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11/27/2025

The Hebrew word for “give thanks” in the Old Testament is yadah and it literally means “to acknowledge God in the middle of the mess.”

It doesn’t mean “feel grateful.”
It doesn’t mean “wait until things get better.”
It means “God, I see You present even in this.”

In Jewish worship, yadah wasn’t used for victory it was often used in seasons of fear, uncertainty, and waiting.

Thanksgiving wasn’t a celebration of how well life was going. It was an act of surrender when life didn’t make sense.

And that truth reframes everything we think about gratitude.

Here are several ways I’m practicing yādâ (thanksgiving)in my own life this week

1. Gratitude isn’t something you wait to feel; it’s something you choose to practice. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

2. Today’s pain makes more sense when you remember tomorrow’s promise. Romans 8:18

3. Complaining is often our heart’s way of saying, ‘God, I don’t trust what You’re doing right now.’ Philippians 2:14

4. If Jesus trusted His Father in the worst moment, I can trust Him in mine. 1 Peter 2:23

5. When I think I deserve better, gratitude disappears. But When I remember grace, it returns.” Luke 13:2–3

6. If you can’t lose Christ, then you can’t lose your reason to give thanks. Romans 8:35–39

Thanksgiving isn’t just about being grateful for what you can see. It’s learning to trust God with what you can’t see.

Yādâ is gratitude in uncertainty.
Gratitude in fear.
Gratitude in waiting.
Gratitude in confusion.
Gratitude in the “not yet.”
Gratitude in “even this”

It’s saying, “God, I thank You now because You already know what I don’t.”

So wherever you find yourself right now
if the diagnosis hasn’t come back,
if the finances don’t make sense,
if the relationship is unresolved,
if the future feels uncertain.
you can still yādâ.

Because biblical thankfulness isn’t built on what you have.It’s built on the God who holds what you don’t understand.

And you can trust Him “even in this”.

James Bell

11/24/2025

1 John 2:1 gives us an incredible picture if we allow our imagination to walk into the scene.

Imagine stepping into a courtroom.

The Judge—the righteous Judge, God the Father—sits upon the throne.

The accuser, Satan himself, stands as the prosecutor.

And there I stand… guilty.

He doesn’t need lies. He simply lists the things I truly have done.

All I can say is, “Guilty.”

But before the sentence is pronounced, the doors burst open.

Someone steps forward and says, “Stop. I have something to say.”

The accuser turns and thunders, “Who are You? By what right do You interrupt?”

And this One begins to speak His names—

not just titles…

but the covenant names of God Himself:

“I am Jehovah-Jireh — the LORD who provides.

I am Jehovah-Rapha — the LORD who heals.

I am Jehovah-Nissi — the LORD your banner and victory.

I am Jehovah-Shalom — the LORD your peace.

I am Jehovah-Raah — the LORD your Shepherd.

I am Jehovah-Tsidkenu — the LORD your righteousness.

I am Jehovah-Shammah — the LORD who is present.

I am Jehovah-Sabaoth — the LORD of hosts, commander of heaven’s armies.

I am Jehovah-M’Kaddesh — the LORD who sanctifies you.

I am Jehovah-Elyon — the Most High God.

I am Jehovah-El Shaddai — God Almighty.

I am Jehovah-Elohim — the LORD God, Creator and Judge.

I am Jehovah-Uri — the LORD your light.

I am Jehovah-Kanna — the LORD whose name is Jealous.

I am Jehovah-Gmolah — the God who recompenses and rewards.

And then He continues:

“I am the Son of God

I am The Son of Man

I am the Lamb of God

I am the Lion of Judah

I am the Root of David

I am the Bright and Morning Star

I am the Emmanuel — God with Us

I am the Word made Flesh

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

I am the Good Shepherd

I am the Resurrection and the Life

I am the Bread of Life

I am the Light of the World

I am the True Vine The

I am the Door

I am the Alpha and the Omega

I am the First and the Last

I am the Author and Finisher of Faith

I am the Prince of Peace

I am the Mighty God

I am the Everlasting Father

I am the Holy One

I am the Righteous One

I am the Messiah

I am the Redeemer

I am the Savior

I am the Mediator

I am the High Priest

I am the King of Kings

I am the Lord of Lords

I am the Rock of Ages

I am the Chief Cornerstone

I am the Bridegroom

I am the Captain of Salvation

I am the Judge of All the Earth

I am the Ancient of Days

I am the I AM

And then He says the name that matters most in this moment:

“I am the Advocate.”

He looks at the Judge and says,

“Yes, he is guilty…

But the price has already been paid.

My blood has justified him.

My blood has forgiven him.

Therefore, the only verdict that remains is…

Innocent.”

This is exactly how John presents it in 1 John 2:1–2 —

When we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ the Righteous.

What a Savior.

What a promise.

What a hope.

11/18/2025

11/18/2025

1 John 4:1–3 reminds us:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God…”

John was warning the early church about a dangerous false doctrine taught by the Gnostics—people who denied that Jesus truly came in the flesh. They claimed He was only a spirit or that a “Christ-spirit” temporarily rested on Him. But John draws a firm line:
Any spirit or teacher that denies Jesus Christ came in the flesh is not of God.
That teaching, he says, is the spirit of antichrist.

This is why John commands us to test every spirit.
We cannot accept everything we hear:

✔ Not just because it’s spoken from a pulpit
✔ Not because it’s taught in a classroom
✔ Not because it’s trending on TikTok, Facebook, podcasts, or YouTube
✔ Not because someone seems sincere or emotional

But here’s the challenge it’s so common today for Christians to not know how to study the Bible.
Many believers depend entirely on what others say, instead of learning to search the Scriptures for themselves.
Yet John tells us plainly: you must try the spirits.
That means every believer must grow in the Word, learn the truth, and measure every message against Scripture.

A true teacher will confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, that He is the Son of God, and that He is God Himself. False teaching always attacks the identity of Jesus and that same spirit of deception is still active today.

So stay in the Word. Stay discerning. And stay anchored to the truth.

In a world overflowing with voices, the only one we can trust without question is the One who came in the flesh for us.

11/12/2025

📖 1 John 2:20–21 (KJV)

> “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”

💭 My Thoughts:
When we add even a little bit of a lie to the truth, it doesn’t just become a “small lie.”
It completely changes it — because truth and lies cannot mix.
The moment a lie is added, the truth is no longer truth… it becomes a lie.

God’s truth is pure and holy. It can’t be watered down or blended with deception.
That’s why John reminds us that “no lie is of the truth.”

We live in a world that tries to twist truth just enough to make it comfortable.
But God hasn’t called us to comfort, He’s called us to clarity.
Truth doesn’t need to be edited, it needs to be embraced.

“A half-truth masquerading as the whole truth is a complete untruth.” Oswald Chambers