LAURA J. DAVIS
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • Bible Studies
  • Books
    • Unlocking the Truth of Daniel
    • He Who Has An Ear
    • Learning From the Master
    • Come to Me
    • Anthologies
  • My Testimony
  • Book Store
  • Free Stuff
  • Interviews & Reviews

Unlocking the Truth 
of God's Word
​

Did Christians Get This One Wrong?

5/30/2018

4 Comments

 
Picture
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1-7, NKJV)

Read More
4 Comments

A Lesson from the Prophet Jeremiah

2/21/2017

5 Comments

 
Picture

Read Jeremiah 20:1-18
​

Jeremiah has been through a lot. He has been obedient to God. He has done everything he was told to do and say. Now, he is paying the price for it. But something happens. Depression grabs hold of Jeremiah and he regrets the day he was even born. ​If you are in ministry or are a Christian who has ever been depressed, this chapter of Jeremiah will likely speak volumes to you and hopefully bring you great comfort. 

In this chapter we meet Pashhur, a priest, who 
was also chief governor in the house of the Lord (the Temple in Jerusalem). He decided he didn't like all the things Jeremiah was hearing from God, so he struck Jeremiah and placed him in the stocks overnight. This was quite possibly the worst decision Pashhur ever made in his life.

Jeremiah was born a priest, but consecrated by God before his birth to be His prophet (Jeremiah 1:5). He was known as the son of Hilkiah, not only to distinguish him from others of the same name, but to prove that he was of priestly origin. He came from the priestly town of Anathoth, a name meaning, “answered prayers.” So to have Pashhur, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, commit such an act against him, was unheard of, because Jeremiah’s heritage itself designated him as one set aside for God. In other words, he had a holy calling. For Pashhur to attack one of God's prophets so publically not only showed his pride in his position, but his total disrespect for God. As far as he was concerned, Jeremiah wasn’t “towing the line” so to speak, and he deserved to be publically humiliated. Instead, Jeremiah while in the stocks, received yet another word from the Lord. This time for Pashhur, "You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies" (Jeremiah 20:6). Jeremiah was called by God to speak for Him and was punished for it by those who “thought” they represented God. Little did they know how far away from God they really were.

God defends Jeremiah for Pashhur’s mistreatment of him. Yet, Jeremiah doesn’t see it that way and falls into a great depression. He accuses God of deceiving him or “persuading” him to pronounce judgments upon Judah which has resulted in him being persecuted. He says in Jeremiah 20:7 that “everyone mocks him.” Like those who suffer from depression, Jeremiah goes from praising God to cursing the day he was born. He has been humiliated by suffering the shame of spending a night in the stocks in a very visible place for all to see (Jeremiah 20:2). He has spent the night mourning his choices in life (something Pashhur was hoping he would do) and yet even though he was persecuted in this way, and even though he thought it would be better if he’d never been born, he still praised God in the midst of it.

This chapter is perfect for pastors, missionaries, or any Christian proclaiming the Word of God today, who are becoming discouraged or facing outright persecution because of it. It shows, very clearly, that the truths Jeremiah had to proclaim were not welcome in a society that believed itself to be in the “right”. In today’s politically correct world we can take courage from this chapter to be faithful to God when He calls us to speak, no matter what the consequences might be.

We live in a volatile society where just stating your opinion (let alone speaking God’s word) can get you in trouble. Christians, for the second year in a row, were the most persecuted faith group on the planet and we know this is going to get worse. Today, spend some time thanking God, as Jeremiah did in the midst of his depression, and take comfort in the fact that God is on your side.
5 Comments

Are You Allowing God to Shape You?

10/20/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

Read Jeremiah 18:1-11

Many times when we see the verse above we are drawn to the beauty of knowing that God is shaping us into the people He wants us to be. Philippians 1:6 affirms that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
This is something that gives me great comfort, because despite all my flaws and my sins, my Heavenly Father has committed to making me into the person He knows I can be. He has designed each of us with a purpose in mind. In the picture above, the potter is designing a vessel that has a purpose. Whether it is to be a decoration or a jug to hold flowers and water, only the potter knows. When it is complete, the potter will make the necessary finishes that will decide how it is to be used.

We are much the same way. Our heavenly Father knows our purpose and He knows when we will be completed for that purpose. He also, like the potter, realizes when something needs to be fixed. We are either not learning, growing in our relationship with Him, obeying Him, or simply not hearing Him, and like the potter, He has to take drastic measures with us and start over again. Sometimes, the moulding and shaping is for our benefit. He sees the end result. He knows our future and we have to trust that whatever happens in our lives is ultimately according to His purposes.

This is what happened to Jeremiah's people. They had forgotten their purpose, that they were chosen by God to be an example to the nations of how a holy people are supposed to live. But instead, they exchanged God for the false idols of the nations that surrounded them and they forgot about God and fell into sin.

The following verses show us that God doesn't just deal with individuals but He deals with nations the same way.

"Oh, house of Israel can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. Look, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it."

Jeremiah 18:6-8, NKJV

Notice that while these verses are concerning Israel and their coming judgment (they would go into captivity in Babylon for seventy years), God also addresses any nation or kingdom. The Bible tells us that it is God alone who puts people in positions of power (Romans 13:1-2; Daniel 2:21) and as the verse above suggests, because He is the potter, if a nation does not repent of its evil He will pluck it up, pull it down and destroy it - IF it is a nation He has spoken against to destroy. The key is that He will relent of any disasters He intends to bring upon them if only they will repent.

While the verses above resonate with many individuals in that we recognize God is our "Master Potter" and we are the clay, imagine what could happen to our great nation if our leaders recognized God's sovereignty as well. At least one very special and significant nation is currently doing that today. Israel's leaders are urging the Jewish people to read through the Bible, the whole Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. They are returning to the Word of God and recognizing God's sovereignty over them as a nation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kicked off the new school year in Israel by encouraging children to rediscover the Word of God and Biblical roots of their Jewish heritage.

“First of all, the study of the Bible,” he said in August. “Knowledge is a critical word. We want to give it [knowledge of the Scriptures] to every child in Israel, Jews and non-Jews as one, religious and secular. This is the basis of the new world, and the basis of Israel as a strong nation in the world.”
Will the people of Israel listen to her leaders? I pray they do and as a nation submit themselves once again to the Master Potter. Imagine the blessings that God will pour out on them if they did so. Imagine how great our nation could be if our leaders humbled themselves before God as well and acknowledged God's sovereignty over them. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. May it be so! Come Lord Jesus come!
0 Comments

Who Are You Putting Your Trust In?

9/16/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

Read Jeremiah 17:1-13

My mother in-law was a very wise woman. She would often remind us never to put our trust in man, but to put our trust in God, who always keeps His promises and will never let you down. In today's reading, Jeremiah says something similar and relays from the Lord this stern warning about those who put their trust in man:
Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.

Jeremiah 17:5-6, NKJV

As I read those words it made me think of "words" in general and who we listen to, because those whom we give an ear to tend to influence us the most. In particular, I'm thinking about those who call themselves preachers, speaking on behalf of God, and do so either through television, books, or from the pulpit in their churches on Sunday morning. Their words often times become our "words of wisdom" and we take them as gold. Yet many times we don't look at those "words" closely enough to see how they align with Scripture.  We inadvertently trust in the man (or woman) who preaches them and end up making that man or woman our strength. Pithy sayings become our new mantra, such as this one from Joel Osteen, "We were old sinners - but when we came to Christ we are not sinners anymore." Nice words, that "sound" scriptural but aren't. Yet, our beliefs and convictions become aligned with each new book released by these celebrity preachers, and slowly but surely, without ever realizing it, our allegiance to God is replaced by trusting in man's word rather than God's Word. As the verse above suggests, "flesh" becomes our strength, because we are relying on what we can do or say to make change happen in our lives.

By now, many in the evangelical community recognize those who are false prophets/teachers/preachers. We know that the prosperity gospel is wrong, the grace doctrine is wrong and the name it and claim it doctrine also goes against scripture. We know and recognize the names of those celebrity. preachers whom we need to stay clear of, people like  - Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar and others, who preach false doctrines contrary to the Word of God. Most of us know by now that the Word of Faith community has strayed greatly from the Word of God. Unfortunately, many are still putting their trust in these celebrities to their own detriment. I have said it before, those who follow after false preachers will suffer the same fate God has in store for those who teach false doctrines (2 John 1:10-11). They are like the verses above suggest, cursed. They will never grow in their relationship with God, because they have never fully trusted in Him, instead preferring to lean on the "wisdom" of man. Relying on positive, upbeat messages that encourage people to use their words to speak into existence a better reality. Word of Faith preachers encourage people to put their trust in themselves (man) rather than in God and His Word. Unless they repent and turn back to God and trust in Him again, rather than false promises from false teachers, they will be like unsalted land - uninhabited - without God or His Holy Spirit.

But what does God say about those who trust in Him?

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8, NKJV
What happens when you trust in God and His Word, when your hope is in God alone and not in the false promises of man? You are like a tree planted by the waters, ever growing in the Lord, never ceasing to produce fruit in keeping with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. An intimate relationship develops through trusting in God and reading His Word. And when we place our hope and trust in Him, we are rewarded by His Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Jesus says we are to abide in Him as He abides in us in order that we might bear much fruit - just as the verse above suggests. To continually abide in the Lord, we must be reading His Words!

If you want to know God, His character, His likes and dislikes, what He expects from us, it is all laid out for us in the Bible. Our faith is built on the Word of God. When we abide in it daily we grow in our faith and our relationship with God. This is where our trust should be placed and where we can find truth for living. Abide in the Word of God for it is "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12)


0 Comments

The real meaning of Mashiach

4/21/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
Can I share with you an excerpt from my latest book? I am very excited about it because this Bible study is the first in my new Digging Deeper series. The Book of Daniel reveals a man (and his friends) who knew how to stand firm in their faith. But it is also a book that is historical and prophetic in nature.While writing it I stumbled upon something that I had taken for granted for years: that Daniel 9:25-26 was talking about Jesus, our Messiah. What I found however, sent me on a hunt to discover how such an innocent word like "mashiach" was so badly misinterpreted. The following is a snippet on what I found out.
Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem unto one anointed, a prince,
shall be seven weeks.
Daniel 9:25 JPS, emphasis mine

 (Notice that the word Messiah is missing and replaced with “anointed” in the Jewish version of this verse. This is because the Jews never saw the word “Messiah” in their scriptures. They saw the word mashiach, which means “anointed.” It comes from the root word mashach, which means to “smear, rub, spread a liquid, or anoint.” It does not mean “Messiah” or “Saviour” as we Christians interpret it. It simply means “anointed,” nothing more. In addition, you will notice that the JPS has the word “one” before the word “anointed,” whereas, the NASB says “Messiah the Prince.” The NIV translates this part as “the Anointed One” and places the word “one” after anointed. Why is this important?

The word mashiach is used throughout Jewish scriptures no less than 100 times and refers to individuals, places, and objects. For example, it refers to priests, kings, and prophets (Leviticus 4:3; 1 Kings 1:39; Isaiah 61:1). It also refers to anointed places like the Temple altar (Exodus 40:9-11) and anointed things like unleavened bread (Numbers 6:15). And finally, it refers to King Cyrus, a non-Jewish King (Isaiah 45:1).

In Christian Bibles, 99 percent of the time, mashiach is translated as “anointed,” with two exceptions: Daniel 9:25 and 26. So the question one has to ask is this: why? Especially since in Daniel 9:24, mashiach was correctly translated as “anointed.” This does not make sense. It is inconsistent. You cannot translate mashiach to mean “anointed” in the entire Bible and then translate it to mean “Messiah” in two verses. I cannot explain why this was done. It’s as if those who originally translated this part of Daniel imposed their own Christian beliefs about what the verse actually means. I am not a linguist, but even I can see that something is odd here. How does one word translate to mean “anointed” everywhere else in the Christian Bible, but in Daniel 9:25-26 it translates as “the Messiah”? When you read the Torah (the Jewish Bible), it is immediately clear it has not been changed in this way.

I believe this is why the Jewish people get so upset with our interpretation of their scriptures. Imagine the audacity it takes to say to a Jewish person who speaks and reads Hebrew that they aren’t reading or interpreting their own scriptures correctly. That’s like trying to tell a Christian that Jesus didn’t die for their sins and He never existed. They would be adamant they are right, just as the Jews are adamant about their scriptures and the interpretation of them. We need to respect that and stop seeing things that aren’t there.

Daniel 9:25 should read as “until an anointed prince” and not as “until Messiah the prince.” And Daniel 9:26 should read, “An anointed one will be cut off” and not, “The Messiah will be cut off.” (Unlocking the Truth of Daniel, Copyright © 2016 by Laura J. Davis).

I go on to discuss this issue further in the book if you want to look at it further. One Amazon reviewer said:

"I gave this book five stars not because it is thoroughly researched, although it is very thorough indeed. It gets five stars not because it interprets Daniel in the light of scripture in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation, although it does that very well. It gets five stars because it is a theologically sound book you can hold in one hand with your Bible in the other hand and say, "Ah, now I see: I always wondered what that meant." This is not a book of Ms. Davis opinions. Every significant statement is backed up with proof - she lets scripture interpret scripture. - Dave F.

If you are interested in purchasing a paperback copy of Unlocking the Truth of Daniel visit www.amazon.com and let me know you purchased it. Why? Because I will send you a free ebook of my last book He Who Has an Ear, Who the Seven Churches of Revelation are Today and I will also throw in an ebook of Unlocking the The Truth of Daniel so that you can read it on your tablet as well.

2 Comments
<<Previous

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    July 2019
    April 2019
    October 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Angels
    Animals
    Apostasy
    Ash Wednesday
    Bibles
    Bible Studies
    Blessings
    Book Of Daniel
    Book Reviews
    Breast Cancer
    Christian Leaders
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Church
    Compassion Canada
    Death
    Diet
    Divorce
    Doctors
    Donald Trump
    Easter
    Exercise
    Faith
    False Doctrines
    False Gods
    False Prophets
    False Teachers
    Fasting
    Forgiveness
    Free Will
    Gay Marriage
    Giveaways
    God's Love
    God's Plan
    God's Word
    Grace
    Heaven
    History
    Idols
    ISIS
    Jeremiah
    Jesus
    Jesus' Return
    Judgement
    Leaders
    Lent
    Lipidema
    Lipo Lymphedema
    Lymphedema
    Mammograms
    Marriage
    Meditations
    Movie Review
    Paradise
    Persecution
    Politics
    Prayers
    Preaching
    Predestination
    Prejudice
    Pride
    Prophecy
    Prosperity Gospel
    Repentance
    Revelation
    Salvation
    Samaritan's Purse
    Satan
    Senior Discounts
    Sin
    Spiritual Discernment
    Submitting To God
    Suffering
    Syria
    Temptation
    The Sabbath
    Torah
    Transgenders
    Voting
    Wickedness
    Worship

    Do you like free stuff? Receive two free short stories, featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, when you sign up.

    * indicates required
    Picture
    I am a member of Christian Authors.
    Picture
    Tweets by @LauraJeanDavis
© 2014 Laura J. Davis. All Rights Reserved.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Michael Vadon, Valerie Everett, Joshua Tree National Park, spbpda, One Way Stock
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • Bible Studies
  • Books
    • Unlocking the Truth of Daniel
    • He Who Has An Ear
    • Learning From the Master
    • Come to Me
    • Anthologies
  • My Testimony
  • Book Store
  • Free Stuff
  • Interviews & Reviews