The Manger and the Mercy Seat

by Barbara Latta

The Manger and the Mercy Seat - The Heartbeat of Christmas Part 3

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9: 12-14).

Hay crunched in the donkey’s mouth as she partook of the offering in the manger. A young

The manger brings us the mercy seat.

kid pushed his way into the feeding area and began to share the meal. Moans were coming from the woman lying nearby, but the animals continued their feast. A cry echoed throughout the stable and the four-legged creatures turned to see what disturbed their munching.

Fresh straw was laid inside the stone trough they were eating from. A small bundle wrapped in strips of cloth was laid within their banquet area. A donkey gently nosed the tiny head and her nostrils were filled with the hint of salt rubbed on the baby to cleanse Him from the birth.

Not far away, the night sky was full of light and angels sang praise to God.

Have You Told Someone About Jesus Today?

Have you told someone about Jesus today?
By Lisa Hetzel

This week's post is by my friend, writing partner and Director of the East Metro Atlanta Christian Writers, Lisa Hetzel.

This is the perfect time to witness to others.  In word and deed, we have an incredible opportunity to proclaim Jesus as Lord.  Let the rest of the world call it the “Holiday Season.”

Something holy happened 2000 years ago.

 We celebrate the truth: that something holy happened over 2000 years ago.  It’s still happening.  

Emmanuel, God, is with us.  He came down from Heaven and poured His love.  His birth changed the world.  So did his death.  Why are we afraid?

Sharing His love and life is hard.  I, myself, still sweat when people ask, “What’s the big deal?” or “Do you really believe this Jesus stuff?”  

I keep trying to find my own way to share.  It’s not enough to just do good things. We need to make Him known.  Somehow, we need to take an opportunity to tell His story.   For me, I’ve learned to try to do the unexpected.  

When my cousin needed a kidney, I gave her mine.  My friends and family know that I am

Every day is an opportunity to share Jesus.

terrified of needles and do not like to be away from my son.  The transplant required both of those things.  However, my faith that this was what God wanted me to do was stronger than my fear.  Now, when people ask me about it, I have a chance to talk about Jesus.  

Jesus’ birthday is coming soon.  Each day is an opportunity to love Him, serve Him, and tell others about Him.  When I’m afraid, I remember that if I ask, God will help me.  When He returns, we will be asked to answer for our lives.  

What about you? Is something or someone stopping you from spreading the Good News?  Leave a comment.  I would love to pray for you.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)

Sharing the good news of Jesus is the best gift (click to tweet)

Lisa Hetzel
Writer, Speaker, Kidney Donor

Lisa Hetzel’s life changed on December 30, 2014, when she donated a kidney to her cousin. Both she and her cousin are doing well. Since learning about the need for kidneys, Hetzel has emerged as a kidney donor advocate. 

Lisa is a sought after freelance writer and published her experience in a four-part series, The Journey of Organ Donation, in The Rockdale News.  Last April, Christian Devotions Speak Up! Blog Talk Radio Host Scott McCausey interviewed Hetzel and her cousin, her recipient, Denise Brown. Massachusetts General's magazine, Proto, ran a story as well. 

Lisa Hetzel

Lisa serves as the Director for EMACW, the East Metro Atlanta Christian Writers.  She volunteers as a mentor for the Georgia Transplant Foundation and speaker for the Living Kidney Donor Network. Lisa’s blog offers information and encouragement regarding organ donation and transplantation.  Her current project is a devotional for donors. 

Interested in learning more? Visit www.lisahetzel.com
  

Becoming Children of God

By Barbara Latta

Jesus’ Birth Certificate - The Heartbeat of Christmas Part 2

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (John 1: 12).

Genealogy of Jesus: Matthew 1: 1-17 and Luke 3:23-38.

Babies are born every day all over the world. In America, we record the details of the birth

A babies birth is recorded on a birth certificate.

on a legal document to certify the parents and vital information about the child. This is then recorded at the proper entity for the state where the birth occurred, thus make the child legally a part of the family.

Searching family ancestry has become a popular pastime and a money-making business. Finding out information about past relatives can be fun and informative and in some cases may be a way to make claims to property.

Glad Tidings in a Dark World

by Barbara Latta

The First Christmas Card - The Heartbeat of Christmas Part 1

Mailboxes are full during December as friends and families send cards, pictures and well wishes for a blessed holiday season and greetings for the New Year. Many send letters with updates on past activities and achievements.

The card industry thrives on holidays and Christmas is one of the busiest for sales. From

fancy to plain, glittered, glitzy, colorful and extravagant, cards are available in any shape or form. In our technological world, some prefer to send e-cards and avoid the postage or

Christmas cards are reminders of joy.

paper usage.

For years, I have displayed the cards we received at Christmas in a wall hanging designed for that purpose. I still have some from friends and family with photographs of children and pets or vacation scenes recorded for the remembrance of fun. Looking back at these mementos is a reminder of the joy of sharing our lives with each other.

But a message of greater importance than any we have received from family and friends came to Zacharias, the priest, as he stood next to the altar and prepared the temple vessels for the ritual of burning of incense. Outside, people worshipped and prayed waiting for the priest to finish his duties.

A bright light shone next to the altar and Zacharias trembled in fear.

A thundering voice said, “Zacharias, do not be afraid. I bring you good tidings of great joy. Your prayers have been heard and you will have a son.” Zacharias and Elizabeth’s son would be the forerunner of the Messiah and prepare men’s hearts to hear the words of repentance and salvation from the Lord.

7 Ways to Avoid Holiday Stress

by Barbara Latta

Stores erect Christmas trees earlier each year.

Each year Christmas sneaks up on us sooner than last year. Or maybe I am the only one who feels that way!

The stores have already erected Christmas trees before the Halloween decorations have left the shelves and commercials for much sought after gifts bombard our senses. We can start to feel the pinch and pressure to out-perform last year or add to an already crowded calendar.

How can we enjoy the celebrations with our friends and family without being overcome by stress and depression?

According to the Mayo Clinic and Health.com here are some tips to keep our lives in balance during busy holidays:

Remembering the Roots of Thankfulness

by  Barbara Latta

The Bible is filled with verses telling us to be thankful. God knows our hearts, apart from

Puritans suffered months of hardship at sea.

Him, will revert to selfishness so He continues to remind us that being thankful will bring peace to our souls.

In 1620 a group of travelers set sail for a new life apart from the religious persecution that had been inflicted upon them. These people were so hungry for the ability to worship God according to biblical standards and not the edict of the King of England, they were willing to endure months at sea, lack of food, sickness, storms, cold and cramped quarters because what they wanted was worth the hardship. Now hundreds of years later, we benefit from their sacrifices and the others who followed them and settled this country.

New Book Release

by Barbara Latta

Abba's Promise is available November 17.

The Bible tells us of many instances where God has provided for His people. He tells us in Philippians 4:19 "and my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” and that if we give our gift is multiplied back to us (Luke 6:38).

Abba’s Promise is a compilation of stories outlining God’s amazing provision. Cross River Media releases this book on November 17 and it will also be available on Amazon.

Reading the experiences of other people as they walk through miracles of having needs met will encourage your faith and strengthen you as you believe for the blessing you need.

Giving this book as Christmas gift would be a great daily reminder for a friend or loved one of our Lord's love and promise to take care of us. 

Share some of your stories of God's provision.

Tweetables:

Read about God's provision in Abba's Promise (click to tweet)

We The People

by Barbara Latta

Please pray as we approach Election Day for:

• The voting public to have eyes opened to the deceit going on in our government.

• That our elected officials who don't know God will turn to Him.

We the people need to pray.

• That those being elected will follow godly principles.

We the people need to speak.
We the people need to pray.
We the people need to vote.

God bless America!

Feel free to share your thoughts and prayers for our country and leaders.

Days to Pray for in November

By Barbara Latta

Cheing Jie was a young mother, pastor’s wife and kindergarten director when she was

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is November 6.

arrested in 2014 for “illegal business operations” due to her use of religious curriculum in the school where she worked in China. After being released two years later, she was reunited with her young sons whom she had not seen during her imprisonment, even though she had been allowed visits from her husband. Despite the hardships of prison, Cheing Jie said she was able to minister to the other women incarcerated with her and the letters she received from those who support ministries who help persecuted Christians kept her strong. The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is November 6. This story is only one among many to show how important it is for us to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their faith.

Why Do We Compare Ourselves With Others?

by Barbara Latta

We tend to look at others through rose colored glasses.

Why do we compare ourselves with others?

Because we are looking at another person’s accomplishments through rose colored glasses, but we use a magnifying glass to look at what we think are our deficiencies.

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a successful author making a presentation to a group of instruction-hungry writers.

While this beautiful, humble, and talented woman has had her own struggles in life and in her writing journey, I was still envious.

Why?

How Is Your Spirit Like the Universe?

by Barbara Latta

Astronomers tell us the universe is expanding. Scientists at NASA using the Hubble theory

The universe is expanding.

can project the universe’s expansion rate up to one billion light years. These facts surpass our ability to comprehend.

This tells me the universe is infinite; that this expansion could go on eternally. I like to think of these cosmic pieces drifting through space and forming new galaxies as leftovers from the creation. I can visualize God saying, “Light be!” and light came out of Him into an explosion of power from which He created the rest of the world. (My version, of course!)

If you are a believer, He did the same thing inside you when you became born again. Your dead spirit left and God put His Spirit inside you. Because God is infinite and eternal, the seed He placed inside each of us will continue to expand and grow as we nourish and water that creation with His Word.

I think when we get to heaven we will still be learning and growing because we can never contain everything about God. We will be expanding eternally in our glorified bodies and one billion light years from now we will contain more of the eternal Father than we had before, but we will have billions more light years to absorb. We will never get to the end because there is no end. Like the universe, we will be ever expanding.

How marvelous is that? Share your thoughts.

Tweetable

How is your spirit like the universe? (click to tweet)

Do You Know The End of the Story of Your Life?

by Barbara Latta

Nothing interfered with listening to Paul Harvey.

From the 50's to the beginning of the 21st century, the smooth, cultured voice of a mid-western radio broadcaster would reverberate across the airwaves with the tales of victory over defeat, triumph over despair and winners persevering to the end. He would recount events in the lives of famous people by using their first name or a nickname to keep the listener in suspense until he said… “and that my friend is the rest of the story.”

Paul Harvey became a radio icon with this famous line and the stories he told held audiences captivated to find out unknown details about the beginnings of a celebrity’s life or the obstacles overcome by a successful athlete or politician; facts utterly unknown until revealed through the broadcast of this popular host.

Weapons Against Our Spiritual Enemy

by Barbara Latta

Our yard has frequent visits from those pesky, armored creatures called armadillos. Their

Armadillos have the ability to destroy a lawn in one night.

dinosaur look, beady eyes, and mouse-like ears make them easily recognizable, but their most well-known trait is the ability to destroy a lawn in one night of feeding. The claws attached to their scaly legs can dig more holes than a backhoe on assignment. The evidence left behind is a yard full of ugly holes.

A couple of weeks ago we were plagued with two of these visitors. The daytime sleeping area was a large hole behind my hydrangeas. I was not a happy gardener when I spotted the pile of dirt in the flower bed and the exposed roots of my shrubs. I knew we had another culprit and the hunt was on.

The Best Defense Against Offense

by Barbara Latta

“That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10).

The prophet Isaiah said the Messiah would be an offense to many because his teaching would prick the conscience of those who wouldn’t believe (Isaiah 8:14). Christ is rejected

New offenses arise daily.

because so many don’t want to give up the god of self. Society has taught the population to want everything their way so that nothing even remotely goes against their senses.

The cause of offense

New offenses arise daily. Clothing, jewelry, flags displayed, memorials, statues, signs, and even something on a restaurant menu have become things of contention for some group somewhere. The last few weeks have brought about football players protesting the National Anthem being played before games.The politically correct climate we live in has gone so far into the ditch no one can see how to climb out. Those who embrace these philosophies are blinded to the point of making the ditch deeper.

I am not advocating giving up our freedom to speak and stand for our values. It’s the overt shout of the selfish that claim “I don’t like something so you shouldn’t have it or display it” which promotes “me-ism”. This attitude hurts everyone because the focus is on petty feelings. The rest of the population is forced to give in to the complainer to try to keep the peace. All this does is fuel someone else’s need to rant.

While all of us may not go to the extreme of demanding a sign or flag be removed in favor of our feelings, we can still let offense rise up in our emotions when we are wronged. We get hurt by things others say or do and if we are not careful a wound festers into a big scab.  

Jesus warned his disciples what would happen in the last days, “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” Matthew 24:10-12

Offense causes lawlessness to abound. Recent violence in many states is an example of

The Sword of the Spirit arms us against offense.

what happens when someone is displeased with an event or decision made by another party. False prophets will arise and their words tickle ears with voices that shout you deserve to get what you want so don’t let anyone stand in your way.

Removing offense

The best defense for offense is found in Philippians 1:11, “being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

If the fruits of righteousness are filling us there is no room for making such big issues out of small things. When the focus is on God and what he wants, desires that are wrong fade away and right ones take their place. When the Almighty One of the universe is at the heart of our feelings, we find out what is important. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, will arm us against being offended.

When emotions rise over something that doesn’t really matter, put up your defense of righteousness and the offense won’t win.

Tweetables:

Use righteousness as your defense against being offended (click to tweet)

Join the conversation and share your thoughts about standing against offense.

The Importance of Patriot's Day

 by Barbara Latta

Each year on December 7, we remember the attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor. As the years have gone by, generations are born who know little about the war and the cost incurred against the citizens of our country. That's why it is so important to keep the history alive and educate those born after the events happened so they can remember the price paid to keep the freedoms they enjoy intact.

Ground Zero

On September 11, 2001, our country was attacked again and thousands died. Fifteen years have passed and while memorial ceremonies occur on the grounds of the tragedies, the importance of the loss doesn't have the impact it did immediately after the attack.

Reviewing the photos and videos of that day is difficult, but if we cease to look at the loss and the viciousness of the attacks, we will become apathetic against fighting our enemies. Patriotism is under attack in America with some refusing to honor our national anthem or the banner it proclaims.

May we never forget those who gave their lives on September 11, 2001 and those who have fought against terrorism on the battlefield.

God bless America!
Share your thoughts about Patriot's Day.

We Say Good-Bye Again

by Barbara Latta

Telling loved ones good-bye when they leave this earth is never easy, even though we know their destination is more wonderful than we can imagine in our limited minds.

Kenneth A. Latta 1921-2016

This week, my father-in-law, Kenneth Latta, went to meet Jesus and all those gone before him. We rejoice in knowing he is released from the chains of his suffering body, but we will miss his presence in our lives.

He was ordained as a minister in 1938 and served as a Baptist preacher in small churches that couldn't support a full time pastor and he worked in the oil industry as his secular job.

As an avid Alabama Crimson Tide fan, he never missed watching a game on TV. If distance hadn't prevented travel, he would have been at the stadium.

We will miss you, Pop.

Spiritual Checklist for the End Times

by Barbara Latta

Last week we talked about readiness for natural and man-made disasters. We looked at

The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.

ways to be prepared ahead of time to prevent being caught without the necessary supplies to sustain life and health.

A more important preparation is one we should look at as our world becomes more evil and anti-Christian.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

These verses portray the headlines in our news media today. Never before have we seen the violence and attitudes displayed by people in the world as we do in the last few decades. While scoffers will always exist, the truth unfolds in the scriptures.

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6).

The world is becoming more evil.

There are many theories about the rapture of the church. Some believe Christians will be join the Lord in the clouds before the Great Tribulation, others think it will happen at the middle of this terrible time, and another group says the rapture will be at the end. No matter which way you lean, the important thing is this: if you know the Lord you will be going to meet Him no matter when the trumpet sounds.

This is the first step to being ready for the end times or ready for death. Knowing the Lord and submitting our lives to Him prepares us for eternity and gives us strength for whatever we may face. The Lord told His disciples that if the world hated Him, it would hate them also. The spirit of anti-Christ is already present in the world. Christians are being put to death, imprisoned and tortured all over the planet.

Natural disasters abound in frequency and magnitude more than has ever been on the earth before. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24 these disasters would be one of the signs of the end of the age.

The second step in preparing for the end of this age is to have a deep knowledge of the scriptures to avoid being deceived. The devil can use signs and wonders as an imitation of God’s power to trick people into following him. If anything doesn’t glorify Christ and uphold Him as the Son of God, the doctrine isn’t the truth.

Preparation in the Word prevents deception.

Third, we are not to be in fear. Jesus said, Now when these things begin to happen look up and lift up your heads; because your redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).

Our spiritual preparedness is not only for eternity but for this life as well. In Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable about ten minas as an illustration for His church to be occupied with His work until He comes back to the earth. We are not supposed to hide in the hills, sitting around doing nothing. Spreading the gospel is necessary until the church leaves the earth.
We are the light in this dark world, so I emphasize again: We are not to be in fear, rather, we can be excited while looking forward to our Savior's return

In Hosea 4:6 the Word says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. We can make sure we are not in that group if we will become grounded in the Word of God to be ready for service on the earth and life in eternity.

Tweetable

Are you ready for the end-times? (click to tweet)

Join the conversation and leave your comments below with your thoughts about the end times we are facing.

10 Things You Should Do For Disaster Preparedness

by Barbara Latta

Recent flooding in Louisiana has brought to light once again the importance of being

Flooding damages homes and vehicles.

prepared for any kind of emergency.

Thousands of residents had damage to homes and vehicles who did not live in a flood plain. They had no flood insurance because they did not see the need for the coverage. We can see now how helpful a plan covering water damage would have alleviated so much financial ruin.

In the event of a disaster that does not require leaving the home, you may be living for days or weeks without electricity. Pre-planning can avoid scarcity and empty shelves. If homes do not have electrical power, neither will the stores, banks, ATM’s or gas stations.

The following steps can be a start in the preparation process:

Propane stoves are good backup cooking.

1. Review insurance policies on homes, vehicles, and personal property.
2. Store a supply of bottled water. Calculate how much you would need for your entire family, including pets, for at least one month. Don’t forget you will need water for washing clothes and yourself at some point.
3. Keep your vehicle as full of fuel as possible at all times. If your entire community is evacuating, gas lines require long waits. Also, if there is no power, gas pumps will not work.
4. Put a first aid kit in your vehicle along with flashlights, a blanket or two, and a small compressor for low tires.
5. Try to keep an amount of cash on hand in a safe, but easily accessible place for you. If ATM’s don’t work, neither will credit card machines in stores.
6. Pre-packaged food in sealed containers is available for purchase at many outlets. Buying a few month’s supply of this type of nourishment can give you what you need in the event stores are over-run with a stampede of panicky people. These packages only require adding water and could be prepared on an outdoor grill or campfire.
7. If you have a propane grill or fireplace, keep the fuel levels as high as possible. Extra tanks of fuel for the grill is a good idea. Propane lanterns are safer than candles, last longer and produce brighter light. Also, small propane stoves serve as backups.
8. Buy a generator.
9. Refill medications as often as possible to have extra supplies available.
10. Pack a container such as a large plastic foot locker and keep important papers such as passports, birth certificates and other irreplaceable or hard to replace items inside. Pack your extra medications, water, food, flashlights, and medical kits. The entire container could then be picked up and taken with you if you had to leave in a hurry.

We never know what awaits us in the future and proper planning can save us a lot of headaches and pain. Most of the time we do not think of having emergency items stored away until it is too late to do so.

Tweetable

What to do for disaster preparedness

What ideas could you add to this list? Are you prepared?

6 Foundations for Intimacy with God - Week Six, How God Sees Me

by Barbara Latta

This is the sixth and final week of the series on Foundations for Intimacy with God.

We have explored The Love of the Father, Our Spiritual Make-up, Our Identity, God’s Character and our Spiritual Authority. Today we will find out about God’s view of us.

We are gems in the kingdom of our heavenly Father.

The most common view of God is of an overbearing, club wielding being ready to pounce at the first sin anyone commits. We usually try to please God by doing the right things or making up for the bad we did. As we have already seen in other posts, relationship with God does not depend upon our actions, fellowship is possible because of what Jesus did.

Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before time began (II Timothy 1:9).

When we realize that God sees us the same way He sees Jesus, we will get a new vision of ourselves and self-centeredness will fall away. We will not be sensitive to offense from others because we have become aware of how important we are to God. Things other people do to us won’t matter anymore because we are gems in the kingdom of our heavenly Father.

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one (John 17:22).

We are one in Christ and have become like Him.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world (I John 4:17).

When we see ourselves as God sees us, we will see others differently and be able to respond to their needs the way God does.

Obtaining God’s point of view about ourselves takes time because we are conditioned to

Christ's death and resurrection makes us valuable.

believe what the world feeds us through books, movies, news, talk shows and other people’s opinions. Dwelling in His presence and feeding on His Word will bring our mind into subjection with His. Christ’s death and resurrection makes us valuable when we accept Him into our heart. To disagree with God’s view of us would be to treat the sacrifice Jesus made as insufficient.

I want to agree with God’s opinion. How about you?

Join the conversation.

6 Foundations for Intimacy with God: Week Five, Our Spiritual Authority

by Barbara Latta

Jesus disarmed powers and authorities of hell.

Did you know after Christ died and before He rose from the grave, He went into hell?

Some people don’t realize that He did, but Acts 2:27 says, For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption (Acts 2:27).

And having disarmed the powers and authorities he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).

Before Jesus arose He accomplished what Colossians 2:15 says; He took away the authority Satan had gained when Adam sinned by giving away what God had bestowed on His creation.

While the demons and powers of hell thought they had won because Jesus died, they may have been having a party. But Jesus rose up, stripped Satan of the keys of death and hell, and came up out of the grave.

Before He ascended Jesus told his disciples, All authority has been given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:28).

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

Jesus gave us the authority to resist the devil, but most of us are not using what Jesus died to give us.

We have the authority to talk to our circumstances and tell evil influences to leave.

God's armor belongs to us through the cross.

When we stand on the Word of God, the devil cannot cross the blood line of Jesus. His blood cleansed us from sin, but also brought us victory over evil.

We don’t have to sit still and let the devil run over us as if we can do nothing about what is happening.

We, as Christians, are the body of Christ on this earth. Satan was defeated at the cross, but he can still try to deceive people by keeping them blinded to what the word says. When we take our authority we put him in his place and he has no power over us. This requires action on our part. We must use the armor of God and remind the evil one his place is under our feet.

Tweetable:

Believers in Christ have spiritual authority (click to Tweet)

Share your thoughts about the authority you have as a believer.

(All scripture references are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.

6 Foundations for Intimacy with God: Week Four - God's True Character

by Barbara Latta

The Bible gives us two covenants.

The Bible gives us two covenants God made with mankind. The first which we refer to as the Old Testament, or Covenant, and the second is the New Testament.

Despite the fact that the New Testament tells us of Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection which gives us victory over sin, many people still refer back to the Old Testament when approaching God.

Hebrews 8:7 tells us, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.” The old covenant was a shadow of things to come and the new covenant is the fulfillment. That is not to say that we need to throw out Genesis to Malachi. These accounts are given for our learning and admonition (1 Corinthians 10:11).

But when we think God is still dealing with our sin and behavior the same way He did during Old Testament times, we are not approaching our heavenly Father using the power Jesus died to give us.

6 Foundations for Intimacy with God Week Three:Do You Know Who You Are?

by Barbara Latta

Who are you? Are you a wife, husband, father, mother, friend or companion? Are you a doctor, nurse, teacher, lawyer, clerk, bookkeeper, librarian, housekeeper, or sales person?

Do you identify yourself with what you do or your relationship with others?

Identity theft steals the benefits of being you.

We hear a lot about identity theft. Some of us may have experienced having credit cards or bank account information stolen by someone. A year ago, my husband and I went through this disaster as someone in another state was using our card numbers, but we had never been in that location at all. We had to go through the steps of clearing our cards and getting our money back.

These crimes are labeled as identity theft, but what the criminals are really doing is stealing the benefits of being another person.