Rich Sabbath blessings to all!

  Our family has been keeping the Sabbath holy for nearly 30 years.  That means from Friday night at dark to Saturday night at dark we do no work; don't buy or sell anything; and we REST!!

  I could write books about the blessings that have come to us since we keep the Sabbath holy.  Perhaps I'll do that some day but now I just want to say that God has blessed us in EVERY way since we began to honor His holy day established at creation.  

  If you are feeling Him calling you to ponder Sabbath keeping, or falling more in love with it, I hope this article with help you.  The Sabbath is one of God's richest blessings to us.  Robert and I weren't raised keeping the Sabbath, but when we felt Him calling us to make the change, we followed Him there and we are so glad we did.

  Happy Sabbath everyone,

  Dawn

 

The Blessings of the Sabbath

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Since the law is spiritual, there is no escaping the fact that the holy Sabbath is a spiritual institution. It was a day of "holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:3). The joyful quality of the day is expressed by David in Psalm 42:4; "When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, which a multitude that kept holyday."

The fact that the Sabbath was to be devoted entirely to the Lord, the fact that it was to be spent as a day of joy and praise, proves that the provisions of the fourth commandment contributed more toward making man spiritual than any other commandment of the ten. To deprive man of the spiritual advantages of the Sabbath, the enemy has always sought to lead man to profane the Sabbath day?" "What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day?" (Nehemiah 13:17). To profane the Sabbath day was, in the eyes of the Lord, an evil thing.

The thought that the Sabbath is a spiritual institution is beautifully brought out in Isaiah 58:13, 14: "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." The Sabbath was always to be a refreshing time when men were in a special sense to delight themselves in the Lord.

A verse found in Acts will explain the spiritual advantages the Lord intended the Sabbath to bring to those who in spirit observe it: "On the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither" (Acts 16:13).

We see from this statement that, just as in Old Testament times, so also in the days of the Apostle Paul, the Sabbath was a day of gathering for prayer and worship. Supporting this thought, we read that "the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Paul agreed to this, "and the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God" (Acts 13:42-44). Thus we find that, in apostolic times, the Sabbath was looked upon as the day for coming together "to hear the word of God."

The Sabbath is the Lord's appointed day for laying aside all thoughts and activities of a secular nature and for coming together to hear the Word of God. So when Paul said, "The law is spiritual," he included the institution of the Sabbath, which was to be devoted exclusively to things that are spiritual. We inquire: Was that gathering when almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God of "intrinsic value" to those who were present? We find here - and there is no escaping the fact - that the same use was made of the Sabbath in New Testament times as in the days of the ancient prophets. The New Testament references are as clear and plain as those which we have cited from the Old. The institution and its purpose continued. It was not Sabbath rest, but man-made regulations as to how it should be kept, that was the yoke of bondage.

To the uninformed, certain attacks on the Sabbath day tend to breed a feeling of contempt and disregard for it, and that is just what Satan wishes. But it is the Lord's will that we call the Sabbath a delight. The word "delight" as here used suggests something that brings spiritual joy and happiness. This being the case, how it must displease the Lord of the Sabbath day to hear it belittled, denounced, and set at naught!

- The Law and the Sabbath, Allen Walker, p. 57, 58

I'm home again!

  I'm sorry I haven't been writing but I was able to spend almost a week with my daughter and her family.  That's the good news.

  The bad news is that we were exposed to "Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease" while I was there.

  The good news is that I did not get it.

  The bad news is that all 4 of her children got it and are pretty miserable.  The baby got it last night.  ):  I would so appreciate if you would keep their family in your prayers.  

  No this is not what cows get which is called "Hoof and mouth disease."

  God's word continues to be a source of encouragement and strength to me.  While I was there, my oldest grandchild came in the room.  I was just picking up my New Testament so I said "I'm going to read a little bit now."  She said "You mean you just pick it up and read?"  YES

  Here's the devotional from the Passion Translation.  As always, I am reminded that I can go deeper and deeper with God if I let Him burn off my impurities.  I pray this blesses you today.  

  Love in Christ,

  Dawn 

Don’t Settle for Water When You Were Made for Fire

Published by  Bill Vanderbush at  August 18, 2025

There’s a fire that changes everything.
Not the kind that destroys, but the kind that purifies—
That burns away the illusion of control,
That wakes up the soul.

And I believe it’s time we stop resisting it.

The center point of all history—of all our stories—is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When he rose from the grave, he gave us a commission that wasn’t small, vague, or optional:

“Go. Preach the gospel. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (paraphrasing Matthew 28:18–20).

It was simple.
And it was massive.

But let’s be honest—when we hear the word baptism, most of us still think of water.

And water is beautiful. Water is symbolic. Water is scriptural.
But water was only meant to point to something greater.

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The Water Was Just the Beginning

The first baptisms we see in Scripture come through John—Jesus’ wild-eyed cousin, preaching in the wilderness. The people were drawn to him. Even the religious leaders came, desperate for something more real than their own traditions.

John baptized with water, yes. But he knew that wasn’t the end.

He said plainly:

“I baptize with water for repentance…. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I…. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Matthew 3:11 TPT

Fire.

That’s the difference.

---

This Fire Was Never Meant to Be Optional

The gospel isn’t just about getting clean—it’s about becoming new.

Jesus didn’t just say to dunk people in a river.
He said to baptize them in a name.
In Hebrew thought, name means identity.
So what Jesus was saying was:

Immerse them in the identity of the Father. Saturate them in the Son. Drench them in the Spirit.

The goal was never dry religion. The goal was always saturated life.
We are to be soaked in the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

And yet… somehow, we traded the fire for water.
We made the symbol the source.
We made the sign the saving.
We baptized into tradition instead of transformation.

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What John Saw—and What We Forgot

John wasn’t just preparing people to behave better.
He was preparing them to meet the Lamb.

And when he saw Jesus walking toward the river, he didn’t say, “There’s the Judge of the sinners.”

He said:

“Look! There he is—God’s Lamb! He takes away the sin of the entire world!”

John 1:29 TPT

Not the sinners.
The sin.

That’s the fire.
It doesn’t destroy people—it destroys what’s destroying them.
It doesn’t condemn—it cleanses.
It doesn’t shame—it sanctifies.

---

Why We Need the Baptism of Fire

Water can wash the outside.
But only fire can purify the soul.

We’re not talking about a scary emotional experience.
We’re talking about the power of God to transform the entire landscape of your life.

We see it in Paul. He wasn’t changed by a warm bath.
He was struck blind by divine light and filled with fire that never went out.
He said it himself:

“For the Anointed One has sent me on a mission, not to see how many I could baptize, but to proclaim the good news.”

1 Corinthians 1:17 TPT

Paul understood: the gospel was never meant to be transactional.
It was meant to be relational.
Not a formula, but a family.
Not behavior modification, but complete identity transformation.

And that kind of transformation takes fire.

---

Why We Resist the Flame

Let’s be honest—fire feels threatening.
Water is manageable. Predictable. Ceremonial.

But fire?
Fire transforms.
Fire exposes.
Fire doesn’t ask permission.

Maybe that’s why we resist it. Maybe we don’t want to be that undone.
Maybe we’re afraid to look foolish.
Maybe we’ve mistaken the fire for judgment instead of love.

But friend, if God is a consuming fire,
then everything he touches, he touches as a Father.

He’s not out to burn you down—
He’s out to burn everything in you that keeps you from him.

---

Let the Fire Fall

In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said:

“Receive the Holy Spirit”

John 20:22 TPT

But he didn’t stop there.
In Acts 2, that breath became fire.

Tongues of flame. Wind. Wonder. Power.

He told them to wait.
To want.
To welcome the fire.

So I say this with everything in me:
Don’t stop at the water.
Don’t settle for the sign when you were meant to receive the substance.
Don’t build a life around trying to stay clean when Jesus came to make you burn bright.

---

What the Fire Brings

I can’t tell you what the baptism of fire will look like for you.
But I can tell you this:
Everything he brings is good.

• The fire will burn away fear.
• It will awaken your purpose.
• It will restore your wonder.
• It will speak in groanings too deep for words.
• It will birth joy that your circumstances can’t touch.
• It will break chains you didn’t even know you carried.

You may speak in tongues.
You may feel the heat of heaven.
You may weep.
You may laugh.
You may fall to your knees.
But you will be filled.

The fire will wreck you beautifully.
And it will leave you more like Jesus.

---

The Invitation Still Stands

If you’re tired of religion.
If you’re weary of cycles.
If you’ve been baptized in water but feel dry inside…

There’s more.

Jesus didn’t just dip us in water.
He drenched us in himself.

You don’t have to perform your way into it.
You only have to surrender.

Let Him breathe on you again.
Let the fire fall.

Let Me Burn in You (A poem by Cheryl Ricker)

My fire refines, defines—crowns.
It is courage rekindled,
Spirit-breath through dry bones,
crackling, rising in your ribs
like Holy rushing wind
hushing fear,
thundering you alive.
My fire burns lies;|
So, no settling for less
than this loving leading breathing
fire you carry like sky carries sun.
Surrender to “yes”
and let me blaze in you
for the healing of nations—
for the fullness of my glory and joy
set before us as One.

_{Cheryl Ricker is an author, collaborator, Holy ghostwriter, speaker, poet, artist, and literary agent, who is passionate about unveiling Jesus to the world. Cheryl wrote A Friend in the Storm, Rush of Heaven: One Woman’s Miraculous Encounter with Jesus (with Ema McKinley), Josiah’s Fire: Autism Stole his Words, God gave him a Voice (with Tahni Cullen), and The Masterpiece Edition of the Passion Translation, which includes 60 paintings by Ron DiCianni alongside Cheryl’s family devotionals.  http://c}

Why not study the Bible with a friend?

 Yesterday my community ladies had our monthly Bible study at the park.  My grandsons got to play and we ladies talked about how Daniel had wisdom more and more as he aged.  That certainly is a good goal to have.

  This morning I'm pondering the change in one of our members.  She came pretty exhausted but participated in the exchange of ideas.  By the time we were done with the study and praying together, she was totally revitalized.  A neighbor came to the park with her dogs and this gal went out to meet her and even invited her to our monthly tea party at the end of the month!! 

  Studying God's word and praying together as a group is CERTAINLY encouraging.  In an effort to encourage my readers to experience this, if you're not already, I went in search of an article and found this one.  It's pretty long with pictures so I'll just share the link here.  https://arabahjoy.com/the-easiest-way-to-start-studying-the-bible-with-someone-else/ 

  This is not to say that daily Bible reading isn't powerful, too, because it is.  When friends get together and exchange ideas, though, we can see things from another perspective that may not come to us in our private quite time.  I hope you'll start a Bible study with close friends if one is not available.  You'll be glad you did.  

  This is cool.  Although I won't remember it all I get the drift.  God speaks to us through the Bible!

  Have a great day,

  Dawn

  

Let HIM be your STRENGTH!

  All of my growing up years I felt down to my core that I was powerless.  My 2 brothers raping and beating made it seem that way BUT THEN I went to church camp.  The pastor said that Jesus loved me and wanted to be my friend,

  I will always remember that moment 56 years ago when I was leaning up against a big old tree and prayed to this one who wanted to be my friend for the first time.  I was 11 years old and suicidal.  I talked to Jesus and told Him that, if He wanted me, He could have me.  That moment an immense weight left me and has never returned.  

  His power helped me rise above it all--even incest!  God's power still does lift me higher than I can imagine. That's what I pray for all of you!

  Only God could give me a loving husband, 3 precious children, and 8 grandchildren.  All I ever wanted was to be a part of a loving family and HE gave me one of my very own!!  As I look at the lives of my perpetrators, I AM the winner.  One is dead and the other one a social outcast.  They reaped what they sowed!  It DOES happen.

  So, as you ponder, your weakness, I urge you to view it as a good thing.  God says "My power shows up best in weakness!"  Our weakness is an open door to God to come in and turn all our failures into successes--if we invite Him to do so.

  Just tell the Lord you're sorry for sinning against Him.  Ask Him to forgive you; to put your sins under His shed blood; and to erase all of the charges against you in your books of life that satan is using against you.  

  That's it.  

  Then read your Bible to be reminded over and over that the victory was yours the moment you came to Christ.  I suggest the Passion Translation so you can feel the deep deep deep love that God has for you!

  Hugs,

  Dawn

     

I Hear His Whisper...

There is no greater power.

As you live your life aligned with my kingdom through the surrender of your own will and ways, you will find that the fruit of freedom is more expansive than you ever could have imagined. The sweetness of living awakened to the marvelous mercy that covers every piece of your story is more satisfying than striving toward and accomplishing a thousand self-serving goals. I even take your every failure and produce goodness through it.   There’s no need to rely on your own limited resources when you have access to my resurrection power. I take what seems hopeless to most and work my redemption power. I will use everything for the benefit of my beloved ones. Watch as I turn even your darkest day into a beaming beacon of my glorious light. You will see the treasures that resulted from the pressures that threatened to smother you. But they didn’t. I wouldn’t let them. So come and exchange your weakness for my great strength and delight. Arise in the power of my love today. Awaken to life again.   Adapted from I Hear His Whisper for Women written by Brian Simmons

Ephesians 1:19 The Passion Translation   I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you!