Tag Archives: Moses

The Daniel Fast: We Reflect His Glory!

Another helpful post for you today! Many are just preparing to begin the Daniel Fast, or ANY FAST, and I want to continue to help. I am just beginning my fast as well. We have been on the road the last three weeks and we had decided to wait until we were back home for at least the first week to be able to prepare and prep. I will share later in the week some of the things I have been cooking up but today I wanted to share the Word. Be blessed and if you need help, message me or get your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional, my book with 21 days of devotions for ANY FAST and recipes for the DF. Available in paperback and kindle on Amazon!

“And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Exodus 33:11 KJV.

“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” Exodus 34:5-7 KJV.

Poor Moses, I always felt sorry for him. He couldn’t leave his congregation for any matter of time before they were breaking all the rules.

As soon as they would get themselves in trouble, the Lord would want to punish them, or even wipe them off the planet, and Moses would stand in the gap, intercede and literally beg for God to give them another chance.

So there he was on the Mount a second time, he had already broken the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments the first time God had handwritten them. He was back up there alone. Joshua is waiting a few hundred feet down the mountain and Aaron is in charge back at home.

“And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” Exodus 34:28 KJV.

Forty days and forty nights!

No bread. No water. Nothing, nada, zilch. Many might ask, “Did Moses really feel the effects of the fast since he was with God?” We do know when Jesus fasted that the Bible says afterward, that He was hungry. Why else would He fast if there wasn’t a sacrifice to it? Science tells us our bodies cannot survive without water for that long; how Moses managed we do not know except that as God gives us strength for the seemingly impossible He could have done the same for Moses.

The results of the fast show the effects it was having on Moses. “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.” Exodus 34:29 KJV.

His face was shining with the glory of God! That was not just the result of seeing God because the Bible says that the nobles and the elders also saw God in some form or fashion when they all first went up on the Mount. (Exodus 24:9-11)

The people could not even stand to look at Moses because of the glory of God. He had to keep a veil on his face when he spoke to the people and he could only take it off when he went into the temple to minister to the Lord. “When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil.” Exodus 34:33 NLT.

What do I look like after I have been with God?

What do people see after I have spent time with the Savior?

Is there a difference in me?

Is there a light on my face of the glory of God?

Should there be?

Yet again, shouldn’t there be something about us that will draw others to us and point them to Christ?

And if it isn’t the fact that we have been in HIS PRESENCE, then what is it?

Fasting, praying and spending time in His Word is what will continually build a relationship with the Savior and will radiate His glory.

They will also notice it if we DON’T do it.

We might not actually see God face to face, but we can spend time with Him every day, in His glory, in His presence. We can have the spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, dwelling IN us, with us, ALIVE!

Let us be like Moses. Fasting and praying on a regular basis is definitely good Christian character-building.

We can give back by giving our lives as a sacrifice, wholly consecrated and fully devoted, reaching for the lost and living full of joy and hope and watching for His return.

A great recipe for your fast today. Veggie Tacos! So easy and so, so good. Enjoy!

Veggie Tacos

1 large sweet potato, cubed

2½ cups spinach, fresh

¼ red onion, sliced very thin

1½ Tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder

Salt and Pepper

¼ teaspoon oregano

Juice from one lime

½ avocado, mashed (optional)

Toss the sweet potato with all of the spices. Add the sweet potatoes to heated oil and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. Add spinach and cook about three minutes, until wilted. Serve in warm whole wheat tortillas with lime juice. You may also like adding the mashed avocado to your tortillas as a spread!

Sharing with Testimony Tuesday, A Little R&R, Wedded Wednesday, Three Word Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Coffee & Conversation, Women with Intention, Homemaking Linkup, Wholehearted Wednesday, Fellowship Fridays, Grace and Truth

Who was Hur?

1 Reply

I know you will all be excited to see my sister-in-law, Sue Elkins, is filling in as co-host on the blog today! Since I am traveling to Estonia, Eastern Europe, I have asked a couple to help out. You will be blessed! Sue wrote another article for Hope in the Healing a while back, Still I Will Trust You, take a look at it as well.

In my Bible reading I am so often reminded of the people that maybe are only mentioned once or only a few times in the Bible and yet they did great things. We all know Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Paul, Peter and so on. But what about Hur? Do you know what he did?

Exodus 17:10-12. “So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

Israel was in a mighty battle and Joshua and his men only prevailed when Moses’ hands were raised. God had told Moses to go to the top of the hill and raise up his rod. Moses had asked Aaron and Hur to go with him. (I have to believe God told Moses to ask Aaron and Hur to go along, as I think Moses’ consulted God on everything) Hur might have thought in his mind, hmmm….wonder why I need to go, but Moses has asked, so I will.

As the battle raged on, Moses’ arms got tired and as it so happened, God had supplied Moses with helpers, Aaron on one side, Hur on the other. Our God is such a great Provider!! We remember Aaron being there, but how many of us remember Hur? He was just as important. Is it because there isn’t much else written about Hur?

Do you think as Hur excitedly related the story of the three of them on the mountain top, that he felt he any less important than Aaron? I don’t think so! Do you think he was thankful he was chosen to be there? I think so! Do you think it was one of those times when Hur could look back and say, “I was part of God’s plan!” and be encouraged? I hope so!!!

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4

I truly believe that the book of Acts is still being written, by those of us that have come after it was written. We as disciples of Christ are still doing mighty acts and works for God. And somewhere God is writing them down.!! Does it matter that anyone else remembers our name? Does it matter that God remembers our name? Yes, Yes, oh Yes!!!

I don’t care if anyone else remembers my name as long as God remembers it…..and smiles. As long as God remembers it… and counts me as one of his!!

So no matter what the task may be, or how small it may seem, let’s all be ready, willing, and able to help in the kingdom of God. Daily talk to God and let him lead our days and put us where he needs us. Let’s be willing to be a Hur…..not remembered by many, but very important in God’s history book.

Sue Elkins is a mother, a long time Broker/Associate with Re/Max Realty Professionals, and has recently “retired” from being a pastor’s wife for many years. But that has not slowed her down in ministry. She and her husband, Dexter, are still very active in their church teaching, ministering and being helpers as the Bible calls us to be. Her newest and most beloved profession in this life is that of grandmother to Roarke David and another grand-baby on the way!

I Wonder What All The Worthless Idols Are Doing Today?

1 Reply

Day 7 of the #31dbc!

It always struck me as funny, or odd, to read in the Old Testament how much trust and dependency people put in “idols”.

Their idols took on all shapes and forms: One of the obvious ones we all might remember is the huge golden calf that the children of Israel made when Moses went up on Mount Sinai. It was there that God gave him the Ten Commandments. While he was away, the people thought they needed something to worship so they melted down all of their gold jewelry and made a golden calf to worship!

God was not very happy.

Then there was good old Dagon. “After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.” 1 Samuel 5:1-5.

So basically the Philistines steal the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the Ten Commandments, and they take it inside the temple of their god, Dagon. The people are all excited over their victory but when they get up the next morning there is their great and mighty god, Dagon, flat on his face! (Did I mention he is made of stone?)

So they pick old Dagon back up and prop him back in his place and everyone goes back to bed to try it again. But the next morning when they go back in the temple there was Dagon again on his face in front of the ark and his head and hands were broken and lying on the threshold!

The Philistines were so frightened by this that they wouldn’t even step on the threshold ever again! They knew something was pretty powerful about the Ark and their “god” had no power to save himself, or anyone else for that matter.

Here we are some 2000 years later and you are probably thinking “We don’t have Dagon’s and Golden Calves anymore, this is silly.”

Oh really?

Sure we do!

We all have them and they are just as worthless.

We build them up and hang on to them as if they are the last living cell in a dead body!

The Bible shows us just how ridiculous it is to hold on to graven images and false gods;

“Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit… Who would form a god or mold an image
That profits him nothing?… The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms… Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!” Isaiah 44:9-17 NKJV.

Now you are thinking, “I don’t bow down to ‘idols’, I haven’t made any graven images.”

True, we don’t have those particular types of idols today, well you would be surprised to find that many still DO, but that is a subject for another day!

But we have idols of another kind. “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that comes according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from Me through their idols.” Ezekiel 14:3-5.

Idols of the heart.

They were literally stumblingblocks to the children of Israel and they are the same thing to us today. Those idols kept them from the Lord and they keep us from the Savior!

Most of it is our time, we fill up our time with our idols. I think one of our biggest idols today is the Almighty iPhone, iPad, iPod…technology. It consumes us.

Of course technology isn’t bad in and of itself. It is a good thing! We need it! I love it! It is a tool and a necessary tool. But you know who else loves it?

The enemy of our souls. And he uses it to the best of his ability. He treats it as an idol. He calls it Dagon, the Golden Calf, any name he can put on it because it causes us to spend so much wasted time.

We all know it. We are like mindless robots on that phone. We get on to check something and before we know it we have been on ten different apps and an hour has passed.

We sit down at the dinner table and there is no conversation, we are all on our phones!

You walk into a place of business and are told it’s going to be an hour wait and you don’t even mind anymore! Yay! An hour of games or texting, or Facebook!

We are, at times, like zombies, so focused, and yet so out of focus, because we waste so much precious time on the unimportant that we have made them idols in our lives.

Nobody cares except the time-stealer.

The Bible warns us about becoming like our Old Testament ancestors. “But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them.” 1 Corinthians 10:5-7 NKJV.

The New Testament tells us to, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5 NKJV.

We are to set our mind on things above! For the Word says, “…where your treasure is your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 NKJV.

So what ARE all the worthless idols doing today?

They are stealing our time if we let them. They can’t bring rain, they can’t send fire down from heaven. But they can cause us to miss our time with God and our families. They can tempt us to the point where we waste hours and hours doing absolutely nothing but “scrolling”….and getting nothing in return.

It is YOU, Lord our God! Our Hope is in YOU! He is the One who brings us all of these things, answers all of our prayers and provides all of our needs.

The only true God is Jesus Christ our Lord. The only God who lived, died and rose again. He is the only God who is coming back to take a Church out of this world.

Don’t be one who is playing around with worthless idols when He comes back…but be looking up and watching and waiting for His glorious appearing!

What do you consider some of the “idols” of our day? Join in the conversation!

We are traveling home from Riga, Latvia today! We have had a wonderful time with our Latvian “kids”, visiting our missionary friends and making new friends. Goodbyes are never easy but we just look forward to our next visit. We would appreciate your prayers for a safe journey back to the States!

Tag Archives: Moses