Danielle Cress's Blog, page 4

The Jonah Principal

There’s a ship at sea. It’s stormy and it’s going to be destroyed. They’re out of God’s will and there is only one answer: throw Jonah overboard into the raging sea. They could have prayed all they wanted but without doing that act, without repentance, there’s no calming of the storm. When the storm in your life, in your soul, in your heart comes, when you don’t have peace, you can have peace but you have to ask yourself what needs to turn. The answer comes when you do what God is calling you to do. Take that step of repentance. The storm is going to stop when you repent. You’ll only have peace in your heart when you do it. Don’t waste your life beating around a bush – do what you have to do. Make that change – that decision – and get that ungodly thing out of your life. Get the holy thing into your life that God is calling you to do. Just do God’s will. With repentance will come peace and victory through the storm and it all begins when you throw Jonah overboard.From Message #375 – Going OverboardScripture: Acts 26:20TODAY’S MISSION – Throw that sin overboard today and do what God is calling you to do.

Shabbat Shalom! 1-13-2024

Shabbat Shalom, readers!

Hope you all have a blessed and peaceful Shabbat!

Today’s Shabbat Reading:

Leviticus 25:1-38, Jeremiah 32:6-27; 36:6, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Psalm 88, John 10:1-33

Leviticus 25:39-26:2, Isaiah 24:2, Psalm 89, Galatians 4:1-5:1

Shabbat Shalom and Many Blessings to you all!

Chosen Love

Messiah asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” In the tale, “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevia echoes this to his wife after 25 years of an arranged marriage, “Do you love me?” She eventually says, “Yes, I suppose I do.” Marriages back then were not like today. They were arranged by the parents. There was no romance, infatuation, or head-over-heels emotion. They were just told this is the one. For most of human history, those marriages survived more than marriages of modern times because they were based on commitment. When you base love on feeling, love becomes fleeting because feelings come and go. You don’t always feel like loving, you choose to. If you are married, it doesn’t matter whether you feel love or not- you have a commitment, a covenant. Love them because you choose to love. God doesn’t just love you when He feels like it, He made a covenant with you and it’s an arranged marriage. We’re never commanded to ‘feel’ like loving God. We’re commanded to love Him regardless, with our heart, mind, soul and strength. Why? Because that’s just what love is.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #714 – The Bride & Groom Revisited

Scripture: Isaiah 54:5

TODAY’S MISSION – Today, practice voluntary love, conscious chosen love. Make the choice to choose to love those you are to love, especially your loved ones.

The Practice of Weaning

Psalm 131:2 says, “I have quieted my soul as a weaned child.” A weaned child is finished with its mother’s milk and not crying for it anymore. So in order to receive from God, you have to wean your soul. When you first take a child away from its mother’s milk, it cries, but then becomes weaned and at peace. It’s the same way with us and the world; we tend to get attached to it and have to wean ourselves from it. You need to take time away from the noise- radio, internet, business, chores, and even from doing things for the Lord- just to be in His presence, to quiet your soul so you can rest and receive from Him. The more time you spend in God’s presence, the more weaned you’ll be from the temptations of this world- what people think of you, the lusts, the dependencies, the emotional ups and downs– and you’ll be blessed. Turn off the distractions, stop dwelling on issues, and draw near to the presence of the Lord. Be quiet, be at peace, and be blessed- just like a weaned child.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #713 – Secrets of the Quiet

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-2

TODAY’S MISSION – Take time today to practice weaning your soul, your desires, your mind, your heart from distractions and attachments. Spend time in His presence and receive from Him.

The World Beyond the End

Peter stands atop a house by the sea in Joppa praying, surrounded by the wind and smell of the ocean. This is where he has the vision saying that the Gentiles are to be saved too. If you’re not Jewish, then today you’re saved through that vision. God had to bring Peter to Joppa, to the end of Israel, to the shore – the end of everything he knew – so He could bring him something new. So too, God brings us to the end of things to bring us to the beginning of something new. We have to come to the end of ourselves to know the beginning of what God has for us. God’s child has to believe beyond the end. Do you have something ending in your life? Then believe beyond the barrier, beyond the limit, or the hopelessness. When it seems that it’s impossible, then believe beyond the end. Don’t fear coming to the end, because in God, every end is the beginning of something new, something greater, and your life will be like that of Simon Peter. In God, every Joppa leads to the beginning of the world.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #712 – A House by the Sea

Scripture: Isaiah 43:18-19

TODAY’S MISSION – Do you see an ending in your life, a barrier, a finishing? Believe beyond the end and look for the new beginning that God has for you.

The Anointing of Your Tears

A woman weeps at Messiah’s feet and wipes them with her hair. Where did those tears come from? She was a sinner – rejected and condemned by people all around who looked down upon her. She probably looked down upon herself, until all her wounds and pain became the tears coming out at Messiah’s feet, washing and anointing them. He tells her she did well, and her sins, which are many, are forgiven, but He rebukes the Pharisee who didn’t wash His feet. The wounds, rejections, pain, scars, and life of this sinful woman have turned into the anointing of Messiah’s feet. Everyone on this planet has pain and disappointments. Wherever you are, when you give it to Messiah; it changes and all those things become redeemed. Pour out your heart before the presence of God like water and your sins that are scarlet will become white as snow. God can redeem your past. Don’t keep it to yourself – let it touch His feet and anoint Him. Bring it all to Him and let it flow. Because it’s holy to wash the feet of Messiah with the tears of your heart.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #711 – Kissing His Feet

Scripture: Luke 7:37-39

TODAY’S MISSION – Pour out your heart to the Lord today and let your tears anoint His feet.

Letting Go of the Donkey

Imagine: You’re sitting in your house and you hear your car start. Looking outside, you see a bunch of men. They shout to you, “The Lord needs your car!” A similar thing happened two thousand years ago, but with a donkey, not a car. What if you were the owner of the donkey? It’s not just a possession; it’s your very livelihood. What would you do? The owner of the donkey just let it go, because it was for the Lord. You have a donkey in your life, something you consider very important, something you don’t want to let go of, give up or change- but a still small voice in your heart is saying, “Let it go, the Lord needs to take it away, and you need to let it go.” What is your donkey? It’s that thing in your life you have to let go of and give to the Lord. God blessed the donkey’s owner and that donkey was the one the Messiah rode into Jerusalem. Let go, and your life will be blessed in ways you can’t imagine. It all begins when you let the ‘donkey’ go.

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #212 – Messiah’s Jackass

Scripture: Luke 6:30

TODAY’S MISSION – Identify your donkey, that thing in your life you need to let go of, and give it joyfully to the service of the Lord.

The Full Moon Redemption

Hebrew months are lunar, beginning on the new moon. Messiah died on Passover, which is in the middle of the month, meaning that He died during the time of a full moon. The full moon wasn’t a scary thing to the Hebrews, but beautiful. Because it spoke of fullness and fulfillment – just as Messiah is the ultimate fulfillment. He fulfills all emptiness and makes all things full to those who have accepted Him. How did the moon become full at the time of His death? Not by trying to do anything, but simply by reflecting the light of the sun. How do we become full? It’s not by trying to become more than we are, but by reflecting the light of God. Just as the moon was made to reflect the sun, we’re made to reflect His glory. Let the light of God shine from you, touching every part of your life, emotions, secret things, talents, and dreams. As it’s written, “We, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of God, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as from the Lord.”

Sapphire From Jonathan Cahn’s Message #455 – The Nisan Lamb

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

TODAY’S MISSION – Let your light shine for all to see, that you reflect Messiah. Let God use you to the fullness of His glory as He touches your life.

STAND WITH ISRAEL!

Shalom, Readers!

Danielle here! I know it has been a while, but I’m back with an urgent message to ALL CHRISTIANS! I’m sure by now most of you have heard that Israel is at war with Hamas; and today, Friday the thirteenth, was announced as a Global Day of Jihad, the Al-Aqsa Flood. It’s time for Israel’s flood of support to arrive through us Christians!

Christian, as a child of YHVH, you are grafted into the family/nation of Israel. So Hamas is not only at war with Israel as a country, but with us as well! We must defend our nationality through Yahushua(Jesus) and stand and fight the good fight! Now is not the time to stay silent and simply pray for Israel. No, now is the time to put our faith into action! We must fight and take a stand for our Messiah, for our faith, for our nation Israel; laying it all on the line for Yahushua(Jesus) and if we perish, we perish!

Satan is at war and is using Hamas to work out his evil plot. Child of YHVH, Put on the whole armour of Elohim(God), that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of Elohim(God), that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

More than 1,300 people in Israel have been killed. Children, women, men, seniors, have been slaughtered, butchered, and kidnapped by Hamas. They are taking joy in killing the innocent and wreaking havoc on Israel. This is very dark and sinister. We must boldly proclaim that WE STAND WITH ISRAEL and WE WILL DEFEND HER! We need to speak up and stand out for our faith.

Now, more than ever, we must be a bright. shining light in this increasingly dark world, no matter the cost. As children of YHVH, we must die to ourselves, die to the world, and take up the cross and follow Yahushua(Jesus). If you want to be used by Yahushua(Jesus), it takes FULL SURRENDER on our part. We have to die daily. Our mindset needs to be that of Paul, To live is Messiah and to die is gain. That’s living all in for Yahushua(Jesus). There are so many professing Christians out there today who said the “sinner’s prayer” and believe they’re okay with YHVH and on their way to heaven. But unless you’ve laid down your life completely for Messiah, surrendered all to Him, dying completely and fully for Him, then I would be doing a full examination of my walk with Him.

Friend, I strongly urge you to give your all for Messiah and take the stand for Israel!

Many Blessings and Shalom,Danielle

#StandForIsrael #PrayForIsrael #ISRAEL #IsraelAtWar #GlobalDayOfJihad #Al-AqsaFlood #Al-Aqsa #HamasWar #DefendIsrael

Interview with Author Virginia Vaughan!

Howdy and Shalom, Readers! Dani here with an exciting announcement! Today, I have a very special, returning visitor to Truly Inspired Books–Author Virginia Vaughan! It is such a blessing to have her back and with another special interview! So without further ado, let’s get started!

Welcome back to Truly Inspired Books, Virginia! It’s a blessing to have you back for
another special interview! Today, we are featuring Virginia’s newest release, Texas Buried Secrets.

Thank you so much for having me! I’m honored to be here today.

It is my pleasure! Okay, first things first, let me just say I absolutely LOVED Texas Buried Secrets!!! Thank you so much for sending me a copy! Can you share with my readers a little bit about this story? Not too much, for I want them to read it themselves. It is an amazing book!

An uncovered grave reveals a deadly secret…
Publicly vowing to bring a serial killer to justice, Deputy Cecile Richardson solidifies herself as the criminal’s next target. And when a newly discovered victim is identified, it becomes even more personal for Cecile. She will solve this cold case. Can Sheriff Josh Avery keep her safe long enough to identify and catch the culprit—or will the killer successfully hunt down his prey?

Thanks for that! Okay, I’ve gotta say, I absolutely loved Cecile Richardson in the story! Her dedication to her friend and loyalty to Josh; she was a very special character. What inspired you the most about Cecile?

I also love the character of Cecile and here’s the interesting thing about her—I never planned for her to become a main character in this series. I added her in the first book as a kind of big sister for little brother Lawson to look to and somehow she made her way into every book since, making herself invaluable in a professional capacity. It wasn’t until a few books in that I even realized how important she’d become to Josh and the family in a personal sense too. I couldn’t wait to give her her own story.

I’m so very glad you did! Now, Josh Avery was an interesting guy. A sheriff with a tainted past that’s holding him back from a present love; loved the conflict. What inspired you in creating Josh’s backstory?

I listened to a podcast about a man who was accused of murdering his wife and was considered a suspect for years before it was finally proven that someone else had killed her. I knew I wanted to give that kind of back story to one of my characters and I thought having a law enforcement officer have that backstory just added extra conflict. It just felt right to give Josh this backstory and use it to give him a reason to try to keep Cecile and his growing feelings for her, at arm’s length.

That is so cool! You know? The whole story kept me on the edge of my seat! You never fail at bringing a good story, Virginia! Tell me, what challenges do you find the most difficult to overcome when writing a thrilling Christian suspense novel?

Figuring out who the villain is! Like my readers, I sometimes don’t know who the bad guy is until near the end of writing the story.

As an author myself, I can totally relate to that! I know Texas Buried Secrets is a part of your Cowboy Lawmen series. Can you tell us a little more about the series as a whole?

The Cowboy Lawmen series focuses on the Avery family, a group of six siblings born and raised on the Silver Star Ranch in Texas. Law enforcement has always been in the Avery blood and each family member has shares in this legacy through various law enforcement careers such as sheriff, US Marshal, and FBI. No matter how far away each of them go, they all turn back to family and the Silver Star when life gets tough.

Love it! What has been your favorite installment of your Cowboy Lawmen series and why?

If I have to name a favorite, it would be Texas Buried Secrets. Once I realized the growing relationship between Josh and Cecile, I couldn’t wait to write their story. As Cecile became more and more important to the Josh and the family, I was excited to finally see the culmination of their romantic arc. I loved writing this story so much. It was a great ending to this series and to the Avery family who all make an appearance.

I think Texas Buried Secrets was my favorite from the series as well! Before we wrap things up, do you mind sharing a little bit about your titles that are “Coming Soon“—In Too Deep and Kidnapped in Texas?

Absolutely!

In Too Deep is the first book I’ve written for Annie’s Fiction which is a subscription based service. It releases in November and tells the story of nautical archeologist Lana Brooks and navy SEAL Noah Sterling as they search for clues to Lana’s partner’s mysterious disappearance and uncover a deep, dark secret from the bottom of the sea.

KIDNAPPED IN TEXAS Blurb:

A kidnapping case reveals a secret that changes everything…
After witnessing an abduction, FBI agent Luke Harmon vows to return the teenage victim safely to her aunt, his ex, Abby Mitchell. But Abby has a secret—the girl is their daughter. To rescue his child from a human trafficking ring, he’ll partner with the woman who deceived him. But can he forgive the past before Abby becomes the next target…and his family is lost forever?

Kidnapped in Texas is Book 1 in my brand new Cowboy Protectors series with Love Inspired Suspense. This series revolves around four lawmen cousins who find love and danger as they each return to their hometown to claim an inheritance. Kidnapped in Texas releases Jan 24, 2023, and here’s the Amazon link to pre-order Kidnapped in Texas— https://amzn.to/3PXUHym

I know I’ll be on the look out for them! Well, I guess that wraps things up. Thanks again, Virginia! It’s been a blessing having you and I hope to have you visit again!

About virginia vaughan:

Virginia Vaughan is a multi-published author of inspirational romantic suspense. Blessed to come from a large, southern family, her fondest memories include listening to stories recounted by family and friends around the large dinner table. She was a lover of books even from a young age, devouring gothic romance novels and stories of romance, danger, and love. She soon started writing them herself. A former investigator for the State of Mississippi, Virginia utilizes her criminal justice background with her love of writing to transform words into powerful stories of romance and danger.

You can follow Virginia by subscribing to her newsletter at https://bit.ly/3NYqzTl.

If you haven’t got a copy yet, I highly encourage you to get a copy of Texas Buried Secrets today!

CLICK THE BOOK COVER TO ORDER!

OR CLICK HERE —> https://amzn.to/3uuB359

Until next time, Readers, Shalom and Many Blessings,

Dani