in the breach” (Psalm 106.23). The result? “The LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Exodus 32:14).

The positioning of Moses in prayer, even while Israel had not yet repented nor sought God, opened a mercy door in heaven. As long as Moses stood in intercession before God, mercy flowed toward Israel. Amazingly, “the Lord changed His mind.” Oh, the power Christlike people have upon the heart of God! Let us never diminish the great privilege God gives us through prayer!

This intercessory positioning before God is what Jesus seeks for us today. As His representatives before God and man, He says a most profound truth concerning our role: “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Salt, from ancient times, has been used as a preservative. The ancients would take meat and rub it with salt. The salt stopped the process of decay and preserved it. The process was called “curing.”

Your praying, fasting, caring commitment to your neighborhood or city sanctifies that community unto God. The influence of a godly church has a curing effect upon that which otherwise will soon decay.

As we stand praying for our cultures, we are mindful of the many predators stalking our world: there are terror threats, bird flu, earthquakes and hurricanes, the bold advances of sin, the effects of global warming and the threat of all out war, plus many other enemies. While we do not deserve divine help, we need God’s protection. You ask, “My life is but a single soul. What can I do?” Your life is a seed in which God sees a future harvest. The moment you open your mouth in prayer, a process of redemption is beginning for your region. And as long as you don’t give up on your community, God won’t give up either.

Prayer:

Lord, I come before You again today, carrying in my heart my people. Oh Master, I pray for mercy. You said “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). I plead for mercy, for revival, for forgiveness to fall upon my nation. You said the blood of Your Son would “sprinkle many nations” (Isaiah 52:15). I offer the blood of Jesus for my country. Forgive us and change us for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

© Francis Frangipane

...The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16, NLT

“And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.” (Isaiah 59:16)

What happens when we don’t like someone’s actions or words? Usually we speak poorly of them, argue with them, dislike them. We may even ask God to act in vengeance to right the wrong that has been done to us. From a human stand point, that would only be fair.

But in steps grace, the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. The love that knows no bounds, is longsuffering, and wills that all be saved. Slanderers, murderers, and thieves. Adulterers, liars, and everyone else who does not fit another’s ideal of perfection.

So how do you get the sinner to Jesus? Through prayer! And I don’t mean just one half-hearted prayer. Pray for them as often as they cross your mind. If you’re angry with them, this probably means often. Pray that their spiritual eyes be opened, that their hearts be softened, that their souls be saved. Pray the blood. Pray that the Holy Spirit pours himself out like a flood upon them. When every where they look they just see Jesus.

Smile.

grace [greys]
-noun, verb, graced, grac‧ing.
8. Theology.
a. the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
b. the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.
c. a virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christian graces.
d. Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God’s favor or one of the elect.
See the full definition of grace on dictionary.com

a synonym for grace is mercy:
mer · cy [mur-see]
–noun, plural -cies for 4, 5.
1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.
2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy.
3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, esp. to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
4. an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.
5. something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.
See the full definition of mercy on dictionary.com

“that all be saved”
2 Peter 3:9, KJV “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Click Here to visit BibleGateway.com and read this verse in other translations!

“perfection”
Romans 3:23 KJV “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Click Here to visit BibleGateway.com and read this verse in other translations!

© BarbiDarbey – Original Post Date: September 13, 2006 – Share Freely – Do Not Sell

Winter Wonderland 2001

Yea! Snow on Thanksgiving! Hey…wait a minute…what was I thinking? Gone are the days of riding in the back seat and watching the snow fall, all the time contemplating where to build the first snowman. Now I’m in the driver’s seat, waiting in line at the traffic light, watching the Police Officer slide unwillingly in the slush from gusting wind, and the whole time thinking “God Bless those Turkey Trotters!” (not to mention the poor Officer standing for “who knows how long” in the freezing wind directing traffic).