Month: January 2014

Under the Circumstances

“Pretty good, under the circumstances,” is often our reply, or at least our thinking, when someone asks how we are doing. I remember what a psychologist often asked, “

What in the world are you doing

under the circumstances>?”

What in the world am I doing?

Am I under the circumstances?

Jacob had been with Laban for 20 years. God reminded him of His blessing, which God had promised Jacob. Then God told Jacob, “Now arise, get out…return to your family.” God has been visiting me in my comfort zone and putting a burr in my saddle, too. I’m not sure what I’ll do about a sudden car transmission failure. Fix it? Trade it? Give it away? It is time for me to trust and follow God in in at least one other area again. I am definitely praying about it.*

Genesis 31:12-13
Amplified Bible (AMP)
12 And He said, Look up and see, all the rams which mate with the flock are streaked, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban does to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you vowed a vow to Me. Now arise, get out from this land and return to your native land.Psalm 119:18

Amplified Bible (AMP)
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.

Proverbs 24:11-12
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11 Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter, hold them back [from their doom].
12 If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?

Verse of the Day from Bible Gateway:
Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another. Ephesians 4:2 AMP

Prophecy by Christ and Fullfillment

Matthew 26:32
Amplified Bible (AMP)
32 But after I am raised up [to life again], I will go ahead of you to Galilee.

Matthew 28:16-17
Amplified Bible (AMP)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed and made appointment with them.
17 And when they saw Him, they fell down and worshiped Him; but some doubted.

(Scriptures were copied and posted through BibleGateway.com)
*The first three Scriptures were selected last Friday. The others were selected since then. I am amazed at how they tell me to trust, change, and execute God’s plan. The car failure was today and God is definitely using them in my life.
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Jacob at Bethel, the House of God

God met with Jacob and gave him a greater blessing than his father, Isaac, had given him.
I cannot recall a time when I did not receive a blessing when I meet with God? After all,
“Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse]. He is the author of all good and perfect gifts.” James 1:17 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Genesis 28:13-15
Amplified Bible (AMP)
13 And behold, the Lord stood over and beside him and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father [forefather] and the God of Isaac; I will give to you and to your descendants the land on which you are lying.
14 And your offspring shall be as [countless as] the dust or sand of the ground, and you shall spread abroad to the west and the east and the north and the south; and by you and your Offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed and bless themselves.
15 And behold, I am with you and will keep (watch over you with care, take notice of) you wherever you may go, and I will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done all of which I have told you.

Psalm 113:5-8
Amplified Bible (AMP)
5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who has His seat on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!
7 [The Lord] raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap and the dung hill,
8 That He may seat them with princes, even with the princes of His people.

Proverbs 23:17-18
Amplified Bible (AMP)
17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long.
18 For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.

Prophecy of Christ and Fulfillment

Zechariah 11:12
Amplified Bible (AMP)
12 And I said to them, If it seems just and right to you, give me my wages; but if not, withhold them. So they weighed out for my price thirty pieces of silver.

Matthew 26:14-15
Amplified Bible (AMP)
14 Then one of the Twelve [apostles], who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 And said, What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? And they weighed out for and paid to him thirty pieces of silver [about twenty-one dollars and sixty cents.]

(Scriptures were copied and posted through http://www.biblegateway.com)

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Can God Bless Our Families Through Us?

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Please suggest how to bless our family members as God used Isaac blessed Jacob.

And may God give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth and abundance of grain and [new] wine; Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you; be master over your brothers, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Let everyone be cursed who curses you and favored with blessings who blesses you. (Genesis 27:28, 29 AMP)

But immorality (sexual vice) and all impurity [of lustful, rich, wasteful living] or greediness must not even be named among you, as is fitting and proper among saints (God’s consecrated people). Let there be no filthiness (obscenity, indecency) nor foolish and sinful (silly and corrupt) talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting or becoming; but instead voice your thankfulness [to God]. (Ephesians 5:3, 4 AMP)

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary, (Psalm 107:2 AMP)

The rich and poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all. [Job 31:15; Prov. 14:31.] (Proverbs 22:2 AMP)

And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; but He shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. [Isa. 28:6; Rom. 9:33; I Pet. 2:6-8.] (Isaiah 8:14 AMP)

Prophecy of Jesus and Fulfillment
But [Jesus] looked at them and said, What then is [the meaning of] this that is written: The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Stone of the corner [Cornerstone]? [Ps. 118:22, 23.]
Everyone who falls on that Stone will be broken [in pieces]; but upon whomever It falls, It will crush him [winnow him and scatter him as dust]. [Isa. 8:14, 15; Dan. 2:34, 35.] (Luke 20:17, 18 AMP)

As it is written, Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone that will make men stumble, a Rock that will make them fall; but he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations. [Isa. 28:16.] (Romans 9:33 AMP)

(Scriptures were copied and posted through the YouVersion app.)

I Am Blessed

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I Am Blessed

I am blessed. Others are blessed. The whole world is blessed because of Christ, the Messiah, the greatest promised blessing through Abraham’s obedience. Is there a limit to God’s blessing for faith and obedience?

And in your Seed [Christ] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice. [Gen. 12:2-3; 13:16; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Acts 3:25, 26; Gal. 3:16.] (Genesis 22:18 AMP)

For He remembered His holy word With Abraham His servant; And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout. (Psalms 105:42, 43 NASB)

The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous, But is terror to the workers of iniquity. (Proverbs 21:15 NASB)

Another prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled.

And He said to them, Cast the net on the
right side of the boat and you will find [some]. So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in for such a big catch (mass, quantity) of fish [was in it]. (John 21:6 AMP)

(Scriptures were copied and posted through the YouVersion app.)

We Can?

Abraham and Sarah trusted and obeyed God in spite of their questions. Should I do less after thousands of years of examples and millions of martyrs?

Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time, when the season [for her delivery] comes around, I will return to you and Sarah shall have borne a son. [Matt. 19:26.] (Genesis 18:14 AMP)

Make me, Your servant, to rejoice, O Lord, for to You do I lift myself up. For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our trespasses, sending them away, letting them go completely and forever]; and You are abundant in mercy and loving-kindness to all those who call upon You. (Psalm 86:4, 5 AMP)

He who answers a matter before he hears the facts–it is folly and shame to him. [John 7:51.] (Proverbs 18:13 AMP)

Prophecy of Christ and Fulfillment

Prophecy of Christ and Fulfillment
“In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life. (John 3:14-15 MSG)

Then he delivered Him over to them to be crucified. (John 19:16 AMP)

(Scriptures were copied and posted through the YouVersion application.
My blog at casadeblundell.com/fred/?p=178 enables the Scripture references to become live links to BibleGateway.com for context or further online study.)

Scriptures were selected from reading on January 19, 2014.

Job Was Blessed

Job was blessed even more by God in the end. I believe it was because of Jesus, who was born because of Abraham. I am also blessed because of Abraham’s descendant, Jesus, my Savior. Is there anything I should not do so others can be blessed because of Abraham?

A Prophecy of Christ and Fulfillment

Genesis 12:3 (EXB)
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and I will place a curse on those who •harm [or curse] you.
And all the •people [families; clans] on earth
will be blessed through you [C the promises of the Abrahamic covenant].”
Acts 3:25-26
Amplified Bible (AMP)
25 You are the descendants (sons) of the prophets and the heirs of the covenant which God made and gave to your forefathers, saying to Abraham, And in your Seed (Heir) shall all the families of the earth be blessed and benefited.26 It was to you first that God sent His Servant and Son Jesus, when He raised Him up [[a]provided and gave Him for us], to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness and evil ways.

Psalm 77:13-14
Amplified Bible (AMP)
13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary [in holiness, away from sin and guilt]. Who is a great God like our God?14 You are the God Who does wonders; You have demonstrated Your power among the peoples.
Proverbs 16:11
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11 A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights of the bag are His work [established on His eternal principles].

But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God). Galatians 5:16 AMP

(Viewing this post through the link below to “Passage to Higher Ground” enables the Scripture references to become links to the specific passages, context, footnotes, and additional Bible study tools at BibleGateway.com, the site which was used to copy and post these Scriptures to my blog and Facebook.)

God’s High Ways

God’s ways are high ways, the highest ways, in fact. My ways are likely to lead me into the ditch (cf. Isaiah 55:9). It makes good sense to follow His ways.

Job 40:1-2
The Message (MSG) 40 1-2 GOD then confronted Job directly:
“Now what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?”
John 8:31-32
Amplified Bible (AMP)31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.
32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

Psalm 71:16
New Century Version (NCV)16 I will come and tell about your powerful works, Lord GOD.
I will remind people that only you do what is right.
Proverbs 15:3
New Century Version (NCV)3 The LORD’s eyes see everything;
he watches both evil and good people.

Prophecy by Christ and Fulfillment
John 14:16
Amplified Bible (AMP)
16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—

Romans 8:26
Amplified Bible (AMP)
26 So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

(Viewing this post at Passage to Higher Ground enables the Scripture references to become links to the specific passages, context, footnotes, and additional Bible Study Helps.)

God’s Answers

God does not always answer questions which I ask. He does not always give me that for which I pray. He does not always answer me when I pray. I cannot give God a formula and expect the solution I want, but God’s answers are always what I need. Job wanted to know why he was suffering. I summarize God’s answers like this: He told Job to trust Him and what to do, regardless of whether he was suffering or apparently enjoying God’s blessings. (You can see God’s blessing after Job’s suffering at the end of the book.).

Job 38:1-2
The Message (MSG) God Confronts Job
Have You Gotten to the Bottom of Things?
38 And now, finally, GOD answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said:
“Why do you confuse the issue?
Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?”

Psalm 66:18
The Message (MSG)
If I had been cozy with evil,
the Lord would never have listened.

Proverbs 14:27
The Message (MSG)
27 The Fear-of-GOD is a spring of living water

Jesus Prophesied and It Came to Pass
John 7:37-39
The Message (MSG)
37-39 On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

Acts 2:4
Amplified Bible (AMP)
4 And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit [a]kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].

(The Scriptures in this post are copied from Bible Gateway.com. The references in this post open up links in BibleGateway.com when viewed and “clicked on” at Passage to Higher Ground)

God Gives Me Songs in the Night

God Gives Me Songs in the Night January 13, 2014

God gives me songs in the night, even songs of sorrow, and shouts of joy come in the morning (Psalm 30:5). There is no God like our God (1 Chronicles 17:20)

Job 35:10-11
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
10 “But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who gives songs in the night,
11 Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’

Verse of the Day from BibleGateway.com
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.2 Corinthians 5:19-20 MSG

Psalm 67:1-7
The Message (MSG)
67 1-2 God, mark us with grace
and blessing! Smile!
The whole country will see how you work,
all the godless nations see how you save.

Proverbs 13:3
The Message (MSG)
3 Careful words make for a careful life;
careless talk may ruin everything.

Christ’s Prophecy About Himself and the Fulfillment

John 2:18-19
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us [a]as your authority for doing these things?”19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this [b]temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
John 20:14-16
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

14 When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in [a] Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).

Scriptures were copied from BibleGateway.com. The Scripture references can be copied and pasted in the search engine at Bible Gateway to open that specific passage. Bible Gateway also enables one to view the verse in context in various translations with numerous footnotes and helps.

Am I really living like I believe Genesis 1:1?

The ten words in Genesis 1:1 are a basic statement that is believed or doubted, with eternal consequences resting on the result of that faith or unbelief in the Creator, the God of the universe, the Savior available to all.
God, and no other God, offers unmerited and guaranteed salvation for trust in Jesus Christ alone.

The Creation of the World
1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (ESV)

“Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19 AMP)

“BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.” [Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 3:1-29; II Tim. 3:16.] (Psalm 1:1, 2 AMP

Prophecy of Christ and Fulfillment

“If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you.” [Isa. 11:2; Eph. 1:17-20.] (Proverbs 1:23 AMP)

“All who see me laugh at me and mock me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, [Matt. 27:43.] (Psalm 22:7 AMP)
“’He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now if He cares for Him and will have Him, for He said, I am the Son of God.’ And the robbers who were crucified with Him also abused and reproached and made sport of Him in the same way.” (Matthew 27:43, 44 AMP)

(Scriptures were copied and posted through the YouVersion and Logos Bible apps. The above was written, copied, and originally posted on Facebook from January 1, 2014, Scripture readings. I have edited and adapted it for Passage to Higher Ground.)