If you are interested, you can view my video titled "Merry Christmas: Why did angels appear to shepherds?" on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/juliesbiblejourney/
Come journey through the Bible with me! Together we will learn to live a more joyful life as we learn about living a life pleasing unto the Lord!
If you are interested, you can view my video titled "Merry Christmas: Why did angels appear to shepherds?" on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/juliesbiblejourney/
Note: All numbers in parenthesis represent scripture references that are listed at the end.
Julie's Christmas Carol (2010)
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Even if you heart is broken;
When grief has pierced your soul
With pain so deep it can't be spoken
Remember the little town of Bethlehem,
And the stable that held pure light;
The Christ child that came to heal our wounds
Even on the darkest night
Away in a manger
Is not just about a baby in the hay,
Jesus is alive forever,
And washes sorrow away
Do you see what I see?
When all seems lost and day is night,
It is yours to discover...
Miracles still happen when you seek His Light
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
Upcoming Changes to the Blog/Facebook Page
Starting in December, I will share mostly Christmas-themed writings, but beginning January 2025, I will change the name and the theme of this blog and Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/juliesbiblejourney ). The name will only slightly change from "Julie’s Bible Journey", to "Julie’s Bible Journal".
I have decided to share the writings I have done in the margins of my Bible Journal (with a few edits here and there and the insertion of the scriptures mentioned in the writings) as well as some of my artwork. I am not a very good artist, but I wanted to share the inspiration reading my Bible has brought. I will do my best to post multiple days a week, so that it does not take too long to post the entire Bible. I will begin with Matthew-Revelation and then Genesis-Malachi.
And, of course, I will still be sharing my husband's wonderful writings!
Thank you for reading!
Are you Empty Inside, or Have you Been Filled with God's Holy Spirit? Written by my Husband, Mel
(John 3:5-7) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Christ said that the Kingdom of God resides within us. You must be filled with the Holy Spirit to be a citizen of God's kingdom. Salvation is not complete without being indwelt (baptized and filled) with the Holy Spirit. Many churches teach that when a person accepts Christ, they receive the Holy Spirit immediately. The truth is that a person must seek after and ask God for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:9-13).
(Luke 11:9-13) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
The Holy Spirit not only empowers us to spread the gospel, He also transforms us into a new creation (born again). God is the potter, and we are the clay that he molds into his own image. It is impossible to live a holy life separated from the sinful culture, without the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
There are nine gifts, as well as nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to a believer according to God's will (1 Corinthians 12). The fruit of the Holy Spirit should be present in the lives of all believers (Galatians 5).
Please read my teachings on the Holy Spirit from these links.
Final Hour Holiness Ministries: Speaking and Praying in Tongues
Final Hour Holiness Ministries: The Message of the Full Gospel
(Acts 8:14-17) Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 19:1-6) And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
(Acts 2:1-4) When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(Acts 2:14-20) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
Did you know that the Bible tells us if we refuse to share the True message of the Bible (not some watered-down version), and the people we know go to Hell, we are responsible? Yet, on the other hand, if we warn them and they refuse to listen, we can wash our hands clean of their wrong choices. Pretty serious responsibility when you look at sharing the message of holiness from that angle.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Ezekiel 33:8-9
Whether speaking casually to people you know, sharing a message over the Internet, or preaching behind a pulpit or on a street corner, you will ask yourself, "How often do any of my words help others think about God and holiness differently? Does anyone read their Bible more because of my encouragement? Has anyone considered giving up even one sinful habit because they listened to what is in God's Word?" When you see little to no fruits of your labor, you will want to give up. Out of a desire to and be liked rather than be ignored, you will want to be silent about what the Bible says concerning issues that are shutting believers and nonbelievers alike out of the Kingdom of Heaven.
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10
When I am feeling discouraged about the lack of change I see in people I pray and weep over, and when I do not feel as if any of my efforts I put into sharing the love and True grace of God that must be accompanied by daily repentance (see Luke 9:23), I get discouraged. I sometimes want to quit writing. However, when I feel as if I have not helped even one person, I first remind myself that only God knows if a person is being challenged, but spiritual warfare is very real, and many choose the ways of darkness rather than yield to the Holy Spirit prompting them to change. Next, I often think of the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah was called to preach repentance to a very stubborn people. In Jeremiah chapter 7, God is very honest with the prophet and tells him that the people will not listen to his message, in verses 27-28 God says, "Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, 'This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.'" God tells Jeremiah to keep preaching the Truth even though He knows Jeremiah will be ignored, ridiculed, and persecuted. Jeremiah did not give up because He loved the Lord and he was willing to please the Lord, even if no one listened and he suffered greatly for it.
Ezekiel was also told very bluntly by God that the people to whom he was called to preach would not listen to him in Ezekiel 3:7, "But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted." Yet, God grants the man of God a gift I know we all wish we had. In verse 9 of the same chapter, God tells Ezekiel that He will make Ezekiel's forehead stronger than flint so he can bear the abuse without fear or bitterness. I literally also pray for a head so strong that I do not care if I am ignored or ridiculed, but that I can preach on in spite if my ego being bruised. So you see, this writing is meant to encourage me as well!
Again, with the prophet Isaiah, he is warned no one will listen to him. In chapter 6, right after the beautiful scripture where the angel cleanses his lips with coal (verses 5-7), and Isaiah says in verse 8, "Here am I; send me," God lets him know what he has signed up for. In verse 9 God tells Isaiah the people will "...understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not." Then Isaiah asks in verse 11, "Lord, how long?" And God tells Him in verses 11-12, "Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land." It sounds to me as if God is saying people will refuse to listen to all prophets' warnings until the end of time. But Isaiah continued forward in his ministry writing the most powerful and beautiful books in the Old Testament.
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul also warns, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." This verse, along with all the others I have listed can seem very discouraging and make you want to give up. However, I do not want to discourage you from preaching through your actions and your words. I am not saying that we should assume all are lost to the Truths of the gospel message. I am not saying we should cease praying for individual revival for our friends and family. The word revival essentially means 'an awakening,' and I strongly believe we need never cease praying for those we love to have their eyes opened and ears unplugged.
We preach by action and deed (not just in sermons) because we love the Lord and want to be obedient to Mark 16:15, "And He said unto them, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.'" As I often say and write, I teach, not out of a self-righteous heart, but because I also wish that none should perish in a lake of fire. Although it is often tempting to give up, I press forward, choosing to believe that even when it seems as if none if my messages on holiness are getting through, that a seed has been planted. If even one person softens his or her heart enough to let that seed grow, then I have done my job. I want to please God above all and glorify His holy name. To help people understand the great love and mercy of God and then to teach them what the Bible says about walking down the narrow path that leads to Heaven. I pray to stay on fire for God and for you to feel the same urgency that time is short, and we need to keep trying to point people to Heaven.
Bottom line here is not to give into discouragement and doubt but keep on preaching and praying for those you love and for those you don't even know. Luke 19:13 tells us "To Occupy till" Jesus comes. In other words, being a Christian is proactive, and we should continue to work for His kingdom until we die or until the end of the Tribulation. Even when it is emotionally, physically, and even financially difficult. God will provide all you need when your desire is to glorify His name.
Encourage your fellow believers as well in their faith and share with one another when you feel like giving up. Even when others will not listen, remind each other of all those in both the Old and New Testaments that were not well received, including our dear precious Jesus, and know we are not better than they and we are sure to be rejected as well. In John 15:18 Jesus says," If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." And yet, in spite of being rejected Jesus was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). So be encouraged and do not give up! Be like Jesus and be obedient to the will of God in your life and continue to share the Truths about holiness what it takes to walk down the straight and narrow path. Pray that the Holy Spirit gives you the strength to not give in to compromise or fear but press forward and be a light in the darkness!
Speaking and Praying in Tongues Written by my Husband, Mel