Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.
The meaning of my name is “pure” in the Bible and comes from the Greek word Katharos. It became associated with the Greek word during the early Christian era.
Kathrine was a name to signify purity and innocence n ancient times.
According to Hebrew text the name. Since I go by Kathy my destiny should include:
K = Kaph – To bless, anoint, tame, and protect.
A = Aleph – Gentle strength, leader
T = Tet – To contain, or surround
H = Hey – Revelation, and divine breath and light
Y = Yod – Strength, worship, work, welcome
This shows some destiny in life from what my parents named called me.
In the Bible God sometimes changed people names to reflect their destiny. The names of people in the Bible defined their character or events in their lives.
Destiny is God’s plan and purpose for each person.
Destiny is God’s ordained future for each person.
Each person is destined to play a specific role in the world.
Feeling overwhelmed is a natural response when we have too many demands and responsibilities or are in tough situations. We may feel like giving up.
If you are feeling overwhelmed Psalm 61 is a powerful scripture to turn to, because it speaks directly to us as to what to do. God reminds us when we cry out to Him we are essentially seeking His refuge and strength when we feel burdened beyond our capacity.
“From the end of the earth, I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I” -Psalm 61:2
When we are feeling overwhelmed, we shouldn’t hesitate to openly express our distress and cry out to God.
God is a strong, stable “rock’ that can provide safety and security when we feel unstable.
The imagery in the scripture of “the rock” signifies that God is above our challenges and provides a perspective beyond our current situation.
We can understand why David wrote this Psalm when he was overwhelmed. We all face seasons in, life when we feel overwhelmed. This Psalm reminds us that God is our refuge and a strong tower against our troubles and enemies.
God wants us to have confidence in His faithfulness and that He is an ever-present help for us in times of trouble.
The Psalms are an honest look at how we experience life, and they do not disguise the pain and sorrow we will endure. They also remind us that there is hope in God because He hears our prayers, is our protection, and is worthy of our praise.
My dream job would be anything to do with the psychology.
What causes people to become criminals? It’s easy to say that person “snapped” or is just “crazy.” But why, what caused that? Is it substance abuse, their income level, peer pressure, or something else.
Why do people abuse others, rape, murder, domestic violence? There are so many variables in life that must be taken to define or obtain an understanding.
What is the root cause of it. It is not until we find the root cause of any problems in life that we will have a chance to fix it.
Over the last few years the world has seen a lawlessness like never before. From the lock downs to gender mutilation of children. The Bible defines lawlessness as acting without regard to the law or in opposition to it. It’s often translated as “iniquity” and isa rejection of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 describes the “lawless one” who will appear before Jesus’s return. The lawless one will be empowered by Satan and will deceive people by making unrighteousness seem pleasurable.
I was wondering why the “lawless one” has not shown up, because of all the people rejecting God and their progressive movements. I thought I would share what I learned.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, the Apostle Paul referred to the revelation of “the man of sin.”
“Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be unless the rebellion comes first. and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction.”
The man of sin literally is translated means lawlessness. It’s a general state of wickedness. And this person will be controlled and characterized by a spirit of lawlessness.
Paul emphasized this fact in 2 Thessalonians 8, by calling him “the wicked one.” Paul’s use of the definite expression implies this person will be the epitome of human lawlessness. He will oppose and reject all governing authority and laws except what he approves or establishes.
Since God is the ultimate authority, the man of lawlessness will make God and Jesus objects of his rejection of governing authority. He will deny God, the Father, and the Son” 1 John 2:22) and the truth that Jesus is God’s Son come in the flesh” (1 John 4:3, 7) and the Messiah -Jesus (1 John 2:22). He will deny these truths because God’s Son came into the world through incarnation in human flesh to crush satan’s man of lawlessness and restore God’s authoritative rule to the world system (1 John 3:8). Because of these denials John called him “antichrist” (1 John 2:18, 22, 4:3; 2John 7).
Several things helps identify the person who will reveal the Antichrist. The antichrist will not reveal himself through action that he performs, but another person will reveal him,
Paul said that the antichrist will be revealed “in his time” 2 Thessalonians 2:6. time refers to a definite, fixed time. It refers to the specific and decisive point, and strongly emphasizes that God is the one who determines that definite, fixed and decisive time,
Jesus asserted that the authority to determine such times belongs exclusively to God (Acts 1:7). The time of antichrist’s revelation has been determined by God, not by antichrist or satan.
God declared that He will raise up a “foolish” and “idol” shepherd (Zechariah 11:15-17). The word foolish refers to a person who is morally perverted, arrogant, impatient man who does not fear God, feels that his own way is without error, and is overbearing in his attitude because he thinks he has all the answers.
This shepherd will be an idol shepherd (Zechariah 11:17). The word idol means “something worthless” (particularly as an object of worship) The Bible describes “idol” as vain objects of worship, the gods of this world. These gods even included people in who men trusted but were deceitful and of no value (Job 13:4. Isaiah 19:3: Zechariah 12:17). This shepherd will be a person who through deceit will convince people to put their trust in him as god.
1 John 2:18, 4:3 stated that the spirit of antichrist was already operating in the world during the first century. Antichrist is human form will not be revealed until the restrainer is removed.
God will sovereignly stop the restraint of antichrist by removing the restrainer at the appropriate time.
The Bible reveals that God has had a restrainer restraining the spirit of lawlessness during history. Genesis 6:3 tells us,
“The Lord said, My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh, so his days will be one hundred twenty years.”
This tells us that the Holy Spirit strive with lawless mankind in the days before the time of the flood (Genesis 6:3). The word “strove” means to govern. It embodies the idea of government, in whatever realm.
What if the power of the Spirit of God was suddenly removed from earth. It would be on,y s brief time before Satan quickly consummated his dream of world domination.
It’s the Holy Spirit that lives in believers that is holding back this evil from coming to pass in the world today.
Peter in 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is,
“The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but it patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the world that are in it will be burned up. Therefore since all these things will be destroyed like this, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness” -2 Peter 3:10-11.
Once the restrainer is gone, the antichrist will be revealed.
Rick Renner tells us the word “revealed” is the word apokalupto. The Greek word apo means away, and the word kalupto refers to someone that is veiled, covered, concealed, or hidden. When these two words are compounded, it depicts a veil that had been removed, exposing what I’d behind the veil. The Holy Spirits power will be withdrawn, there will no longer be any force present to hold back through evil forces. Therefore this evil leader who had been concealed and hidden from public view will suddenly appear.”
It will be as if a stage curtain has been pulled out of the way so that he can make his grand appearance to the world.
If you’ve been paying attention you should be able to see that there is a supernatural force at work preventing the materialization of this person and the disclosure of his identity.
The restraining force is so strong that it is currently putting on the brakes and holding back the unveiling of this wicked person, stalling and postponing his manifestation.
The when the right moment comes, this evil one will emerge on the world scene.
A good leader is someone who inspires and motivates others toward a shared vision, communicates effectively, empowers others to make responsible decisions, and demonstrates integrity while adapting to the changing world around them.
A good leader can be trusted. And while doing all this, never becomes a a complete jerk.
Focusing on light and salvation actively directs our attention towards hope, and guidance and ultimately rescue in times of difficulty. Which essentially is trusting in God’s power to saves us and leads us through challenges.
This point comes from Psalm 27,
“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear?”
Light is a symbol that often represents God’s presence, truth, and goodness, which contrasts darkness which symbolizes evil and ignorance.
By focusing on the “light” (God). We are encouraged to trust in God’s power to deliver us from any situation, overcoming fear and doubt.
When we apply this in prayer and meditation we can focus on God’s goodness and promises. We are able to read and speak Bible verses about light and salvation which allows them to guide our thoughts.
Repeating God’s positive statements helps us to feel His presence and power in our lives,
We should always strive to connect with other believers who can encourage us to focus on God’s light.
Has the modern church failed us? I have been thinking about this lately.
Some preachers are good at giving us rules and telling us how to dress. But don’t teach us how to live a godly life. The practical application to apply God to our lives.
How do we cultivate the wisdom that enables us to consider everything we encounter in the world from a godly perspective?
We live in a world full of ideas.
Whether we are watching a movie, listening to music, looking at a person’s social media, or scanning YouTube or the daily news, we are constantly bombarded with ideas, stories, and narratives. Some of them we agree with, and some rub us the wrong way. Others, well, we are not sure what to think.
That’s why having a consistent frame of reference is so important. It helps us to make sense of all those ideas flying at us.
Trying to sort through all those ideas can feel overwhelming. It’s more than a bunch of rules a church has or the way a person dresses.
This practical and accessible wisdom is found in the Bible, but how many people actually spend time reading the Bible. Most Bibles in a person’s home if they even have one are sitting on a shelf collecting a thick layer of dust.
Every person has a worldview, whether we realize it or not. It’s the way that we see the world that encompasses our experiences, beliefs, and ideas about what we think is good or bad, right or wrong or worth out time or waste of time.
It’s a fact that most people believe what others tell them without a second thought or just follow the crowd.
I recall seeing a news reporter asking a young lady protesting a few months “What are you protesting?” the young lady said, “I don’t know.”
There will always be people in this world who try and force their worldviews on you. Anything we watch or listen to or consume should be addressed with some basic questions.
Was it good and worthy of praise?
What’s bad and to be rejected?
What is most important in life?
You may not realize it but with every piece of information we are told by a person or for entertainment purposes we consume has something to do with the above questions.
Something as simple as a commercial has a worldview. Even a car commercial that tells us if you buy this bright shiny new vehicle, you life will be better. That’s a worldview, one that enforces the ultimate empty promise that true happiness in life comes through consumption and acquiring stuff.
The person doing the commercial doesn’t care if you can afford the car or not, or even if you have to go in debt up to your eyeballs. He is making money to get you to buy the car he is selling. He is banking on enticing you to buy the car regardless of the circumstances in your life.
If we pay attention to the idea floating around we begin to see that the people delivering those ideas care about some things and not others. Sometimes it’s obvious. Other times, it’s subtle. But if you dig a bit, there’s always a worldview being expressed. It embraces some values and perhaps rejects others.
A worldview is a way of looking at life that helps us make sense of it. It’s usually a patchwork of ideas, beliefs, and feelings all stitched together by our experiences. And these days, worldviews are often described today using the word narrative, which gets at the fact that our perspective of life is, in many ways, story like.
Everyone has a worldview, a perspective on reality. In fact, you can’t not have one. And when we choose to have a relationship with Jesus, He begins to reshape our hearts, minds, and souls. We become justified by faith in Him in a moment, but the process of sanctification of growing to be more like Him takes a lifetime.
If we grow in our Biblical worldview by reading and thinking deeply about the scriptures, we see two different paths toward making sense of life and everything in it, one shared by the world and one shaped by God’s truth.
Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-17,
“Look carefully then Joe you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because they days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (ESV).
We might be tempted to believe that the ideas and values of the world don’t influence us. But Paul taught differently. He understood that the ways of the world bend toward “evil” toward things in opposition to God.
If you could un-invent something, what would it be?
I would un-invent water bottles. It’s a multi-billion-dollar business. However, drinking water from water bottles can be dangerous because plastic can contain chemicals and microplastics that are harmful to our health.
These plastics are so tiny they can migrate through the tissues of the digestive system or lungs into the bloodstream, distributing potentially harmful synthetic chemicals throughout the body and into cells.
One liter of water contains an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven different types of plastics.
Bottled water is a convenience that Americans have, but if we have a different choice we should take it. 
Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?
It wasn’t until I was probably 23 years old until I knew what real love felt like. I was not told the I love you words ever, not from my parents or anyone. I did not know my parents loved me. For years I didn’t even love myself. It was after I met my husband. Before then, I just did my best to survive. Yes, I had boyfriends but I was in it for what I could get because I knew that’s all they were after.
When I met my husband, he treated me differently, he took care of me, and my needs came first, before his. It’s a good feeling when you know people love you for yourself. It changed me.
We will have been together 36 years in April. I’m not going to say it’s always been easy we’ve had our ups and downs but it has been worth it. Some say a marriage is 50-50. I think it’s more 100-100.
It takes a strong commitment, open conversation, shared values, adaptability, mutual respect, a consistent effort to nurture the relationship, the ability to compromise and a willingness to work through challenges together.
Davidic worship is intentional worshipping offered for the specific purposes that are addressed in the Psalms.
David worship is worship that is understood to be:
Expressions of faith to seek God for Psalm specific purposes.
Faith declarations that pursue the power of God
It means to seek God for wisdom and revelation for specific reasons.
To worship this way, we must make sure our hearts are in the right place. We must have a contrite heart before God.
David’s actions showed elements of worship that pleased God. While we may stumble in sin in every day life, we can still ask for forgiveness from God who loves us. We can become strengthened through our relationship with God.
David was “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).
“After removing Saul, He made David their King. He testified concerning him: I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart, he will do everything I want him to do.”
There are four ways to worship with a heart like David’s
Stay Focused
It is easy to be distracted during worship, especially with everything that’s going on around us. We also may have a lot going on inside that can take our focus away from God. David is a great model to turn to.
The Bible says David prayed seven times a day. Morning, Noon, and Night. And then in the middle of these times, he expressed his devotion to him, such as praising God and thanking Him throughout the day. To stay focused on Him.
Worship and intimacy with God grow as we come to know God’s heart and cherish His presence in all our comings and goings in our days. In all the busyness of our daily lives, it takes intention and purpose to focus on God,
2. Be Passionate
David is a great example of what a passionate worshipper looks like. Samuel 6:12-15 says,
“David went down and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. David danced before the Lord with all his might, and David was clothed in a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Lord’s ark with shouting and with the sound of the shofar.”
David was 100% connected with God in worship. He recognized the true power of giving all glory to God, even when those around him disapprove.
3. Worship Everywhere
David worshipped everywhere. The Bible tells us that David worshipped in the fields,
“The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hand. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they display knowledge” -Psalm 19:1 (NIV).
David may not expected as a young boy to face a giant like Goliath, but when he did, he stood up to the challenge. Even when he was facing some of the most overwhelming challenges he still recognized God’s power and how amazing He is, We, too can recognize and worship God everywhere.
4. Give Him Praise In All Circumstances
According to scripture, praise and worship are acts of our will that flow out of us through God’s reverence. David often sang with unrestrained joy when praising God, often drawing inspiration from God’s revelation in the Psalms. It signifies a complete surrender to God’s glory through feverant praise, acknowledging His power and goodness through heartfelt expressions.
David’s praise was genuine and flowed from a deep personal connection with God, not just outward displays.
David’s Psalms demonstrate how he responded to God’s revelations in his life, praising Him for specific acts of grace and power.
God is present come rain or shine. He is even present when we fail to realize it. It’s important that we not only turn our focus to worship when we begin to lose hope but also that we turn to praise in times of abundance.
Many of us are quick to question God when things go wrong but slow to honor Him when things go well.
David did no despair in darkness and all that it represented. His life was filled with the light. The same can be represented in our lives. When were are worried, we need to remember that God is a stronghold in our lives. Only when we recognize this can we truly be filled with light.
Tips to decluttering: Clutter can be caused by life changes, such as a move, the birth of a baby, with the death of a loved one. It can also be caused by psychological issues, such as depression, low self-esteem, or attention deficit disorder.
Some good ways to reduce clutter in your life is to begin by decluttering in stages. Picking in area to focus on each week using the 50% rule reduce the number of items in a space by half to make it more organized.
Ask yourself three questions, before getting rid of an item. Ask yourself if you can use it, love it, or need it. If the answer is no, which time to let it go.
Have a maybe box. Put items you might need in a box mark the date, set a reminder to check on it in six months. If you haven’t used it in six months, you can probably get rid of it.
Ask a friend or family member to help you make decisions. And designate a place for everything putting items back in their designated homes.
Decluttering can boost our mood. Ask yourself does everything in the living area, spark joy.
Believers of God are sometimes signified as God’s Army. A spiritual force fighting for good and against evil, essentially acting as soldiers under God’s command, ready to spread His message and live according to His will. It emphasizes the collective strength and purpose of all believers in their faith journey.
The idea of “soldiers in God’s Army is drawn from scriptures where believers of God are compared to warriors fighting spiritual battles.
“We are God’s Army implies a battle against negative forces like sin and temptation, not a physical war.
This idea highlights that all believers are united under God’s leadership, each playing a role in a larger mission.
Jesus promises:
“I will never leave you nor forsake you” -2 Timothy 2:3-4
We are challenged to go forward for the cause of Christ and be good soldiers for Him.
Prayer is a powerful source, when we get all true believers praying for the same cause. Things Change
I believe this is why Satan wants to lie, kill, and destroy us. Because we are a strong force when we come together.
2 Timothy 2:3-4 tells us,
“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
Enduring hardship means to not be easily discouraged, to be prepared for conflict, and to not backing down from the enemy.
God tells us in Ephesians 6:11 to,
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
According to the Bible Satan’s pride is the source of his discontent and hatred for God. Satan hates us because we are made in the image of God. Satan subtly broadcasts evil intentions into peoples minds, working to turn us away from God.
Satan has always hated God‘s Word which is his truth. Satan has not changed his tactics. He still knows that he must suppress God‘s Word Because it is like a lamp to our feet when we are walking in darkness.
From Pity to Praise 