Gluten Free & God Seeking: December 2019

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Major Truths in the Minor Prophets - Taking a Closer Look at Hosea

God asked Hosea to do something seemingly preposterous. He told this Old Testament prophet to marry the harlot Gomer. By now you may be thinking really?! But He did as God instructed, and in the Life-Study of Hosea Witness Lee explains on page 13 why.

"The prophet Hosea took Gomer, a wife of harlotries (1:2-9). This symbolizes that God took Israel as His wife--one who gave herself to harlotries and who departed from Jehovah. God told Hosea to do what He himself had done, and Hosea did it" (Lee. Witness. Life-Study of Hosea. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1994, Print).

I learned that Gomer had three children, and their names symbolize different aspects of God's judgment against Israel. But even at such a low point in Israel's history, you can see in this verse in Hosea that God doesn't fully let go of His people:

In the place where it will be said to them, you are not My people, it will be said to them, You are the sons of the living God. Hosea 1:10b

The book of Hosea is touching to me because it shows us that no matter how far we may fall away from God, His love will reach us there. Here we see God's loving heart and how relentless He is to pursue us and bring us back to Himself.

As 2019 is coming to a close today, and another new year and decade is about to begin, my prayer is that all of God's people would know more the depth of God's loving heart. And that means that no matter what this next year brings, you will know that God's heart towards you is always good, and that everything that God allows was designed with the purpose of bringing you closer to Him.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Overcomers in Babylon - What We Learn About Prayer in Daniel 10

In Daniel 9 we see that the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies are real. Prior to that God had given Daniel a dream about four beasts in chapter 8 that left him deeply perplexed. The Bible tells us that Daniel prayed for 21 days to try to figure it out (10:2).

    It probably surprised Daniel when an angel appeared to him and told him that at the outset of his prayer, he'd already been heard, but a heavenly battle was taking place with an evil angel, whom he calls the prince over Persia:

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days; but now Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, I remained there alone with the kings of Persia.....And now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia; so I go forth, and the prince of Javan is now about to come.    Daniel 10:13, 20B

    In chapter 15 of the Life-Study of Daniel Witness Lee says that this scene shows that Satan has assigned evil angels over different countries. These evil princes battle against God's angels to prevent God's will from reaching the earth. He also say here that this scene shows God's people that there's always a spiritual scene behind the physical one. This is mentioned on pages 91-92 of the Life-Study of Daniel:

"What we see outwardly is the physical world, but behind the physical world is the spiritual. In the spiritual world Christ is the preeminent One. Therefore, in chapter ten He is mentioned first (vv.4-9)....After this vision of Christ, an angelic messenger came to tell Daniel about the things behind the physical world. He told Daniel that he himself was fighting against the prince of the kingdom of Persia, a rebellious evil spirit. Then Daniel was told that there was another evil spirit, the prince of Greece (Javan). There was also the archangel Michael who was a prince fighting for Israel. At least four spirits are covered here....Apparently, all of these struggles [mentioned in the dream of the beasts in Daniel 8] are merely the activities of human governments represented by the great human image in Daniel 2. Actually, God was behind the physical world managing the entire situation. This is what we need to see as we consider chapter ten of Daniel and the vision of Israel's destiny in chapter eleven (Lee. Witness. Life-Study of Daniel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, Print 1991).

After reading this sometimes I've realized that an answer to prayer is probably somewhere in the space of "21 days" and God's answer is stuck because of this spiritual battle. This word has encouraged my husband and I to keep praying and not be discouraged if the answer doesn't come in a week or two. We've had situations in our family where we have prayed for over a decade before the answer came.

I read in a book that our prayers can be likened to items put on a scale, and you have to keep praying until the scales are tipped. God has a lot of concerns on this earth that need our prayer. This chapter showed me again that our prayer always connects us to the spiritual battle that's always going on behind the scene.

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

How Can the Son in Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6 Be the Mighty God?
Seeing Christ as the Great Light in Isaiah 9:2
Why is Christ Called the Cornerstone in Isaiah 28:26?
Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Crucifixion Foretold - Part 1

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Monday, December 9, 2019

Make Your Own Toasted Seaweed Snacks

A few weeks ago a Korean believer who has been boarding with us made some toasted seaweed for an afternoon snack for my grandkids. Most of my grandkids love toasted seaweed, and so she didn't have to bribe anyone.

And the smell was incredible! I was surprised how quickly she prepared them. She told me she learned how to make these from her older sister. While she was working, I was taking these pictures. I could hardly get a bite. They were gone within minutes, and she had to make another batch!

1. Take out nori and brush both sides with toasted sesame oil. Then sprinkle with salt.

2. Heat a stainless pan to almost high heat, and place nori on it and let it toast for about 5 seconds and then flip it. Flip it back and forth one more time.

3. Then stack the toasted nori on a plate. They don't stick to each other and cool quickly.

4. Take about 4 pieces in your hand and cut the seaweed into squares.

Other Korean Recipes on this blog:

Bibimbap
Korean BBQ Chicken
Jap-Chae
Bulgogi Rice Bowl

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Overcomers in Babylon - Lessons From Daniel & The Lion's Den in Daniel 6

The book of Daniel is full of intrigue with stories that hold children in suspense. In Daniel 6 he writes about the time when some evil politicians had it in for him. They talked the king into passing an edict that for 30 days no one could make a petition to anyone but the king (6:7).

Behind this seemingly innocent request was their sinister plot to catch Daniel whom they knew prayed to God every day. No doubt this was instigated by their hatred and envy towards Daniel.

Try to envision this--Some guys in robes hiding behind a palm tree watching Daniel's window ready to pounce. If this account wasn't recorded in the Bible, you'd be going huh, did this really happen in ancient Babylon because it sounds more like something that belongs in a novel.

The signing of this decree doesn't phase Daniel in the least, and we see this in Daniel 6:10:

Now when Daniel came to know that the writing had been signed, he went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously.

Now picture these evil rulers storming into the palace with the news that Daniel had broken the law and the king better follow the law and throw him into the lion's den or else. For sure King Darius was greatly saddened to hear this and tried to get Daniel out of it. But these rulers would hear nothing of it and held the king to their law that could not be revoked.

   And it's evident here like it is in countless stories in Scripture that God isn't the God of prevention. Daniel did get thrown into a lion's den. God doesn't zap the lions so they disappear or change them into kittens, He just shuts their mouths. Wow, God really knew how to one up these evil rulers!! And as the story goes, when Daniel is joyfully released, they get their just dessert.

    But there's a spiritual lesson here. Satan is always trying to shut down or at least shorten our prayer time. You can read about that in chapter 8 of the Life-Study of Daniel.

     As I was writing this post, I was reminded of The Prayer Ministry of the Church written by Watchman Nee. In one of the chapters he likens these lions to Satan's attack on his people, and he encourages God's people to pray that the "lion's mouths" would be shut. And when we pray like that, t will happen just like it did in Daniel's day.

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Overcomers in Babylon - Why Didn't Daniel Eat the King's Meat in Daniel 1?

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