The Story & More - with Nancy Jackson

Deception Can Keep You Stuck | Archive Story - Episode 14

12 min · 8. Juni 2026
Episode Deception Can Keep You Stuck | Archive Story - Episode 14 Cover

Beschreibung

Deception Can Keep You Stuck Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS [https://thestorywithnancyjackson.supercast.com/]. Deception, by its very nature, operates undetected until it has done so much damage that it is difficult to break free from. By the time deception is uncovered, it has changed a life to become so dependent on the lie that the spirit of pride will hold the person solidly bound to the deception. It creeps in like a tiny water leak in a home. A small bit of water constantly dripping or pooling can cause catastrophic damage that is not noticeable until the damage is done and massive repairs are required. If you had the thought bubble up inside of you just now, "Thank goodness I'm not deceived." or the thought that, "This article on deception is for someone else, not me." then you are exactly who I am writing this article for. Humility There is only one way to ward off deception, and that is a constant push toward humility - daily - even hourly. Then, having the courage to admit when you've been wrong. Having the strength and courage to admit when you are wrong is a character strength at the top of the maturity spectrum. Closing yourself off to learning because it might reveal that you were wrong in an area is one of the most dangerous things a person can do. If deception is so hard to reveal, how does one self evaluate? And let me clarify here, I believe a person can be fully in love with the Lord and still have pockets of deception in their lives and belief systems. If you believe something and later realize that it was a wrong idea or thought, you were deceived into believing for a time that it was right. These few ideas may help you to self evaluate. Criticism Criticism is a key indicator that a person is suffering from deception. If you experience a hot button or a trigger that sends you into rabid critic mode internally or externally, there may be deception there. Ask yourself, why does a particular topic set me off? Why does it anger me so? I'm not saying we should never be angry. But, we should be angry less than we are. Get angry over injustices done to others. Get angry over hurting and helpless people. Get angry over a lack of love. Get angry over outright evil. Don't get angry over someone believing something different than you. Don't get angry over a simple irritation someone has caused you. Don't get angry over an idiotic action someone does. https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EnXf!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3ac377-281a-45e0-9336-3d3f9c20abcc_400x100.png God Gave Us All a Free Will God himself has given us all a free will. It is so sacred to him that even he won't violate it. Yet we feel we have the right to govern what others think, feel, do, and say. Anger which sparks criticism, solves nothing. It has sparked wars, hurt, and pain to others. But a clear head with an honest conversation can build bridges. We might even learn something from it. Ask yourself why do you get so angry when someone posts a comment or says something different from what you believe? Can you not reason that maybe they just do not know the truth and give them some grace and compassion? Can you not reach out to them in an effort to begin a calm conversation that may build a bridge where you can eventually share why you believe the way you do? What Is Your Trigger? If you have a trigger when a certain topic is raised, my guess is that there is a lack of security there regarding what you believe, and you do not have a calm confidence about it. Why does it make you so angry that a person does not believe the way you do? Jesus loved us all while we were so wrong and so deceived. Yet we cannot stay calm and do the same. If you build a calm bridge where the person with the different beliefs feels safe to have a dialog, you have cultivated soil where seeds of faith can be subtly planted. And you might learn something if you can open your mind and ask the Lord to teach you as well. Do Not Fear Different Ideas Fear of different ideas is another one. If you are confident in what you believe, then there is no harm in hearing an opposing side or a new idea. If that idea is wrong, the Lord will confirm that in you. But, if you honestly want to learn, he may show you that some of this new information is, in fact, true. Keep an open mind in Christ. If we close off our minds and hearts to learning about other thoughts, and ideas, then we may just have closed ourselves off to information that will make us more full in our understanding of kingdom things. For decades I have consumed so much information regarding the bible, the kingdom of God, spiritual and natural things that I think sometimes my head will pop. I am a compulsive knowledge gatherer. Ask The Lord For More Often in my life I have reached spiritual plateaus and after a while I felt discontent. Always, I seek the Lord to show me more, teach me more. He has never failed to do that after my persistent asking. However, the avenue was not always what I expected. A book or writing will cross my path from someone I've never heard of or is completely out of the realm of doctrinal belief I adhered to. If I felt intrigued, I would pursue it by asking the Lord to show me and teach me. What, if anything, do I keep, and what do I discard? Expand Your Horizons God's wealth of knowledge is not strictly contained in one denomination or doctrinal belief. There are gems and treasures sometimes amid the thorns. Have an open mind and trust the Lord to help you gather the good while discarding the rest. We cannot do this though if we are fearful of any thought outside of those that have been selectively spoon-fed to us daily. I Don't Like Spiritual Labels or Categories I supposed you could dump me in the category of being a Charismatic or non-denominational. But, I don't like that and I don't really identify with that. We should not label ourselves with denominational tags. And yes, non-denominational is a tag. We are all called to be in the unified body of Christ if we call Jesus Lord. Because I have had such a heart to learn more from God, I've discovered teachers and writers in some denominations that I would have never considered viable. Yet, when listening to them or reading from their texts, the Lord would show me something new that the narrow world I had been in had excluded. Do You Feel Stuck? Being stuck. We've all been stuck in our lives. Sometimes we are stuck because deception, or believing a lie, has painted us into a corner. Our prideful refusal to admit we believed a lie keeps us stuck. This can happen in all areas of our lives, not just in things of the kingdom of God. It can happen in our families, our jobs, our emotions, and actually every area of our lives. This being stuck in a spiritual sense reeks of unanswered prayers, irritability with other Christians, discontent with church, lack of desire to read the bible, just to name a few. Don't Stay Stuck If you are feeling stuck spiritually and have experienced even one of these symptoms, ask God sincerely to show you the lie you believed or the deception that has crept up on you. Then courageously take steps to learn the truth. You should ask God to show you. Ask him to send people into your life who know the truth in that area. Ask him to bring books, videos, podcasts, and essays across your path and for him to show you the gems midst the thorns. Don't Fear Further Deception Don't fear they will further deceive you. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. You can trust him if you are determined to listen closely to him. I don't know it all and suspect I never will. I hope and pray I never get to the place where I feel I know it all. My beliefs, thoughts, and ideas are always being tweaked by the Lord because I have given him permission to do that for me. I would rather admit that something I believed was wrong or even not completely right, rather than not know the truth. It Is Okay To Not Believe Like Everyone Else Much of the changes in what I know to be true are not popular with many of the people I know. Even so, I don't feel compelled to force them to believe the way I do. I am confident in where the Lord has corrected me. But it is not my job to correct anyone else. Yes, I write at the instruction of the Lord. Others have the option of reading or not. If I am asked a question, I will gladly share what I believe. But I know there are still areas where I need more changing. I pray I am never too proud to admit that. God has given me a gift to write and has instructed me to do so. I've written blogs and articles for years. When I look back on some of the earlier writings which I wrote 15 or more years ago, I often cringe. I am thankful that I am always learning and growing. So, what is my point today? What is it I am encouraging you to do? Humble yourself before God and ask with a sincere heart for him to show you areas of belief that may not be exactly correct. This is not a one and done thing. Continue to humble yourself and seek him earnestly and he will answer. It must be a heartfelt desire to know the truth no matter what. Keep an open mind. Your fear of letting wrong theology in may be the very thing that is causing you to hold on to the bad theology you currently have. God can fully help you weed through something new to find the gems. Trust him and open your heart and mind to the possibility that you do not know it all and that some of what you believe you know may be wrong. Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/honest-motivation [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/honest-motivation] https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BIIz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e2bd7d4-c08f-4025-8b4f-d3a074076210_7325x1604.png Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/collections/novels] Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com [https://www.NancyJacksonAuthor.com] Follow me here: Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/ [https://nancyjackson.substack.com/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor [https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor] Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson [https://twitter.com/NAJackson] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/ [https://www.instagram.com/najackson/] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson [https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBawU_f3R6wfeNv2vytrfmA] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en]

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Episode Wednesday Word Study - Pride - Episode 3 Cover

Wednesday Word Study - Pride - Episode 3

Wednesday Word Study Episode 3 Wednesday Word Study – Episode 3 Originally written August 24, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/24/wednesday-word-study-pride/ [https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/08/monday-meditations-2-timothy-316/] Pride Proverbs 16:18 [http://bible.cc/proverbs/16-18.htm]Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1347a [http://strongsnumbers.com/hebrew/1347b.htm] Transliteration: ga'own Phonetic Spelling: (gaw'-ohn) Definition: arrogancy When I was studying this word I noticed that there were several Greek variations of this word. I've selected the one used here in this verse. I was not surprised by the definition. It is a word we all know well, and use often. But one thing I did learn when reading all the different words in the definition is the word – exaltation. I had to stop on that one and think about it. Isn't exaltation something that should be reserved for God? You bet it is! That is exactly why when we are prideful we are exalting ourselves and God will not, cannot stand for that. Pride – self exaltation is what got Satan ejected immediately from heaven. Go directly to earth, do not pass go, do not collect $200!!! I've added a bit of humor to this critically serious topic, but we do tend to snicker when we think about how quickly, with no debate, Satan was ejected from Heaven. But we must see that this scripture is warning us that should pride, in any form, enter our behavior or attitude, we are certain to face destruction as well. If that thought makes you shudder the way it did me, then evaluate your life and your attitudes towards others today to see if even the slightest morsel of pride has crept in. If it has, immediately eradicate it before you too are facing certain destruction. Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept. Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/collections/novels] My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com [https://nancyjacksonpodcast.com/] Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com [https://www.nancyjacksonauthor.com/] Follow me here: Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/ [https://nancyjackson.substack.com/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor [https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor] Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson [https://twitter.com/NAJackson] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/ [https://www.instagram.com/najackson/] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson [https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson [https://www.youtube.com/@NancyJacksonAuthor] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en]

Gestern3 min
Episode Monday Meditations - Proverbs 16:18 - Episode 3 Cover

Monday Meditations - Proverbs 16:18 - Episode 3

Monday Meditations Episode 3 Monday Meditations – Episode 3 Originally written August 22, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/22/1962/ [https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/08/monday-meditations-2-timothy-316/] Today's Meditation Verse: Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. I love reading the Lexicon version of a scripture. To me it reveals so much. For instance there is little variation in this scripture from translation to translation. It pretty much says it like it is and in any language or culture it is pretty much the same. But just now as I was reading this verse in the Lexcon [http://biblelexicon.org/proverbs/16-18.htm] (the original Greek translation) I saw something that I had to meditate on for a bit. Then I saw how obvious the original word was to our own modern terminology. That word is before. In the Lexicon that word means faces. We use that word often now. She is facing an uphill battle. He is facing termination at work. They are facing the playoffs. We know this word so well. Let's look at this week's scripture again using the original word, facing. Pride causes you to face destruction, and a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall. We know when we face something that it is coming, for sure. Something that we face is something we know we will have to deal with. So this week when you meditate on this scripture know that the pride in your life will cause you to face with certainty, destruction and that a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall. Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ! Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/collections/novels] My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com [https://nancyjacksonpodcast.com/] Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com [https://www.nancyjacksonauthor.com/] Follow me here: Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/ [https://nancyjackson.substack.com/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor [https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor] Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson [https://twitter.com/NAJackson] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/ [https://www.instagram.com/najackson/] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson [https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson [https://www.youtube.com/@NancyJacksonAuthor] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en]

15. Juni 20263 min
Episode The World and The Earth - Not the Same | Archive Story - Episode 15 Cover

The World and The Earth - Not the Same | Archive Story - Episode 15

The World and The Earth - Not the Same It is common to hear the words earth, and world interchanged. But I believe a closer look at the meaning and proper contextual use is warranted. Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS [https://thestorywithnancyjackson.supercast.com/]. Genesis 1:1 1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. In these verses, the word earth in Hebrew is erets, which means earth and land. It is a physical thing that can be touched and felt. Let's consider the word world in Hebrew. It is tebel and means world, but in its usage it lends itself to the inhabitants of the world and their system of living, not the physical earth. There is another term that is often lumped in with these. That is age, such as the end of the age. Age is referring to a period of time. If someone says the end of the age is soon, you are talking about a period of time ending soon. Examples for age are, 'The Gilded Age', 'The Dark Ages', 'The Middles Ages'. Examples for earth are, 'the earth is round', 'the earth is 70% water', 'the earth's core creates a magnetic field'. Examples for world are, 'the world is growing', 'the world is corrupt', 'the world is unfair'. What Does It Matter? Why is this important? Let me explain why I believe it to be important. God created the earth. He created it for a purpose, and that purpose was for us. He created us in the image and likeness of Himself to reflect Him on His created earth. Gen 1:27. But something went awry early in the garden. Can you see God's original vision? Let's view it as I believe He saw it. An earth filled with many millions of people created in the image of God who are actively reflecting Him in all His glory on the created earth. Can you see His glory covering the earth forever and ever? Something Went Wrong Even though something went awry, I do not believe God has changed His purpose or goal. God is never changing, and He is certainly not daunted by a bump in the road. Instead, He just kept making new ways to get to His original goal. When Adam changed his allegiance from God to Satan. The world, not the earth, changed. The inhabitants of the earth died (the light went out) and no longer reflected the glory of God. God reflected his glory in the garden, giving it life. https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UHqm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa547fd03-03db-4f4b-9ae2-9b2a1c5009cc_400x100.png The World of Two Lived on the Earth The world of two, Adam and Eve, were expelled from the garden to live in the earth's remainder. The lack of God's reflection affected the earth. Adam gave over 'ownership' of the world to Satan. Now earth groaned for the world (inhabitants) to once again reflect the glory of God. Romans 8: 19) The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. 20) for the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope 21) that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22) We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time. 23) Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24) For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? Be Transformed We are in a process of transformation, of which the ultimate culmination is being once again the complete and perfect reflection of God just as Adam and Eve were. We are to endeavor to become internally more like Christ every day, which in turn is reflected outwardly in our behavior. Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. But in the meantime, the earth is only partially covered with incomplete images which reflect His glory only partially. On a good day, we are still a dim light. But we are a light nonetheless, and we are told to shine and not put our light away, but let it shine as boldly as possible in the world, the inhabitants and their system of living on God's created earth. We Have a Mandate from God We have a mandate from Jesus to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and to GO and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) . As long as the world still has inhabitants of darkness, we have not completed our assignment and we must all continue with our assignment. That doesn't necessarily mean become a missionary in a third world country. It can mean, as you go about your daily life, let your light shine to all your meet, sharing and teaching about the Good News. Love, show, and teach others about Jesus. Help them grow. Making disciples is so much more than just getting someone to say a prayer of allegiance to Jesus. A topic for another day is that even effective in reality. Increase the Light As we do make disciples throughout the world, the light of God will shine greater and greater, eventually covering the earth. When we have no more disciples to go make, Jesus will return and our bodies will be transformed, both those dead and those still alive. And then the earth, the physical earth, will no longer be confined and can be the garden fully alive and beautiful the way God first intended. Jesus is Waiting on Us to Finish Our Job Jesus will reign in the new Jerusalem, and we will inhabit the garden, which covers the entire earth. So, when we read the word of God, the Bible, I believe we must know the earth is a created physical object created by God's loving hands for a purpose and the world is its inhabitants and its system of being, working, and governing that those inhabitants perpetuate upon the earth. Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection did away with the old rickety bandaid covenant, so that now the new perfect covenant (which excluded no man, woman, or race) our sins are forgiven, the enemy Satan was disarmed and made a show of openly (Colossians 2:15). Now we are empowered to grow in Jesus and be increasingly transformed into the image of God. Go - Make Disciples The more disciples we make, the less darkness is covering the earth. Current stats show that more and more people are coming to profess Jesus as Lord every day, no matter what we are led to believe by the media. Let's get busy discipling them so God's glory will increase. If you believe things are getting worse and worse, you are focusing on the darkness and the perpetual toxic propaganda that the enemy pushes through the media. It is all lies and yet so many are addicted to watching it daily. You Reflect What You Focus On We are told to focus and think on whatever is true, honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace… think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 amp emphasis mine) The garbage that the media, both via tv and the internet, which is governed by the darkness still left in the world, is not worthy of respect and we are not following what we are told to do by feeding on it. Ignore the darkness. We reflect on what we feed on. If you feed on the darkness, the light you carry will diminish, reflecting the darkness. Focus on becoming transformed to be a better reflection of God and so growing in the light you carry, make disciples of all those you meet by loving and teaching them in word and in deed. And the light you carry will increase and continue to cover the entire earth. We are not of this world which still has so much darkness, but we are part of this earth. Let's get about the assignment we were given, and cover this earth in the reflection of God's light and take back this earth that was created for us. The quicker we do, the quicker Jesus will come back to reign. Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/world-and-earth [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/world-and-earth] https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Somq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33f67d61-20f2-4928-b8b4-c6c366c51e6f_7325x1604.png Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/collections/novels] Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com [https://www.NancyJacksonAuthor.com] Follow me here: Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/ [https://nancyjackson.substack.com/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor [https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor] Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson [https://twitter.com/NAJackson] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/ [https://www.instagram.com/najackson/] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson [https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBawU_f3R6wfeNv2vytrfmA] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en]

15. Juni 202611 min
Episode God Watches Over Us | Miracle Story - Episode 15 Cover

God Watches Over Us | Miracle Story - Episode 15

God Watches Over Us Living in the country in western Oklahoma we were surrounded by all types of insects and snakes. They were a constant and you just learned to watch out when you could and be cautious. Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS [https://thestorywithnancyjackson.supercast.com/]. Living In The Country We lived on a dirt road and it came to a dead end just a few hundred feet from our house. At that dead end lived a family who had a son just a bit older than my oldest son so they spent quite a bit of time playing together. My youngest son Kendon is four years younger than his older brother. One day when his brother Ben was down playing with the neighbor, Kendon was begging to go. He was about four years old at the time. Since we were out in the country and on a rarely traveled dead end road, which the kids were all used to, I made arrangements for him to walk to the neighbors. I Knew He Was Safe The road was packed red dirt that was lower than the banks on either side due to having been graded for so many years. On those banks were weeds and brush as well as tons of cedar trees and old pine oaks. I called down to the neighbors house and told Ben that Kendon was coming down the road and to please watch for him and meet him on the road. He did and they played until it was time to come home. A Shocking Discovery It was Wednesday night. We ate dinner, I had my other two get cleaned up to go to church, and I bathed Kendon. As I was bathing him I noticed two puncture marks on the back of his upper arm. It would have greatly alarmed me but there was no abnormal redness or swelling. Since he was my baby, I had allowed him to stay a baby for probably way too long. He baby talked until he was in kindergarten. Since I spent every day with him I fully understood everything he said. https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zhqW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F86a48e8f-3e5f-48e2-98a4-15eda5bcb014_400x100.png He Was Completely Unaware When I saw the two punctures I asked him, "What bit you?" To which he replied, "Dog". Obviously it was not a dog. So I inquired further and received no additional information other than 'dog'. At church that night I looked for a friend of mine who was a licensed EMT. I thought I knew what those punctures were but wanted confirmation. When I found him, I showed him Kendon's arm and asked him what he thought those were. He looked and then looked up at me in shock. He said, "That is a snake bite and those punctures indicate it was a poisonous snake." I Trusted God To Watch Over My Children We both knew it was a miracle. Kendon never had any adverse reaction and finally the punctures healed and faded away. This is an instance where I didn't even know I needed to pray for a miracle and one just came. However, I always knew, really and firmly knew, that God was watching over me and my children. God Had Exchange Fear for Courage Years Earlier When God delivered me from fear, he replaced it with courage and a certain understanding that he was watching over us. So, trusting him to do that very thing, I never ever worried over my children. It never occurred to me to worry about them. I was that certain over God's care and watchful eye. This isn't something I forced myself to do. This isn't something I worked up on my own. When I prayed for and received deliverance from fear God had to replace the void it left, and he did. He replaced it with courage and that revelation knowledge of his watchful caring eye on my family. As I have said many times, he is no respecter of persons. He can and will do that for you as well. Ask him, pray about it earnestly. He will show you the way. It may be the same way as he brought deliverance to me through saying a specific scripture over and over at bedtime or he may show you a different way. But, believe it, ask for it, and receive it. Originally published by me here: https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/blog/godwatchesoverus/ [https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/blog/godwatchesoverus/] https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CsCA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28bba0f2-2e7a-41ba-854b-b7e529cbabdd_7325x1604.png Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/collections/novels] Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com [https://www.NancyJacksonAuthor.com] Follow me here: Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/ [https://nancyjackson.substack.com/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor [https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor] Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson [https://twitter.com/NAJackson] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/ [https://www.instagram.com/najackson/] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson [https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBawU_f3R6wfeNv2vytrfmA] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en]

14. Juni 20264 min
Episode Friday Finale - Are You Confusing Faith with Belief? - Episode 2 Cover

Friday Finale - Are You Confusing Faith with Belief? - Episode 2

Friday Finale Episode 2 Friday Finale – Episode 2 Originally written August 19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/19/are-confusing-faith-with-belief/ [https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/12/led-or-driven/] Are You Confusing Faith With Belief? Have you ever encountered someone who made a comment similar to: "Their faith was shattered"? Or maybe they said it of themselves, "After that situation, my faith was just shattered". The problem with these comments is that they are confusing Faith with Belief. As we learned on Wednesday Word Study – Faith, there is a difference between the two. Faith is a divine gift from God. It is a DIVINE certainty that something will or will not happen. It is a knowing that cannot be described or touched, but resides deep in our soul, our inner most being. A divine gift from God that cannot be shattered, damaged or destroyed. Belief is a confidence that something is a certain way, will or will not happen. It resides in the mind of an individual. It is usually based on previous experiences or training. I used to ponder this scripture a lot: Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. Having lived a life of faith and faith teaching for almost 40 years this used to stump me. How can hope be deferred if our hope is in Christ and our faith is in Him? Well while studying faith this week I have come to realize something very important that I believe will help all of us, me included. There isn't a one of us out there who have hoped, prayed and believed for something that didn't happen. I would say that most of the time we were quick to just say that it must not have been God's will for us. But we know even when we are saying it that it just doesn't ring true in our hearts. But it is the only explanation we have. We many times are referring to this very scripture below when we come to that conclusion. 1 John 5:14-15 AMP14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him. But we as His children seek to be in His will. I know there are times when a certain job or move is not of Him and when we don't get the job or we make the move and then it doesn't feel right or work out, we know that it was not His will. But there are so many things in our lives that we can have certainty are His will and when we hope towards them and then they don't happened we are shaken. We know that on the trip to Calvary Jesus took 39 stripes for our healing. He bought and paid for it there so we would never have to be sick again. Yet here we are struggling with this very thing. He also became poor and weak so we did not have to be poor and weak. He became sin and took the penalty once and for all for our sin so we would never have to suffer the punishment of sin. There are certainties in the bible that we know are God's will and yet when we pray, hope and believe, they do not come to pass. We believe that because we did not receive our healing that God did not mean for us to be healed. Or maybe that our healing was not bought and paid for by Christ and that healing is not for everyone, but for God to choose on a case by case basis. But we must know that is not true. God is no respecter of persons. He loves us equally and would never withhold one universal gift from one of His children while giving it to another. We have often chalked it up to 'not enough faith'. We've come up with a multitude of reasons and excuses because we refuse to believe that the scriptures we read and studied about faith are wrong. So where is the disconnect? I have come to believe that the disconnect is in our concept of faith. I have come to believe that what we many times refer to as faith is really just a belief that something will happen. Remember as we talked about on Wednesday, faith is a divine gift from God. It is not something we can generate or create on our own. It resides in our inner most being and is just something we know without any definitions or explanations, we just know! I think what we do so many times is that we build a form of hope for something we want or need to happen, but instead of pouring faith into the form, we pour our own belief into the form. Hebrews 11:1 KJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen We must pour the supernatural gift of faith into our hope to manifest or materialize what we hope for. If we pour our own mental belief into our hope mistaking it for faith, our hope will be deferred! Our heart will be made sick! So what must we do then? We must spend time with the Holy Spirit, requesting and receiving His gifts from Him. We must read the Word and allow the Spirit to teach us and bring revelation knowledge to us. We must listen to faith based teaching by credible pastors and teachers. We must share testimonies of faith with our friends, family and co-workers. This is how we grow that seed of divine faith given to us! And even past experiences can produce faith when you tell them to yourself and to others again and again! When you recite to yourself all that God has done and you 'hear' it again, it builds your faith. Faith comes from the Holy Spirit BY hearing! Our faith will arise in our spirit man in the pit of our soul and that faith will not be denied! Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Once again we need to rethink what we know about this word, this concept. Are you filling your form of hope today with true Holy Spirit faith or are you filling it with your own mental belief? God has given His only son not only for our spiritual salvation, but for all the gifts a child of God is entitled to. He has even provided the gift of faith to pour into our hope to materialize those gifts here on this earth. But YOU must be the one to engage in a relationship with the Holy Spirit to receive those gifts. Luke 11:13 AMP13If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts [a]that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and [b]continue to ask Him! Invite the Holy Spirit into your life today to teach you, comfort you and grant you His gifts. This study is a culmination of this week's Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life. Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here [https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/collections/novels] My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com [https://nancyjacksonpodcast.com/] Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com [https://www.nancyjacksonauthor.com/] Follow me here: Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/ [https://nancyjackson.substack.com/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor [https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor] Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson [https://twitter.com/NAJackson] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/ [https://www.instagram.com/najackson/] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson [https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson [https://www.youtube.com/@NancyJacksonAuthor] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en]

12. Juni 202610 min