Kathy Fehlbaum

Gracious Curse

I once heard someone refer to this promise as the blessing-curse. Even a curse is a blessing if it gets me back on track: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:  the blessing, if…

Deuteronomy 11:26 (ESV), Deuteronomy 11:27 (ESV), Deuteronomy 11:28 (ESV)

Not Telling!

Jesus enters into dialogue with the honest. When I choose to hold out on my Maker, I cannot expect to receive the answers I seek.

Mark 11:33 (ESV)

Role Playing -- A Simple Prayer

"Jesus said to him, "Friend . . . " (verse 50)Judas, Peter, or one of the others who ran away and crawled under a rock somewhere safe? Would we choose to play the role of Judas? I think not! What was…

Matthew 26:50 (ESV)

Do You Really Want It?

"This is what the Lord has said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified,'" (verse 3) . . . and "'You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean'"…

Leviticus 10:3 (KJV), Leviticus 10:10 (KJV)

All About Money

" . . . when they saw him, they begged him to leave." Wow, where does that Jesus fit in with the prosperity gospel we love so much? This is a Jesus who costs the community big bucks, and I love him for…

Matthew 8:34 (ESV)

How Simple Is That?

After the call of Abraham, I love the simple response, "So Abram went." How simple is that? We can respond to the call (or gentle whisper) of God, nothing complicated about it, and walk into the promises…

Genesis 12:1 (KJV), Genesis 12:2 (KJV), Genesis 12:3 (KJV), Genesis 12:4 (KJV)

God's Good Motives

So sad that this oldest of sins still so easily trips me up today! I tend to question God's good motives for my obedience, even though I know (because He has proved it time and again) that everything…

Genesis 3:4 (ESV)

Hurt and Healing

The discipline of the Almighty corrected my course when I had gone far off track. Our good shepherd doesn't leave us stuck in our comfortable muck, but routinely and rudely rescues his rebels. Eliphaz…

Job 5:17 (KJV), Job 5:18 (KJV)

Gotta See for Yourself

He can tell you (verses 6-7), they can tell you (verses 10-11), but you won't comprehend until you see it for yourself: Jesus is the Christ. He's alive and Lord of all! Praying for open eyes to see…

Luke 24:31 (ESV)

More Evil than Ever

Ahab and Omri did more evil than any of the kings before them, according to Dr. Barker's note in the NIV 2008 Update. Sad infamy!

Micah 6:16 (ESV)

Not Hard to Please

It is so easy for me to complicate things and make a big production out of everything I do -- yet God is easy to please, and invites me to approach Him with empty hands and an open heart.

Micah 6:8 (ESV)

God Honors Imperfect Faith

Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness, apart from works, and imperfect though it was. Abraham and Sarah tried to "help" God, and the first child that resulted was was not the child of promise.…

Romans 4:22 (ESV)

Known and Loved

He knows me. " . . .the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off . . . " 1 chronicles…

1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV)

Yikes! Rejecting God?

" . . . they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me . . ." Yikes, let this not be said of us! Let us gladly proclaim God as our king, and rightly so, for it results in joy to us if we serve…

The Blessing-Curse

Someone said even the curse is a blessing, since it corrects our stubborn hearts and turns us back to God. I had never thought of it, but isn't even the curse a loving measure from a Father who wants…

Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV)

God's Good Motive

Reading Deuteronomy, I've noticed again and again God's good motive for my obedience. Even my love for Him is for my own good, that I may live.

Deuteronomy 30:6 (ESV)

NAMES - Gerizim and Ebal

Ebal: ancient heaps (per Hitchcock's (http://www.bible-history.com/hitchcock/E/Ebal/) ) or stone, bare mountain (per Smith's (http://www.bible-history.com/smiths/E/Ebal) ) Gerizim: cutters (per Hitchcock's…

Deuteronomy 11:29 (ESV)

NAMES - Hormah

Hormah means utter destruction.

Numbers 21:3 (NASB)

What's Our Excuse?

Jesus knew everything, so He might have said to Himself, "I want to heal this man, but Wait! It's a trap, I'd better hold back." In retrospect that's ridiculous! We know Him better than that. And we know…

Mark 3:2 (NASB), Mark 3:3 (NASB)

Brave Intercession

Do I love anyone (let alone a stranger) enough to run into the path of destruction with my intercessory prayers? Yet Aaron did not hesitate to do as he was instructed, and his intervention was effective.…

Numbers 16:48 (NASB)

Or What

Yiikes! The result of Israel's rebellion in failing to trust was that God said, ". . . you will know My opposition." Oh, I do NOT want to know that!

Numbers 14:34 (NASB)

Trust or What?

It is not when we are surrounded by giants in a land far from home that we're in a bad place, but when we retreat to a "safe" place, or dig in our heels and refuse to march forward. Do we trust our perceptions…

Numbers 14:8 (NASB), Numbers 14:9 (NASB)

MINOR DETAIL!

" . . . points of dispute about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive." Festus thought surely Paul was accused of murder or some other heinous crime, but no -- just this minor detail. And…

Acts 25:19 (NIV)

An Opening

When he was in a tight spot, Paul found an opening to testify to the truth of the gospel. Wow, what an example to me! When I sit down at the nail salon to have the Vietnamese ladies work on my toes, Lord…

Acts 24:14 (NIV)

Promised Curses

Ever felt like you couldn't get by with a single thing? Well, it's because you're special! God promises to bless (and curse) his people. We don't so much like to think of the curses promised in Leviticus…

Leviticus 26:1 (NASB), Psalm 25:1 (NASB), Acts 22:1 (NASB)