Devotions For The DAILY GRIND

31/10/2024

SAMSON & DELILAH: A NARCISSIST'S PLAYBOOK

How Delilah set up the Downfall of Samson: by using this method ....

Let's start by being honest, Samson bears some responsibility for his own downfall...

But she used a method women have used since her time ... to entrap... to manipulate and to use...

A classic Narcisist ... but how can we surmise this?... the one overruling personality trait is her lack of empathy... do you honestly think that she didn't know that the Phillistines planned to kill him?... she absolutely did v5 ... but she had no empathy...the second thing is that she only focused on what she wanted that considerable fortune at minimum 25 years wages... or 2200 pcs of silver in the least v5 "we will each give you 1100 pcs of silver..."

Narcissists care only for what they want... your wants... desires... dreams... do not matter to them...if Samson had loved another woman... her method would not have changed... its all about me ..my desires ...my feelings... my needs... is a narcissist's mantra ...

The method is simple ...proximity ... familiarity... and emotional attachment to take advantage which they use for their own purposes... in this case all that silver... but never forget narcissists love having power over ppl and getting their own way ... and for Delilah it was both

Samson's responsibility is ...that he allowed this... he allowed himself to fall for her... allowed her proximity and familiarity and allowed himself to be emotionally attached to someone God clearly would not want him to be... and disobeyed God by pursuing a foreign woman... who clearly was up to no good....

Samson was arrogant of his strength ... and simply trusted in it.... instead of obeying God and his calling from God... that came a distant second to this woman...

Again...

Her method:

1) proximity
2) familarity
3) emotional attachment... so much so that her final act to bring him down was emotional manipulation... a crying fit of "You don't love me"... a guilt trip... which caused him to reveal his secret...

In the beginning of the chapter we see him sleeping with a harlots... so there is no doubt that s*x was part of the relationship with Samson and Delilah... part of the famiarity and proximity of his downfall

I personally witnessed this kind of seduction while in university ... 2 professors getting seduced for ... marks on one girl's part ... the other was for admission to grad school...

Men study this method with a heart of wisdom... its still happening...

I've seen it...

A don't be foolish enough to believe it can't happen to you...

The problem isn't looking ... it's when you keep looking... and allow a toe in the door... and to allow her to get close ...and are flattered by her attention... you will be blinded to your own downfall...

Delilah"s Method ... still works and is being used...

See Judges 16

Judges 16:4-5 NASB1995
[4] After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. [5] The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver...

27/10/2024

This is true... women ...we need discipling conferences ...5 days of intensive Biblical study where concentrate on knowing and applying God's Holy Word... not feminist empowerment... soul care... or crafting ministries... Jesus is the main thing...

And the main thing is the main thing...

Bc there is not time in life to do everything... we must stick with the Great Commandment and the Great Commission...period...

Combat Theology on Biblical Womanhood

08/08/2024

From the Devotional..."why I stopped praying for money"Cultivating Trust in God's Best Provision

Here’s the thing. Trying to control how and when God provides breeds anxiety rather than peace.

But when we relinquish outcomes to His perfect timing, comfort replaces striving:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

As we yield details to God, peace washes over chaotic thoughts. We make space for divine surprises perfectly tailored to our needs. We allow the Master Artisan to employ His tools - not limiting Him by our requests for one.

Modern-day miracles still happen if only we have eyes to see.

A woman tensely requests funds for a medical procedure, not realizing God has already prompted donations from her church.

A desperate single mom asks for grocery money, not knowing gift cards are in the mail from an old friend. God delights in showing Himself faithful in unexpected ways.

The Bible assures if we entrust our needs to God before worrying, His peace will transcend understanding. The more we cultivate trust, the more we make room for even bigger miracles:

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Does our trust remain stunted, limiting potential miracles?

Or do we loosen our grip, allowing shooting vines and mustard branches to accommodate greater wonders?

The choice is ours. God stands ready to break through earthly paradigms...if only we would believe.

Let's pray:

Father, I aim to trust You fully, but sometimes, my faith needs nurturing. Help me to stop focusing only on money to solve my problems. Forgive me for forgetting Your unlimited power. Remind me that You can work miracles, like multiplying oil jars or raining manna from heaven. You're the God who parted the Red Sea; there's no limit to Your provisions.

I want to pray with the simplicity of a child, open to Your answers. Lord, help me understand the many ways You bless us. Allow me to accept what You think is best for my growth, not insisting on my narrow perspective.

Strengthen my faith from a flickering spark to a roaring fire. Teach my worried heart to find peace, security, and happiness in You alone. As I prioritize Your kingdom, help align my thoughts and wishes with Yours. In quiet surrender, I leave space for Your wonderful surprises. I wait hopefully for miracles to appear from unexpected places.

I want to fully trust You as my Provider, not just as a source of money. If I start doubting, remind me of Your endless resources. Help me remember the miracles that have already happened to reassure me of future blessings. You know what I need before I even ask. Help me to trust in you fully!

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

30/07/2024

REFLECT from What Matters Most on bible.com

This is the daily devotion I drew my previous post from...

May 15, 2009, sirens screamed throughout two small Virginia towns. Firemen desperately tried to issue tornado warnings as two funnel clouds were spotted in the area. Years upon years had passed since a tornado had been seen anywhere near the area. People were very confused and instead of staying away from their windows or entering shelters, they peered out their windows, trying to understand the reason for such havoc and noise. Ultimately, no fatalities occurred, and the confusion was set straight. The brave firemen had performed their duty: creating an alarm. What was missing? An awareness of how to respond to such an alarm.

At the beginning of chapter 4, Paul sounds an alarm to Timothy. “There will be terrible times in the last days.” He then describes how people will behave, or should we say, misbehave, as the end of time marches closer. Paul wanted Timothy to be prepared for difficult circumstances, situations, and mostly, people.

Tomorrow, we’ll read Paul’s conclusion on responding and reacting to people in the last days, but for today, let’s remember to be aware of our responses to “the alarm.” When God’s Word is taught and preached, we must respond properly not just to hear it but also to act on it.

PRAY

Jesus, may your love ring an alarm in our hearts and create an awareness to respond by loving you and loving others. Make us cognizant of the times we live in and urgent to move for your kingdom’s sake. Amen.

CHAT

What feelings does Paul’s first statement in verse 1 evoke in your mind right now? How could you choose to avoid the presence of evil?

Read God’s Word at anytime, anywhere using the YouVersion Bible App. Share Scripture with friends, highlight passages, and create a daily habit with Bible Plans.

30/07/2024

This was part of my daily devotions today... it struck me how important it is to know how to respond to what is happening today... all the fake news... climate alarmism... and virtue signaling going on...

It's all about knowing how to respond...

Notice that the NLT says about telling us it is wrong to eat certain foods...

Think about all the hype about plant based foods... which if you do the research ... beef especially and its fat... beef tallow ...are 2 of the very best things for you... yet it's being demonized... well here"s an alarming fact...

Heart disease cancer and obesity has skyrocketed since we were told seed oils are 'better for you' bc they are "unsaturated" fat unlike beef fat which is "bad" for you bc its "saturated"and has "cholesterol" ... yet God gave us these things for food...including certain animals...

So if you wanna know the truth ...follow the money... seed oils especially canola ...soy ... and corn.. are GMO... which emit toxic gases in your gut..... are highly processed and inflammatory... but they make food companies billions... they put them in everything...

Inflammation is the root of chronic disease... therefore your doctor puts u on pills that have side effects so you take another pills to counteract the side effect ...then another for that side effects..(my husband was on 55 pills a day before he passed away a lot were for just that reason... to counteract side effects)... where does the money end up??? ...

In big pharmacy's pocket... btw they also make the pesticides and fertilizers that are put on the seed oil crops... Bayer-Monsanto... always always tops the list of the 10 most evil corporations yearly... Roundup... or glyphospate that is used on our crops... is banned in the EU for causing cancer and multiple organ failure...

Btw cows do not pass much gas ...they burp bc they are rumminaters... so creating hundreds of millions of tons of methane gas is ridiculous... just like carbon dioxide being a problem... nonsense... like our carbon tax.... where does that money go?

Bottom line... the alarm is sounding... evil times are here... how will you respond?

Like this?

Matthew 10:16 NLT
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless doves..."

Gentle and wise..

Blessings
J💖Y

09/06/2024

Neuroscience now is able to prove that only 1 percent of our thoughts are conscious thoughts..

The other 99% is a series short thoughts like subliminal messaging that we aren't even aware of... sounds like the devil's playground to me... meanwhile we can't even ever be sure what our own thoughts are about..

‭Jeremiah 17:9 NASB1995‬
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

To those who don't understand subliminal messaging ... during the 60s and 70s there were single frame shots of popcorn ... hotdogs... and pops at movies and drive on theaters... the next intermission ...there would be a run on exactly those foods... at the concessions... it went further... s*xual images in the ice of glasses of liquor being advertised in magazines... needless to say it was all quite manipulative!

So what does the Bible say about how we can control our minds...and guard against this kind of manipulation or how not to fall into temptation???...

Well... the meme below gives a pretty good indication... don't let the door open!!! ... to temptation... ever...

Here are several verses to consider about the mechanics of avoiding sin and temptation...

‭2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB1995‬
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...

Taking every thought captive is one way..
Examining it and seeing if it is what lines up with other instructions given in same source...aka the Bible..

‭Proverbs 4:23 NASB1995‬
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life..

In this case diligence means...
1) constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.
2) Law.
the degree of care and caution required by the circumstances of a person.
3) Obsolete.
care; caution.

So you can see if we are putting in the effort and work required to take every thought captive and the constant ...persistent exertion to watch over our hearts... temptation and it's friends... the lust of the eyes.... the lust of the flesh... and the boastful pride of of life... which may I add from Eve's experience is wanting to believe something that is clearly wrong ... like being like God... the boastful pride of life is always a self-deception...

Below are 2 excellent articles... both well worth reading...

FYIZ
Blessings
J💖Y

https://www.impactus.org/articles/how-to-guard-your-heart-from-s*xual-sin/ #:~:text=Proverbs%204%3A23%20says%20we,in%20positive%20or%20negative%20ways.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140730142814-138545228-7-ways-to-guard-your-heart

31/05/2024

This is an excellent 3 day devotional on bible.com...

DAY 3

The most effective and powerful antidote for anxiety is thanksgiving and praise. When we feel it coming on or even begin to think about the possibility of it coming on we want to nip it in the bud. We want to
immediately stop and "BOW." Here are three things to help us find the calm when we are encountering the overwhelming waves of anxiety.

BOW as an acronym =

BOW before Him. Bring all of your cares to Him! Lay them at His feet, Humble yourself before Him. Honor Him as God. He knows all. He can handle it all. Bring Him your
heartache, your children, your spouse, your finances, your day, your future, your life - all of your concerns. He knows what is best and He works all things according to His wise and loving will. Cast all of your cares upon Him believing that He cares for you. He is able. You are not. He is God. You are not!

OFFLOAD your angst. Humbly hold each thought up to the Word of God. Take your worry, your anxiety, your fear, your unbelief, your anger - all of the sin that is weighing down your little water craft - and confess them to the Lord. Throw each and every one overboard, and let them fall to the bottom of the sea of His grace

WORSHIP the Lord. Fix your eyes upon Him. Take your eyes off of yourself and off of your circumstances and set them securely upon your Lord. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise Thank Him from the bottom of your heart following the example of the psalmists. Humbly acknowledge that you can't see all things, but He can. Worship Him in the spirit of holiness, praising and thanking God because He knows what is best. He is all powerful. He is in control. He knows what He is doing. No one can stay His hand. And He has you in the palm of that mighty hand.

Take a moment to practice taking these truths to heart. Turn to Psalm 96 in your Bible and bow before God, If you are not able to bow literally, humbly bow before Him in your heart. He is God. He loves you with a love that knows no bounds. He is good, and He is working on your behalf even as you pray. BOW before Him now...

25/05/2024

Do you often wonder what verse is at the very centre of the Bible?...

Did you wonder if it has something important to say ? ...like... perhaps does it somehow summarize everything the Bible teaches us?...

Or if it is an important reminder?... A warning?... or an important instruction on how to walk thru this world?

It is all of those things!!... isn't that just like our God??

So what is this verse...???
The verse that is at the very centre of God's Word to us...

It is Ps. 118:8

‭Psalms 118:8 NASB1995‬
[8] It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in man.

https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.118.8.NASB1995
A warning ...
An instruction... yet also...
The central theme of the Bible...

Blessings
J💖Y

It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.

13/05/2024

Joy Colclough Devotions for the Daily Grind

January 27, 2018

Joy Colclough originally shared this with End Times Prophecy (Discussion):

We often forget to look back and see how far God has brought us...

This world definitely attempts to force us into a mold... And will only grow worse as persecution for our faith grows...

When I look back at who I once was.... And the direction I was heading... I marvel at God's hand of mercy...

But never forget we can be saved,... as fire insurance... and not experience much in the way of spiritual growth. Yes, our personal trials do bring about change through the refiner's fire... But it is the renewing of our minds... By the washing of the water of the Word that really has the deepest impact.

We are told this in Ephesians 5:26 that sanctification takes place by the washing of the water of the Word.

So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of the water of the Word.....

SANCTIFY... Meaning... holy, set apart, free from sin, purified to make conducive to or productive for spiritual blessing.

There is an old computer acronym that says GIGO... garbage in equals garbage out... This is very much true of our spiritual lives... If we feed our minds with garbage... It's then what is stored up in our minds and our hearts.... that comes out of our mouths.

Jesus said in Matthew 15:18...that the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and those defile the man..

But if we renew our minds by reading God's Word.. It can actually straighten out our thinking... And bc our thinking is renewed.. Our lives are renewed bc or hearts (and minds) are the wellspring of the soul. (paraphrase Proverbs 4:23). That is... if our hearts and mind are carefully guarded we will be filled with life...

One has to just look around at the cost of unguarded minds.. depression, anxiety, addiction and a sense of worthlessness... that prevails in our society. Bc ppl do not close their hearts, minds, eyes, and ears to the useless thought patterns of this world. Their understanding is actually darkened. (Ephesians. 4:18).

Their minds aren't being renewed and so thought patterns cause decay... Eventually that leads to physical as well as mental decay. There is no end of evidence of the effect of anxiety stress and depression on the body.
..being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God bc of
the ignorance that is in them, bc of the hardness in their hearts. (Ephesians. 4:18 NASB)

We should be spurred on to studying God's Word.... This is our source of renewal.. To make us spiritually and mentally whole..

I know that I am glad that I am not the person I once was... Bc of salvation... PTL... But also bc I took seriously the promise of renewing my mind... I now have something better than momentary happiness... Peace of mind, knowing I am on the path to being who God created me to be.

Thank God for His Word... Both the Bible and the Living Word... His Son...Jesus Christ.

Blessings
J💖Y

09/05/2024

This is good...

In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God - 4 Days of Hope and Encouragement for the Sufferer: Day 2 • Devotional

http://bible.com/r/8j7

05/05/2024

Amen...