Danielle Cress's Blog, page 2

The Middle-Aged god

In Greek Mythology, Zeus was married to the goddess Hera, and their marriage needed a lot of help. He continually cheated on her, even taking on animal forms to do it. According to the mythology, he became a swan, a bull, and a cuckoo bird. He had issues. The marriage had issues. In reality, Zeus was a projection of Greek men. He was a myth created in the image of a lot of frustrated middle aged Greek men with marriage issues and looking at younger women. Zeus was a god in the image of man. Even in the Lord, believers often make God into their own image, molding the Word of God to their wants and desires, diluting the Word of God into their own image. But our faith is not pagan. You cannot mold or dilute the Word of God to fit your life. As a child of God, you must mold yourself to fit the Word; and the Word will mold you into the image of God. Find the Word today and let it mold your life into His image. Because anything else… is pagan.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #739 – Zeus On Moriah

Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:17-19

TODAY’S MISSION – What parts of God’s word have you not followed or submitted to? Today bend your life to conform to the Word of God.

Shabbat Shalom! 02-03-2024 – Yitro

Shabbat Shalom, readers! Hope y’all have a beautifully blessed Sabbath filled with joy, happiness, and Shalom!

To Every Wilderness

Are you going through a wilderness period in your life? The Hebrews went through the wilderness to get to the promised land. We think of the wilderness as just a place, when actually it’s a journey. It’s what leads to the promised land, the land of milk and honey and blessings. Stop looking at it as simply a thing that you’re in, it’s a path that’s leading you somewhere else. For every wilderness in God, there’s a promised land at the end. Every hard time has a blessing at the end. For every problem, there’s milk and honey at the other side. At the end of every trial, is a promise. You must pass through the wilderness to get the inheritance, the land of blessing. Every sorrow, obstacle, challenge, hindrance, hardship in God, leads to the land of promise. So are you in the wilderness? Praise God, and rejoice! You can rejoice when you realize it means you’re going through it. Go with faith and confidence and joy that it’s going to lead you to the fulfillment of your calling. For every wilderness in God, there’s a promised land.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #474 – The Midbar

Scripture: Deuteronomy 2:7

TODAY’S MISSION – Think back on the wildernesses you’ve gone through in life – and the blessings, the promised lands God led you to, through them. Take encouragement in that for the present.

Caterpillar Lipstick

Imagine a caterpillar that spends its life trying to be the prettiest most popular caterpillar around, or trying to be the most successful by gaining money and caterpillar riches? The point of the caterpillar’s existence isn’t to become beautiful, popular or successful as a caterpillar. It’s to die as a caterpillar and be born as a butterfly. So with us. You’re not on this planet to look the prettiest, become the most popular, successful or wealthy. This whole life is a caterpillar life. You’re here to exchange it for a butterfly’s life; to die to the old life, so that you can live the greater life. That means letting go of this caterpillar life, dying to self, the flesh, to ego, dying to the caterpillar life, giving instead of taking, letting go, decreasing. Don’t lose sight of why you’re here. This is what it’s all about. Don’t get caught up in caterpillar stuff. Look beyond, press beyond, let go of that caterpillar life. Enter the realm of the butterfly so that you can become that beautiful, heavenly creature that God calls you to become in Messiah.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #608 – The Butterfly’s Child

Scripture: Colossians 3:2

TODAY’S MISSION – Ask the Lord to show you an area of your life that you need to die to. Let Him transform you.

The Little Red Riding Hood Deception

One of the first stories I ever learned was Little Red Riding Hood. She encounters a wolf posing as her grandmother. After a short talk with the wolf, she begins to suspect something’s amiss. She calls in some hunters and they kill the wolf. There’s a biblical principle in this story. Messiah Yeshua, Jesus spoke of wolves, He spoke of the enemy as wolves. He spoke of wolves in sheep’s clothing. The principle here is, evil never comes as evil. It always disguises itself as good. No temptation comes to you in its actual form. It doesn’t show you all the ugliness that it’s going to do with the big teeth it has. It comes to you as a grandmother with a bonnet on. It seems harmless and good, but remember, whenever you’re being tempted, behind that bonnet there’s a wolf wanting to devour your walk, your family, and everything in your life. Don’t give it any room, don’t approach it, don’t engage it, just get out of the room. Call the hunters and be done with it. When temptation comes, resist and don’t engage in conversation with the enemy today. Call on the name of the Lord.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #617 – Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

Scripture: James 4:7

TODAY’S MISSION – When temptation comes, resist and don’t engage in conversation with the enemy today. Call on the name of the Lord.

Two Women, a Pastor, and a Gun

In Red China, a pastor and two Christian girls were sentenced to death. They promised the pastor his freedom if he would shoot the girls. The girls waited in the prison yard, only to discover that their executioner was their pastor. He explained the situation. They said, “Before you shoot us, we wish to thank you for what you’ve meant to us. You taught us the way of eternal life. May God bless you for all the good you’ve done to us. You also taught us that Christians are sometimes weak and commit terrible sins, but they can be forgiven. When you regret what you’ve done, don’t despair like Judas, but repent like Peter and God be with you. Remember that our last thought was not one of anger against your failure. Everyone passes through hours of darkness. We die with gratitude.” The pastor shot them and was then shot by the Communists. A powerful and deep lesson from the kingdom. Whatever betrayal, hurt, disappointment, or injustice people have done against you isn’t anything in comparison. In this case, learn not from the pastor, but from his congregants.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #440 – The Sunrise Commandment

Scripture: Mark 11:25

TODAY’S MISSION – In your prayer time today, release all those who have wronged you in any way and choose to forgive them.

Vegetables and Potato Chips

When your parents wanted you to do something unpleasant, they said it’s good for you – going to bed early, doing homework, eating vegetables. Other things in life felt good, like milkshakes, cheesecake, or potato chips, but they weren’t good for you. Often, things that feel good aren’t good for you and things that are good for you don’t feel good. It’s the same way in the spiritual realm. Sin may feel good, but it’s not. Then, there are things that don’t feel good like going through trials, dying to self, or taking up your cross, but they’re good for you. We have to choose to turn down what seems or feels good and choose what may not feel good, but is. But scripture also tells us to rejoice in the Lord. It’s good for you and it feels good, too. That’s why it says the joy of the Lord is your strength and rejoice in the Lord always. Start rejoicing in the Lord, in all of His blessings and you’ll love it and be blessed for it. So get into and rejoice in His good joy. It’s good and it’s good for you.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #626 – Good And Good For You

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22

TODAY’S MISSION – Turn down that which feels good but isn’t – and embrace that which is good and right – regardless of how it feels.

Coming Soon…

I currently have twenty plus novels in the making, one of which is being edited/revised for submission. Twelve are for my first series, Faith in the Valley, a series based in a small valley town in East Tennessee by the name of Cascade Valley. The series is about a large family with twelve grown children. Each installment tells about a different Sawyer sibling.

My debut novel of this series is still untitled at the moment; but I hope to change that soon. So, please stay tuned for more updates! Here’s what I can tell you about this novel, it’s a story of faith, second chances, suspense, romance, and mystery.

Check my site next week for more updates!

Until next time, Many Blessings,

Danielle

Shabbat Shalom! Torah Reading – 01-27-2024

Shabbat Shalom, everyone! Here is today’s Torah portion. May Yahovah bless you and keep you!

Shabbat Shalom and Many Blessings to you all!

Lessons From The Lemon Tree

If you put a lemon tree on a hill, in a valley, city, countryside, or next to an apple tree, it still produces lemons. It’s our nature to focus on our circumstances, personal life, work life, or financial life, but Messiah doesn’t focus on those things. Your circumstance has little to do with the walk God called you to. Salvation is unconditional. Messiah won’t ask you about your circumstances on the Day of Judgment. He came that you might bear fruit. If you abide in Him, you’ll bear fruit, and that’s God’s will for your life. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the mountain or in the valley, if people love you or hate you. You bear fruit not because of what’s around you, but because of what’s inside of you. This world, with all its circumstances – good and bad – can’t stop you from bearing fruit. Learn from the lemon tree: bear your fruit no matter what, because He loves you. His love is unconditional, so your fruit should be unconditional. Fruit doesn’t come because of circumstance, it comes because of the tree.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #639 – Bananas, Pineapples, & Nuts

Scripture: Matthew 3:8

TODAY’S MISSION – Today, practice bearing the fruit of the Spirit in every place, time, situation, and circumstance unconditionally.