Scripture Reading: Daniel 10:1-21, Daniel 11:1-4, Joshua 1:5-9, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
“He’s such a little angel,” a new mom proclaims about her infant. “Look at their angelic faces,” grandparents gush about their grandkids. “He’s my guardian angel,” a woman says about a man who protects her. These are the contexts in which we most often mention anything about angels, conjuring up images of cute, cherubic, innocent, and helpful beings.
But that isn’t at all how the Bible describes angels. Throughout Scripture we see people trembling with fear and falling on their faces before these messengers of God. Daniel 10 is no exception. Of seeing the heavenly being for himself, Daniel concedes, “No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless” (Daniel 10:8). Why? The description of the angel Daniel encounters surpasses our imaginations; he is glorious, beautiful, awe-inspiring, and terrifying. He is a warrior but not like any earthly, sword-wielding hero. He brings with him heavenly glory and power.
The magnitude of angelic grandeur is so magnificent that it makes two aspects of this text stand out. First is the battle the angel is waging. He did not say he was there to protect Daniel, to sit on his shoulder and be his good conscience. The angel said he had been waging war against the prince of Persia and would continue to do so against him and the king of Greece. He was not dueling a demon; he was fighting a cosmic spiritual battle for the nations. He was the workman of God striving for good and righteousness in the world. The spiritual struggle was over continents, over eons, and for the destiny of the very world.
Which brings us to the second aspect of this text that stands out. After seeing the massive scale of spiritual conflict going on, it is easy to be overwhelmed. What is our place? What do we matter? The angel told Daniel: “Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!” (Daniel 10:19).
Peace? How? Because all who are believers are greatly loved. We can be strong and of good courage because God fights for us.
Yes, the fight is too big for us. We should feel like Daniel did: weak, speechless, helpless. But the words the angel spoke to him are echoed throughout Scripture. The book of Ephesians tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against cosmic powers, and then it goes on to equip us with spiritual armor and weaponry for the fight (Ephesians 6:12–18). Our weapons in this fight are not of flesh but have divine power so that we can destroy arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God (2Corinthians 10:2–5).
Texts like this should rattle us. They should wake us up to the reality of evil and the even bigger reality of God and His power. He is big enough to embrace us with love and assurance while fighting our battle for the good of the world. And it is a battle He will win—or rather, a battle He has won, in Christ.
Written by Barnabas Piper
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61 thoughts on "Treasured by God"
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Amen
We will never be perfect, but God loves us perfectly! I have waited all day to share this song which has quickly become one of my favorite uptempo songs.
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SONG SHARE:
Micah Tyler – Perfectly (Official Lyric Video)
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Love, hugs,and prayers! ❤
Eph 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. There is a constant battle going on and we have to be alert, equipped and ready; complacency will not protect us in the fight that is always going on around us. Prayer, scripture and proclaiming the truth of God’s Word, putting on the Armor of God every day is what is available to us and essential to the spiritual battle that is always going on. As we go through our days, may it be with confidence and knowledge that our God is for us and we have what we need to fight every step of way.
@CeeGee & Teresa thank you for your comments yesterday and praying. I am so grateful that overall, i have improved and am better than I was 3 months ago. I am functioning better but still struggling, symptoms are still present, just not as intense and I am not feeling well most days. Medication is probably still not quite right and trying to get it figured out. My specialist did say it would take some time to get it all figured out but its been pretty frustrating and discouraging along the way. Pressing on and trusting that better days are coming. Appreciate your prayers so much.❤️
Oh dear…my orginal comment went to moderation and tyen posted twice…:/
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
I had a “straw meets the camels back” moment yesterday morning. Though outwardly calm, inwardly I broke and was instantly seething with rage and weariness. It’s been a challenging year filled with elder care on two fronts, church responsibilities, organizing a 50th reunion and taking care of grands who are in difficult rebellious stages. Enough was enough and I was starting to give God and earful (in my head) when our 3 year old grandson crawled up next to me, grabbed onto my arm hugging tightly and quietly said “I love you grandma”. The world tilted back onto its axis and the rage and weariness disappeared. My prayer instantly turned into seeking forgiveness , offering thanks and praise to the God who sees and strengthens me. Even when I don’t deserve it.
Praying that we all get a “taste of knowing that we are loved and treasured today”
that’s so good Cindy!! I love when that happens, and as a matter of fact we should always be seeking the goodness God gives us! We take all the choa captive and think of Psalm 23..He restores my sould, He is the peace that I can have resting in Him!
Oh, the love of a little child ❤️
What a precious testimony! ❤
I needed this reminder!!! And especially 2 Corinthians 10.3-5…this is the 4th or so reminder of those particular verses in 2 days!!
I loved everyone’s comments! This was what I needed today! How God fights our battles, strengthens us, for us to be strong and courageous!
I’m reminded of this old song by the Gaither’s
There’s a line that is drawn through the ages
On that line stands that old rugged cross
On that cross a battle is raging
For the gain of a man’s soul or it’s loss
On one side, march the forces of evil
All the demons and all the devils of hell
On the other the angels of glory
And they meet on Golgotha’s hill
The earth shakes with the force of the conflict
And the sun refuses to shine
There hangs God’s son in the balance
And then through the darkness he cries
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there’ll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished, and Jesus is Lord
Yet in my heart the battle was raging
Not all prisoners of war have come home
These were battlefields of my own making
I didn’t know that the war had been won
Then I heard that the king of the ages
Had fought all my battles for me
And victory, victory was mine for the claiming
And now praise his name, I am free
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there’ll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished, and Jesus is Lord (Jesus is Lord)
It is finished, and Jesus is Lord
Jesus is Lord, woo
(Thank you)
(Praise the Lord, thank you)
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Gloria Gaither / William J. Gaither
It Is Finished lyrics © Hanna Street Music
Praying for all!
Great old anthem! ❤
Love Love Love that song! I haven’t heard it in ages but will listen today. Thanks for the reminder! ❤️
WOW…This reading was SO good! LOVED reading Daniel 10 and 11 and followed by this devotional! “Peace? How? Because all who are believers are greatly loved. We can be STRONG and of good COURAGE because God FIGHTS for us!” All those court dates I have endured since 2017 was because MY God, My JESUS was with me! I can not and will not do life without MY JESUS! He is my EVERYTHING!
As I was reading the passages from Daniel, I was thinking about Joshua and how he was told to be courageous!
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Barnabas Piper’s ending paragraph is a good reminder of Who is in control, even when we see evil all around us.
Eph 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
There is a constant battle going on and we have to be alert, equipped and ready; complacency will not protect us in the fight that is always going on around us. Prayer, scripture and proclaiming the truth of God’s Word, putting on the Armor of God every day is what is available to us and essential to the spiritual battle that is always going on. As we go through our days, may it be with confidence and knowledge that our God is for us and we have what we need to fight every step of way.
@CeeGee & Teresa thank you for your comments yesterday and praying. I am so grateful that overall, i have improved and am better than I was 3 months ago. I am functioning better but still struggling, symptoms are still present, just not as intense and I am not feeling well most days. Medication is probably still not quite right and trying to get it figured out. My specialist did say it would take some time to get it all figured out but its been pretty frustrating and discouraging along the way. Pressing on and trusting that better days are coming. Appreciate your prayers so much.❤️
Oh How unaware I was of the GREAT Cosmic Battle going on presently until in the last several year! Yes we do tend to blame so much on the devil that goes astray in our life and the bad circumstances, and of course the blatant evil we see all around us!! But to have a greater understanding that there is in fact, a great war, battle being fought for people’s very souls!! The devil wants to take as many people from God as possible!! And when you put faces on these people that are your very loved ones, well, that shifts are mindset. For we all the sudden want to be engaged in that battle!!
When I see my loved ones so unaware that they are not just of the world, but that is the devils very side…ugh..it is angering, for I don’t want them to be the devil’s. They are indeed lost. BUT they can be found, the Lord is always pursuing them. But oh the devil has his angels too, always are as well.
OUR prayers are powerful sisters. They are the offensive power, the word of God. When we pray it defeats the evil one and his demons. I want to copy and paste because Google says it better than I could (and it mentions from Daniel!)
In Christian theology, prayer is not treated as a ritualistic formula or magic words, but as active engagement in spiritual warfare. The Bible teaches that while believers live in a physical world, their primary battles are spiritual, and prayer is the vehicle through which God’s power is deployed against evil.
According to scripture and Christian theology, prayer works against evil in the spiritual realm in several specific ways:
1. It Asserts the Authority of Jesus Christ
The fundamental power of prayer against evil relies entirely on the authority of Jesus, not human strength.
• The Name of Jesus: Scripture notes that Jesus has been given authority over all things in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). When believers pray “in Jesus’ name,” they are appealing to His legal authority over demonic forces.
• The Legal Defeat of Evil: Colossians 2:15 states that Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities” at the cross. Prayer enforces that victory, reminding deceptive spirits that they have already been legally defeated.
2. It Activates God’s Heavenly Interventions
Prayer asks God to intervene directly in the unseen world. The Bible reveals that God often dispatches His angels to engage in spiritual combat in response to human prayers.
• The Heavenly Battles: In Daniel 10, the prophet Daniel fasts and prays for three weeks. An angel eventually arrives and explains that Daniel’s prayer was heard on the very first day. However, the angel was delayed because he was engaged in a 21-day spiritual battle against a demonic entity called the “Prince of Persia,” until the archangel Michael came to assist him. This passage highlights that persistent prayer sustains spiritual breakthrough.
3. It Invokes Spiritual Weaponry
In Ephesians 6:10-18, the Apostle Paul describes the Armor of God. While most of the armor pieces are defensive, the passage culminates in an active, offensive strategy tied directly to prayer:
• The Sword of the Spirit: Paul identifies the word of God as the sword, and immediately instructs believers to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Prayer acts as the mechanism that wields spiritual weapons, tearing down strongholds and exposing demonic deceptions.
4. It Shifts Spiritual Atmospheres and Breaks Chains
Prayer changes the spiritual reality of physical environments, breaking the influence of evil over people and places.
• Breaking Bondage: In Acts 16, while Paul and Silas are chained in a dark prison, they choose to pray and sing hymns. The spiritual breakthrough results in a literal earthquake, opening the prison doors and unfastening everyone’s chains.
• Casting Out Entrenched Evil: In Mark 9:29, when the disciples fail to cast a particularly stubborn spirit out of a boy, Jesus tells them, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Certain spiritual strongholds require deep, dedicated communication with God to be broken.
5. It Builds a Hedge of Protection
Prayer asks God to establish a spiritual barrier around individuals, families, and communities. In the book of Job, Satan complains to God that he cannot touch Job because God has placed a “hedge around him and his household and everything he has” (Job 1:10). Believers use prayer to petition God for this same angelic, protective boundary against spiritual attacks.
So when we pray…pray KNOWING YOU have POWER through Jesus Christ in just your joining with him!! It really changes your mindset and prayer life!!
Sharing the songs again “Surrounded- Fight My Battles- Michael W. Smith
Battle Belongs- Phil Whickham
“So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You”
This is a beautiful explanation from Google on the power of prayer. Good post… BUT I’d like to add (if I may) under section 1, bullet 1… after “In Jesus name” they are appealing to His legal authority of everything, including demonic forces”… I’d like to add another reason we close “In Jesus Name…” (John 14:6) “I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through me.” So, we close our prayers “In Jesus name” because Jesus is the exclusive mediator between God & humanity, and he has made that very clear throughout his messages. <3
YES! Amen!
Too tirwd to read all of this tonight, Rhonda, but will try to do so tomorrow. Thanks for the references! ❤
I love the dichotomy in today’s readings. Being seen as a beloved treasured child of god. That intimacy and knowledge and closeness. Juxtaposed against this enormous Cosmic overwhelming battle in the heavens for the souls of all God’s people. God can be so big and yet God can also be so tender and near little old me.
Yes, that is SO Amazing!! Lord, help us to RECEIVE this! We are SO dearly LOVED by you, treasured! And by Jesus Christ EMPOWERED BY YOU!
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
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Every time we leave our house, we are entering the battlefield. Only our war is not with people, it is a spiritual war and it rages. The only way to win this war is with the armor of God. Being a prayer warrior and a student of the Word equips us for the daily battle. The weapons we have available to us (and we have to choose to use them) have divine power and are able to demolish strongholds.
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May each of us today, we who are treasured by God, put on our armor and be prepared for battle. The battle rages on and will continue until we go to be with the Father.
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The song that comes to mind this morning – Your Love Defends Me by Matt Maher, especially this verse…
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Day after day, night after night
I will remember, You’re with me in this fight
Although the battle, it rages on
The war is already won
I know the war is already won
Surely my God is the strength of my soul
Your love defends me
Your love defends me
And when I feel like I’m all alone
Your love defends me
Your love defends me
We sing, “Hallelujah”
You’re my portion
My salvation
Hallelujah
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May we never forget – the war has already been won!
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Happy Wednesday She’s! ❤️
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❤ well said, Sharon!
Amen!!
What a beautiful reminder that God is always working even when we can’t see it. His angels are constantly waging war against evil! Thank you Jesus!!
“Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!” (Daniel 10:19).
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“All who are believers are greatly loved. We can be strong and of good courage because God fights for us.“
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Thanks be to God!
This is good Kelly. Thanks Be To God
Amen!!
God is with us always, wherever we go. Hallelujah!
Isaiah 40:28-31 came to mind this morning:
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Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
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INDIANA ELAINE ❤️ seat warmer! Same here :)
RHONDA J ❤️ praying for Brayden and his situation
B ❤️
MERCY ❤️❤️❤️ praying for your recovery!
CEE GEE ❤️
FOSTER MAMA ❤️
A favorite passage of scripture.❤️
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Amen!
Sometimes in my life, it’s easy for me to pray as a routine. I loved this passage and especially Daniel 10:5, when he described the grandeur of the heavenly being. It reminded me, when I pray, it’s not about routine and checking a box! Prayer is real, it’s warfare on my behalf. So it gave me encouragement, especially when I pray for my adult children. God is fighting for them. Keep on praying.
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I love this!
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Amen!
For me the tension between God’s already won the war and why as His servants we need to be strong and courageous is palpable here. God tells both Daniel and Joshua to be strong and courageous. Both had jobs to do in the grand scheme of God’s plan…
Sometimes it feels like walking according to God’s word and being obedient calls for great strength and courage – especially in today’s culture.
May He continue to be our great Shield and Defender as we seek to glorify Him wherever we find ourselves each day!
Amen!!
The title alone made my heart miss a beat!
Reading the text had that same heart do cartwheels, a most wonderful feeling indeed!
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I was reminded immediately of the time I saw an angel or to put it as it really happened, I had an angel visit me..
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Some years ago, a Sunday before Julees birthday was PentecostSunday, and for as long as she has been with the Lord, there is a sadness that overwhelms me as her birthday or date ‘called home’ approaches. This particular Sunday was no different, infact, to the point I couldn’t bring myself to attend church in the morning! I made myself go to the evening service, though I didn’t want to be there!
As I arrived, the pastor was asking parishioners to put their hands out in expectation, as the people in the upper room had done, all those years ago. Reluctantly, I put my hands out, closed my eyes and before me was the most beautiful sight, looking deeply at me..
No words of “do not be afraid” or anything like that.. but boy did my heart stop for a second..
I suddenly got scared, so I opened my eyes, then, in a split second, I realised what I had seen, and quickly closed them again, only to see the vision fading away.
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BUT GOD..
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I need to tell the full story..
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I sat down, confused.. what just happened kept playing in my head. I left mid service, I didn’t know what to do.
I visited my son, really, the little people as I always believe a hug from them heals much!
Whilst there, my son, Mike, told me my daughters friend’s had two nights before gone to a seance and it seems she ‘came’ through! I told Mike to tell me the next day, i couldn’t cope, I left there so quickly, and as I got into my car, I began saying the Lords prayer because I am now even more overwhelmed.
All the way home I repeated the Lords prayer not letting what i had heard from Mike take root in my mind.
I put myself to bed when I got home, fully dressed, hid under my covers still repeating the Lords prayer.
A peace-filled sleep, and I’m awake next morning. You can guess what my waking thought was, Julee and her ‘coming through’ at the seance. I was trying to hold on to God and His promises, to not want to go and find someone who would give me the opportunity to hear, her voice one more time.. that was hard for me as I was still in the early days of grief..
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BUT GOD..
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He was truly with me that day.
Before I got to work, I met separately 2 people who knew about the seance, and “..wasn’t it wonderful Julee came through”
“..I’ll come with you if you want to try it..”
So you can image how i felt by the time I got to work!
My colleague asked how I was, I told her fine., well I wasn’t, so a few minutes later, I blurted everything out to her, going to my sons and hearing about the seance, on repeat basically. She gathered me and said we were going to see another colleague who dealt with the occult. (don’t know if you know but I worked at a church before I retired)
She asked me to tell her my troubles, I repeated all I’d told my colleague, her response “..firstly we should pray all those confusing feelings off you..then pray God’s peace replace those thoughts of wanting to go that root, that lie.. then we’re going to pray God sends an angel to keep you safe…”
The penny dropped.
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The penny dropped.
I shouted out, “..He already has, he arrived last night..”
This angel had blessed me with peace-filled sleep, had protected my mind each time I heard of ‘Julees coming through’, had kept me safe, had seen me through to the realisation that I had a heavenly being watching over me .. tears roll freely as I recall this gift..
I was then and still am, treasured by God!
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Father God, thank you for the reminder that you have us covered even when we do not see or feel it, oh, but the realisation, Father God that you truly never leave us nor forsake us, is life changing, Thank you, Lord for loving and protecting me daily, Thank you Father God, Thank you from a very very grateful heart, in Jesus’s name,
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AMEN.
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Sharing my joy of this wonder-filled reminder that we are truly and without a doubt treasured by God..
He loves us Oh how he does..
Happy Wednesday people..
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Much love, always,
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Tina ❤️
What a beautiful gift! Thank you for sharing this precious story, Tina. ❤️
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Wow❣️
What an amazing experience in God showing you how treasured you are to Him.
wow tears rolling. it was as if the moment you started praying your answer went out before you even got to what you needed.❤️
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Thank you for sharing this! This temptation is all too prevalent in our society and is such a slippery slope! Hearing how you remained steadfast in your faith despite your temptation in the most venerable of ways and how the Lord provided support is such a testament to his great Love for us, and how he is always near even in our darkness saddest moments.
I am proud of you for going to The One True Source! Praise be to God that you experienced this peace.
Thank you for sharing this Tina. God is amazing!
That is indeed amazing. The pull to “see” or “hear” from our loved ones has become one of those things that even Christians will say “but did he really say…”
What is the harm? They are giving people a gift, how could it be evil?
BUT–The Word says do not go to palm readers, mediums, or psychics.
As I went to look up “the verse” it showed me 4 different areas in scripture concerning the warning.” In the Old Testament, mediums are often described as working with “familiar spirits” (or spirit guides). Rather than connecting with the actual souls of the deceased, theology teaches that these are deceptive spirits masquerading as loved ones or divine messengers to mislead people.” (Google)
I love that you, first -fled!! Run from sin! Prayed! Take every thought captive!! (in todays reading even!) Sought people of the Lord, brothers and sisters in Christ to give us discernment and wisdom!!
And I love that the Lord showed you himself later on what you really wanted, to know Julee was at peace in that vision of her in the flower filled field and happy!!
Trust in the Lord your God..
Oh my Tina! What a powreful testimony❤️
Thanking God from protecting you from the lie of the enemy! God is faithful.
Thank you for sharing this story!
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God knew you needed to see the angel before the forces of evil tried to draw you in. God is so good! Thank you for sharing this story. ❤️
Tina, I don’t usually quote from the AMP version, but I love this translation/paraphrase of
2 Corinthians 12:9-
but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.
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Thank you for sharing! ❤❤❤