The Story & More - with Nancy Jackson Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-story-more-with-nancy-jackson Multiple podcasts rolled into one! You will hear my professionally narrated novels (in the private section) from beginning to end one episode at a time in The Story. But there is so much more... 6:00 am cst M-F | The Story (professionally narrated novels) Paid Programming 6:01 am cst M-F | After The Story (my behind the scenes discussion) Paid Programming 6:00 am cst Sat | More to The Story (various social and spiritual topics discussed) 6:00 am cst Sun | Miracle Story (stories of miracles I've experienced) 6:00 pm cst Sun | Archive Story (timeless yet relevant articles) Find the podcast website at www.NancyJacksonPodcasts.com 2026 eb2204af-55c1-5427-8370-77aec548af14 yes en-us Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:06 -0500 Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:02:10 -0500 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ https://img.transistorcdn.com/xZpA_YEZc3Xc02P2i4QTKNSP7N9Fm9nxQQ6PIJ382VI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82ZmE3/NjJjZWNhOWU5Mjdi/NzRlMjQwNjc1NTI4/NjlmMS5qcGVn.jpg The Story & More - with Nancy Jackson https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ episodic Nancy Jackson Multiple podcasts rolled into one! You will hear my professionally narrated novels (in the private section) from beginning to end one episode at a time in The Story. But there is so much more... 6:00 am cst M-F | The Story (professionally narrated novels) Paid Programming 6:01 am cst M-F | After The Story (my behind the scenes discussion) Paid Programming 6:00 am cst Sat | More to The Story (various social and spiritual topics discussed) 6:00 am cst Sun | Miracle Story (stories of miracles I've experienced) 6:00 pm cst Sun | Archive Story (timeless yet relevant articles) Find the podcast website at www.NancyJacksonPodcasts.com Multiple podcasts rolled into one. Nancy Jackson No No Friday Finale - Rules That Break Fellowship – Episode 10 1 1 10 10 Friday Finale - Rules That Break Fellowship – Episode 10 full 3862a62a-c6ca-4dcd-8115-69fa9928239a https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Originally written October 14, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/14/the-rules-that-break-fellowship/


1 John 1:7

7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. (Amplified Bible)


I grew up in a denominational church that taught us we were constantly in and out of fellowship with Christ. I am sure they used the scripture above as their basis for this.


We would do something that we thought was a sin, and then we were told we were out of fellowship with God. To repair that, we would have to repent and get “right” with God, and then our fellowship would be restored.


But from everything I’ve been studying in depth over the past year, I have found that theology to be incorrect.


The scripture above says that as long as we are walking in the light as He is in the light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations.


The light is the revelation of the grace of Jesus Christ. How His death on the cross broke through so that we no longer had to live by the law.


As long as we walk in grace, we have true, unbroken fellowship. So when we are not walking in grace, we have broken that fellowship.


There are only two forms of existence for Christians. One is living in grace, and the other is living by the law. You are always doing one or the other.


So if you are not walking in grace, then you are living under the law, and that breaks your fellowship. In grace, sin has no effect on you. You cannot come under its penalty. But if you are living by the law, then you must suffer the penalty of that sin and therefore your fellowship is broken.


We have taken many phrases from the world, and we have adapted them to our thinking.


“You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”

“If you dance, you have to pay the piper.”


But there is one that we have actually taken from the word, but have taken it out of context.


“You reap what you sow.”


Where this scripture is taken from is a teaching on finances and giving. It is not talking about a sinful life. That may be the case if you are not born again, but if you are ‘in Christ’ then you are covered by His grace. If it were true, then everything Jesus died to give us on the cross would have been in vain.


So let’s talk about the law. I don’t think many of us have much problem not following rabbinical or Levitical laws, but what about all the other man-made laws that we ourselves have made through the years?


There are only two commands that Jesus himself commanded us to live by. Beyond that, every rule regarding how to live life is a man-made law.


Now, when talking about this, do not confuse the laws governing our communal living, such as speed limits, etc.


I’m talking about spiritual living and laws of that nature.  


  • If you get a tattoo, you are in sin.
  • If you’re a women and don’t wear dresses, you are in sin.
  • If you have long hair, you are in sin.
  • If you sing praise songs written after the 18th century, you are in sin.
  • If you use credit cards, you are in sin.
  • If you smoke, you are in sin.
  • If you don’t go to church each week, you are in sin.
  • If you drink alcohol, you are in sin.


These statements are all wrong. You have fallen out of fellowship, and the blood cannot cleanse your sin if you are in fact living by these laws. You have stopped living by grace and begun living by the law.


Now that I have your attention. Let me give you this scripture.


I Corinthians 6:12

12) Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me.


I Corinthians 10:23

23) Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.


In the first scripture, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about sexual behavior. In the second one, he is talking to them about eating. But his statement that everything is permissible brings it into the realm of not being sin. But no doubt it can lead to a damaging life. There are consequences to our actions. But that isn’t punishment from God for our sin.


What is the key here? If we are permitted to do anything, then what do we use to govern our lives? If we don’t have a set of laws like the Ten Commandments to live by, how do we know what to do?


By the Holy Spirit. We must, absolutely MUST, learn to live by the governing of the Spirit.


It is not a bad thing to eat, but to overeat is gluttony. It is not a bad thing to drink alcohol, but in excess it is drunkenness. Having sex is not a bad thing, but outside of marriage it is fornication. What is the pattern here? Overindulgence - excess.


Once we cross that line from moderation to excess, we have allowed that behavior to control us, and we are no longer controlling the behavior. If a behavior is controlling us, then we are not being governed (led) by the Spirit but by the desire to engage in the behavior.


To live in grace, you must be led by the Holy Spirit. When you live by the law, the rules lead you.


Grace gives life; the law brings guilt and condemnation, and death.


Now rest assured that the Holy Spirit will not lead you to overindulge in any area. But his plan to get you out of debt, help you lose weight, work on a project, minister to others, succeed in business, etc. may not be how the rule books tell you it should be done.


If we get too comfortable living by plans, which are rules, then we get desensitized to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We fall into a rut of following the leader to achieve a goal, and it is a mindless trap.


Start your day with an acknowledgement of the Spirit. Ask him to lead you in every area of the day.  


If you need love, ask Him for love. If you need joy, ask Him for joy. If you need peace, ask Him for peace. If you need to be patient, ask Him for patience. If you need to be kinder, ask Him for kindness. If you need to be good, ask Him for goodness. If you need to be more faithful, ask Him for faithfulness. If you need to be gentler, ask Him for gentleness. If you need self-control, ask Him for self-control.


The Holy Spirit is the author and container of these things. If you need them, and we all do, get them from Him. Get them by fellowshipping with Him. God is on the throne. Jesus is at His right hand, but the Holy Spirit is her...

]]> Originally written October 14, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/14/the-rules-that-break-fellowship/


1 John 1:7

7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. (Amplified Bible)


I grew up in a denominational church that taught us we were constantly in and out of fellowship with Christ. I am sure they used the scripture above as their basis for this.


We would do something that we thought was a sin, and then we were told we were out of fellowship with God. To repair that, we would have to repent and get “right” with God, and then our fellowship would be restored.


But from everything I’ve been studying in depth over the past year, I have found that theology to be incorrect.


The scripture above says that as long as we are walking in the light as He is in the light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations.


The light is the revelation of the grace of Jesus Christ. How His death on the cross broke through so that we no longer had to live by the law.


As long as we walk in grace, we have true, unbroken fellowship. So when we are not walking in grace, we have broken that fellowship.


There are only two forms of existence for Christians. One is living in grace, and the other is living by the law. You are always doing one or the other.


So if you are not walking in grace, then you are living under the law, and that breaks your fellowship. In grace, sin has no effect on you. You cannot come under its penalty. But if you are living by the law, then you must suffer the penalty of that sin and therefore your fellowship is broken.


We have taken many phrases from the world, and we have adapted them to our thinking.


“You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”

“If you dance, you have to pay the piper.”


But there is one that we have actually taken from the word, but have taken it out of context.


“You reap what you sow.”


Where this scripture is taken from is a teaching on finances and giving. It is not talking about a sinful life. That may be the case if you are not born again, but if you are ‘in Christ’ then you are covered by His grace. If it were true, then everything Jesus died to give us on the cross would have been in vain.


So let’s talk about the law. I don’t think many of us have much problem not following rabbinical or Levitical laws, but what about all the other man-made laws that we ourselves have made through the years?


There are only two commands that Jesus himself commanded us to live by. Beyond that, every rule regarding how to live life is a man-made law.


Now, when talking about this, do not confuse the laws governing our communal living, such as speed limits, etc.


I’m talking about spiritual living and laws of that nature.  


  • If you get a tattoo, you are in sin.
  • If you’re a women and don’t wear dresses, you are in sin.
  • If you have long hair, you are in sin.
  • If you sing praise songs written after the 18th century, you are in sin.
  • If you use credit cards, you are in sin.
  • If you smoke, you are in sin.
  • If you don’t go to church each week, you are in sin.
  • If you drink alcohol, you are in sin.


These statements are all wrong. You have fallen out of fellowship, and the blood cannot cleanse your sin if you are in fact living by these laws. You have stopped living by grace and begun living by the law.


Now that I have your attention. Let me give you this scripture.


I Corinthians 6:12

12) Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me.


I Corinthians 10:23

23) Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.


In the first scripture, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about sexual behavior. In the second one, he is talking to them about eating. But his statement that everything is permissible brings it into the realm of not being sin. But no doubt it can lead to a damaging life. There are consequences to our actions. But that isn’t punishment from God for our sin.


What is the key here? If we are permitted to do anything, then what do we use to govern our lives? If we don’t have a set of laws like the Ten Commandments to live by, how do we know what to do?


By the Holy Spirit. We must, absolutely MUST, learn to live by the governing of the Spirit.


It is not a bad thing to eat, but to overeat is gluttony. It is not a bad thing to drink alcohol, but in excess it is drunkenness. Having sex is not a bad thing, but outside of marriage it is fornication. What is the pattern here? Overindulgence - excess.


Once we cross that line from moderation to excess, we have allowed that behavior to control us, and we are no longer controlling the behavior. If a behavior is controlling us, then we are not being governed (led) by the Spirit but by the desire to engage in the behavior.


To live in grace, you must be led by the Holy Spirit. When you live by the law, the rules lead you.


Grace gives life; the law brings guilt and condemnation, and death.


Now rest assured that the Holy Spirit will not lead you to overindulge in any area. But his plan to get you out of debt, help you lose weight, work on a project, minister to others, succeed in business, etc. may not be how the rule books tell you it should be done.


If we get too comfortable living by plans, which are rules, then we get desensitized to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We fall into a rut of following the leader to achieve a goal, and it is a mindless trap.


Start your day with an acknowledgement of the Spirit. Ask him to lead you in every area of the day.  


If you need love, ask Him for love. If you need joy, ask Him for joy. If you need peace, ask Him for peace. If you need to be patient, ask Him for patience. If you need to be kinder, ask Him for kindness. If you need to be good, ask Him for goodness. If you need to be more faithful, ask Him for faithfulness. If you need to be gentler, ask Him for gentleness. If you need self-control, ask Him for self-control.


The Holy Spirit is the author and container of these things. If you need them, and we all do, get them from Him. Get them by fellowshipping with Him. God is on the throne. Jesus is at His right hand, but the Holy Spirit is her...

]]> Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 729 Originally written October 14, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/14/the-rules-that-break-fellowship/


1 John 1:7

7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. (Amplified Bible)


I grew up in a denominational church that taught us we were constantly in and out of fellowship with Christ. I am sure they used the scripture above as their basis for this.


We would do something that we thought was a sin, and then we were told we were out of fellowship with God. To repair that, we would have to repent and get “right” with God, and then our fellowship would be restored.


But from everything I’ve been studying in depth over the past year, I have found that theology to be incorrect.


The scripture above says that as long as we are walking in the light as He is in the light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations.


The light is the revelation of the grace of Jesus Christ. How His death on the cross broke through so that we no longer had to live by the law.


As long as we walk in grace, we have true, unbroken fellowship. So when we are not walking in grace, we have broken that fellowship.


There are only two forms of existence for Christians. One is living in grace, and the other is living by the law. You are always doing one or the other.


So if you are not walking in grace, then you are living under the law, and that breaks your fellowship. In grace, sin has no effect on you. You cannot come under its penalty. But if you are living by the law, then you must suffer the penalty of that sin and therefore your fellowship is broken.


We have taken many phrases from the world, and we have adapted them to our thinking.


“You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”

“If you dance, you have to pay the piper.”


But there is one that we have actually taken from the word, but have taken it out of context.


“You reap what you sow.”


Where this scripture is taken from is a teaching on finances and giving. It is not talking about a sinful life. That may be the case if you are not born again, but if you are ‘in Christ’ then you are covered by His grace. If it were true, then everything Jesus died to give us on the cross would have been in vain.


So let’s talk about the law. I don’t think many of us have much problem not following rabbinical or Levitical laws, but what about all the other man-made laws that we ourselves have made through the years?


There are only two commands that Jesus himself commanded us to live by. Beyond that, every rule regarding how to live life is a man-made law.


Now, when talking about this, do not confuse the laws governing our communal living, such as speed limits, etc.


I’m talking about spiritual living and laws of that nature.  


  • If you get a tattoo, you are in sin.
  • If you’re a women and don’t wear dresses, you are in sin.
  • If you have long hair, you are in sin.
  • If you sing praise songs written after the 18th century, you are in sin.
  • If you use credit cards, you are in sin.
  • If you smoke, you are in sin.
  • If you don’t go to church each week, you are in sin.
  • If you drink alcohol, you are in sin.


These statements are all wrong. You have fallen out of fellowship, and the blood cannot cleanse your sin if you are in fact living by these laws. You have stopped living by grace and begun living by the law.


Now that I have your attention. Let me give you this scripture.


I Corinthians 6:12

12) Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me.


I Corinthians 10:23

23) Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.


In the first scripture, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about sexual behavior. In the second one, he is talking to them about eating. But his statement that everything is permissible brings it into the realm of not being sin. But no doubt it can lead to a damaging life. There are consequences to our actions. But that isn’t punishment from God for our sin.


What is the key here? If we are permitted to do anything, then what do we use to govern our lives? If we don’t have a set of laws like the Ten Commandments to live by, how do we know what to do?


By the Holy Spirit. We must, absolutely MUST, learn to live by the governing of the Spirit.


It is not a bad thing to eat, but to overeat is gluttony. It is not a bad thing to drink alcohol, but in excess it is drunkenness. Having sex is not a bad thing, but outside of marriage it is fornication. What is the pattern here? Overindulgence - excess.


Once we cross that line from moderation to excess, we have allowed that behavior to control us, and we are no longer controlling the behavior. If a behavior is controlling us, then we are not being governed (led) by the Spirit but by the desire to engage in the behavior.


To live in grace, you must be led by the Holy Spirit. When you live by the law, the rules lead you.


Grace gives life; the law brings guilt and condemnation, and death.


Now rest assured that the Holy Spirit will not lead you to overindulge in any area. But his plan to get you out of debt, help you lose weight, work on a project, minister to others, succeed in business, etc. may not be how the rule books tell you it should be done.


If we get too comfortable living by plans, which are rules, then we get desensitized to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We fall into a rut of following the leader to achieve a goal, and it is a mindless trap.


Start your day with an acknowledgement of the Spirit. Ask him to lead you in every area of the day.  


If you need love, ask Him for love. If you need joy, ask Him for joy. If you need peace, ask Him for peace. If you need to be patient, ask Him for patience. If you need to be kinder, ask Him for kindness. If you need to be good, ask Him for goodness. If you need to be more faithful, ask Him for faithfulness. If you need to be gentler, ask Him for gentleness. If you need self-control, ask Him for self-control.


The Holy Spirit is the author and container of these things. If you need them, and we all do, get them from Him. Get them by fellowshipping with Him. God is on the throne. Jesus is at His right hand, but the Holy Spirit is her...

]]> fellowship, breaking fellowship with God No Wednesday Word Study - Fellowship - Episode 10 1 1 10 10 Wednesday Word Study - Fellowship - Episode 10 full 3067ed2e-1456-4dc0-9046-b28dffdf4c37 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Originally written August 12, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/12/wednesday-word-study-fellowship/

Fellowship


Transliteration: koinónia
 Phonetic Spelling: (koy-nohn-ee'-ah)
 Short Definition: participation, communion, fellowship
 Definition: (lit: partnership) (a) contributory help, participation, (b) sharing in, communion, (c) spiritual fellowship, a fellowship in the spirit.  properly, what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship (partnership, community)

This is another word that Christians use often, which the rest of the world does not. We often use this word when referring to our Christian brothers and sisters.

But on Monday, the verse that was highlighted was:

I John 1:3 AMP

3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

In this verse, the word fellowship refers to our relationship with Father God. When we read about fellowship, I believe we draw a picture of friendly interaction and communication. Maybe even events where we gather and have fun. Many churches have ‘fellowship halls’ for just such occasions.

But the part that I really love about this word is in the definition where it says, ‘contributory help, participation’. When we think of fellowship in this way, it takes the meaning deeper than just friendly communication and fun times. Let’s insert this into that portion of the scripture.

And this contributory help and participation that we have is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (brackets removed for ease of reading).

Fellowship is so much more than we have ever realized. To provide contributory help is to invest in someone’s life. You are not just a casual observer, but a ‘participant’ in their life.

This is exactly what the church in the book of Acts was! When they fellowshipped, they contributed to each other’s lives, and they took part in each other’s lives, just as Father God contributes and takes part in our lives!

I must say that I am part of a small group that lives this type of fellowship, and am so thankful that God has placed me there. If you are a person who maybe attends church but is not actively involved in a close-knit group of Christian friends or some type of small group that exhibits this type of fellowship, then let me encourage you to seek one out!

God never intended for any of us to do life alone. He never intended for any of us to feel isolated from Him or other Christian believers.

And for those of you who maybe haven’t entered into this type of fellowship in your group, contributing and taking part in others’ lives, let me encourage you to stop sitting on the outskirts. Dive on in! It will be the most fulfilling type of life you can know!

Who can you reach out to? Make a difference for someone by contributing to and taking part in their life. Reach out, contribute, take part, and invest in others today.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Originally written August 12, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/12/wednesday-word-study-fellowship/

Fellowship


Transliteration: koinónia
 Phonetic Spelling: (koy-nohn-ee'-ah)
 Short Definition: participation, communion, fellowship
 Definition: (lit: partnership) (a) contributory help, participation, (b) sharing in, communion, (c) spiritual fellowship, a fellowship in the spirit.  properly, what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship (partnership, community)

This is another word that Christians use often, which the rest of the world does not. We often use this word when referring to our Christian brothers and sisters.

But on Monday, the verse that was highlighted was:

I John 1:3 AMP

3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

In this verse, the word fellowship refers to our relationship with Father God. When we read about fellowship, I believe we draw a picture of friendly interaction and communication. Maybe even events where we gather and have fun. Many churches have ‘fellowship halls’ for just such occasions.

But the part that I really love about this word is in the definition where it says, ‘contributory help, participation’. When we think of fellowship in this way, it takes the meaning deeper than just friendly communication and fun times. Let’s insert this into that portion of the scripture.

And this contributory help and participation that we have is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (brackets removed for ease of reading).

Fellowship is so much more than we have ever realized. To provide contributory help is to invest in someone’s life. You are not just a casual observer, but a ‘participant’ in their life.

This is exactly what the church in the book of Acts was! When they fellowshipped, they contributed to each other’s lives, and they took part in each other’s lives, just as Father God contributes and takes part in our lives!

I must say that I am part of a small group that lives this type of fellowship, and am so thankful that God has placed me there. If you are a person who maybe attends church but is not actively involved in a close-knit group of Christian friends or some type of small group that exhibits this type of fellowship, then let me encourage you to seek one out!

God never intended for any of us to do life alone. He never intended for any of us to feel isolated from Him or other Christian believers.

And for those of you who maybe haven’t entered into this type of fellowship in your group, contributing and taking part in others’ lives, let me encourage you to stop sitting on the outskirts. Dive on in! It will be the most fulfilling type of life you can know!

Who can you reach out to? Make a difference for someone by contributing to and taking part in their life. Reach out, contribute, take part, and invest in others today.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 331 Originally written August 12, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/12/wednesday-word-study-fellowship/

Fellowship


Transliteration: koinónia
 Phonetic Spelling: (koy-nohn-ee'-ah)
 Short Definition: participation, communion, fellowship
 Definition: (lit: partnership) (a) contributory help, participation, (b) sharing in, communion, (c) spiritual fellowship, a fellowship in the spirit.  properly, what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship (partnership, community)

This is another word that Christians use often, which the rest of the world does not. We often use this word when referring to our Christian brothers and sisters.

But on Monday, the verse that was highlighted was:

I John 1:3 AMP

3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

In this verse, the word fellowship refers to our relationship with Father God. When we read about fellowship, I believe we draw a picture of friendly interaction and communication. Maybe even events where we gather and have fun. Many churches have ‘fellowship halls’ for just such occasions.

But the part that I really love about this word is in the definition where it says, ‘contributory help, participation’. When we think of fellowship in this way, it takes the meaning deeper than just friendly communication and fun times. Let’s insert this into that portion of the scripture.

And this contributory help and participation that we have is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (brackets removed for ease of reading).

Fellowship is so much more than we have ever realized. To provide contributory help is to invest in someone’s life. You are not just a casual observer, but a ‘participant’ in their life.

This is exactly what the church in the book of Acts was! When they fellowshipped, they contributed to each other’s lives, and they took part in each other’s lives, just as Father God contributes and takes part in our lives!

I must say that I am part of a small group that lives this type of fellowship, and am so thankful that God has placed me there. If you are a person who maybe attends church but is not actively involved in a close-knit group of Christian friends or some type of small group that exhibits this type of fellowship, then let me encourage you to seek one out!

God never intended for any of us to do life alone. He never intended for any of us to feel isolated from Him or other Christian believers.

And for those of you who maybe haven’t entered into this type of fellowship in your group, contributing and taking part in others’ lives, let me encourage you to stop sitting on the outskirts. Dive on in! It will be the most fulfilling type of life you can know!

Who can you reach out to? Make a difference for someone by contributing to and taking part in their life. Reach out, contribute, take part, and invest in others today.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> fellowship No Monday Meditations - I John 1:3 - Episode 10 1 1 10 10 Monday Meditations - I John 1:3 - Episode 10 full e7f5b216-4be2-416f-8308-fe74039fd5ae https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Originally written June 17, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/06/17/do-people-ever-really-change/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

I John 1:3

3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified Bible)

The point that I want to bring out in today’s scripture is shown by using the Amplified Bible. And that point is where John states that we have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The brackets in the Amplified state that this is a distinguishing mark of Christians.

So, we as Christians know Jesus said the only way to come to God is through Him. We believe that and receive that. So we know that anyone who says that there are many ways to God and many forms of God is incorrect.

But here John states that the thing that distinguishes us is our fellowship with God and Jesus.

If you look at other so-called deities, they are worshiped as we worship our God, but the dividing line is that they don’t enter into a sonship with their deities who allow them the opportunity and privilege to have fellowship with them. They must serve them from a distance in a subservient position.

We honor God and revere Him, but He is our Father. Jesus is the firstborn of many, us! He is our big brother whom I love so dearly and can, and do, talk to continually.

I know my God is the one true God and I serve Him for that very reason, but just the thought that He also has made a way for me to be His child and for me to fellowship with Him is overwhelming humbling. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to serve any other deity but Jehovah God!


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Originally written June 17, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/06/17/do-people-ever-really-change/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

I John 1:3

3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified Bible)

The point that I want to bring out in today’s scripture is shown by using the Amplified Bible. And that point is where John states that we have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The brackets in the Amplified state that this is a distinguishing mark of Christians.

So, we as Christians know Jesus said the only way to come to God is through Him. We believe that and receive that. So we know that anyone who says that there are many ways to God and many forms of God is incorrect.

But here John states that the thing that distinguishes us is our fellowship with God and Jesus.

If you look at other so-called deities, they are worshiped as we worship our God, but the dividing line is that they don’t enter into a sonship with their deities who allow them the opportunity and privilege to have fellowship with them. They must serve them from a distance in a subservient position.

We honor God and revere Him, but He is our Father. Jesus is the firstborn of many, us! He is our big brother whom I love so dearly and can, and do, talk to continually.

I know my God is the one true God and I serve Him for that very reason, but just the thought that He also has made a way for me to be His child and for me to fellowship with Him is overwhelming humbling. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to serve any other deity but Jehovah God!


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 03 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 262 Originally written June 17, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/06/17/do-people-ever-really-change/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

I John 1:3

3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified Bible)

The point that I want to bring out in today’s scripture is shown by using the Amplified Bible. And that point is where John states that we have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The brackets in the Amplified state that this is a distinguishing mark of Christians.

So, we as Christians know Jesus said the only way to come to God is through Him. We believe that and receive that. So we know that anyone who says that there are many ways to God and many forms of God is incorrect.

But here John states that the thing that distinguishes us is our fellowship with God and Jesus.

If you look at other so-called deities, they are worshiped as we worship our God, but the dividing line is that they don’t enter into a sonship with their deities who allow them the opportunity and privilege to have fellowship with them. They must serve them from a distance in a subservient position.

We honor God and revere Him, but He is our Father. Jesus is the firstborn of many, us! He is our big brother whom I love so dearly and can, and do, talk to continually.

I know my God is the one true God and I serve Him for that very reason, but just the thought that He also has made a way for me to be His child and for me to fellowship with Him is overwhelming humbling. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to serve any other deity but Jehovah God!


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Archive Story | Do People Ever Really Change? - Episode 22 1 1 22 22 Archive Story | Do People Ever Really Change? - Episode 22 full 46ad5514-1349-46df-9d6c-c6d9a7c4fc06 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ We often say that people don’t change. We warn those in relationships of that very thing. If you are in a relationship and think that you can change the other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong. You never change that person.


The same is true of friendships. If you are staying in a relationship that causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong. You might as well raise the white flag and abandon ship right now. You will change no one.


But people do change. I’ve seen the most despicable, sinful people become godly men and women seeking after the Father. People I would have long since given up on become more than I ever thought they would. I’ve had to eat my words.


I’ve also seen people once seemingly on fire for God have an event or something happen in their lives and they are suddenly adrift out to sea to parts unknown.


Are you frustrated that you are not seeing the changes or transformation in your life that you so desire?


So what happens? What is it that changes a person for the better? Is it our own willpower? Is it developing good habits and doing all the right things? What creates change that is not just temporary?


True transformation always happens from the inside out and never when you are watching for it to happen.


I’ve been going to church for well over 50 years now. I’ve heard ‘be good’ preached from every standpoint that a preacher could preach it from. So for years I tried to do all the right things. Many were easy, but many were short-lived. No matter how hard I tried, I seemed to always slip back into previous behavior.


I tried to live by the rules, you know, the 10 Commandments and the teachings of the New Testament. But what I have found is that even if I force myself through my self-control, that is just me forcing myself to be a certain way. And honestly, this means nothing. For me to force myself to be ‘good’ without transformation means absolutely nothing! In II Corinthians 3, Paul refers to the 10 Commandments as the ministry that brought death, but that there is a better way, the ministry of the Spirit!


II Corinthians 3:7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!


What God wants for us is true transformation, a glory that will last. With true transformation, we will automatically choose the things that are best for us. We will automatically live by ‘the rules’ naturally without thinking about them because they are written on our hearts.


The Pharisees and Sadducees followed all the rules and made a great show of it, but they were not transformed. They were living a lie and were spiritually dead. The only people in the Bible that Jesus appeared to have no compassion for, but only disdain, were those who appeared to be doing good while all the while not being transformed on the inside. In fact, he was almost vicious towards them.


So today, if we say good and charming things to a person while in our hearts we are seething with anger towards them, are we transformed or just ‘following the rules’? If we go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help whenever needed, but dread it or, almost worse, do it to gain praise from God and man, we are not transformed.


If you are living by the rules because you know that is what you are supposed to do and not naturally from the heart, you have fallen from grace. For to live by grace is to live by the spirit and the unction of the spirit, not by rules, not even the 10 commandments.


So what are we to do then? Live lawlessly? Yes! We are to live rooted and grounded in Jesus. Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. Read the Word of God with passion. Then and only then will true transformation come. You will become like who you hang out with. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will become like Him.


Hebrews 7:18 So a previous physical regulation and command is cancelled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness—

19 For the Law never made anything perfect–but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God.”  


I have said this to too many people, but that seems overwhelming to them, almost like giving them another law to live by. Spend time with Jesus—check. Read the word - check. So, what is the key here? How do we desire to live by grace? How do we desire to spend more time with Jesus? How do we desire to spend more time reading the Word?


The key is in the only commandment of the New Testament. If you live by these, then transformation will begin, and you will live a godly life, a life of transformation.


Luke 10:27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”  


John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 “This I command you, that you love one another.  


So how do we just arbitrarily love Jesus? How do we develop a love that compels us to spend time with someone? How do we truly love others?


It begins with the realization of just how much He first loved us. We are all attracted to healthy love. But this is no ordinary love. It is a love that transforms, heals, protects, elevates to royalty, prospers, vindicates, admonishes, promotes, prefers, favors, comforts, and on and on and on.


The very first step to transformation is to learn about Jesus’ love for you. Learn about the Father’s love for you. Look in the concordance of your Bible or go to an online Bible and search out the term ‘love’. Read and re-read about God’s love for you. Read with an open heart, accepting and receiving.


As you soak in the reality of His love for you, you will transform into a Jesus lover. Then you will want to spend time with Him. Then you will want to read the Word. Then love and joy will flood your heart, and you will want to serve others.


Start today by seeking to learn more about His love for you.


<...

]]> We often say that people don’t change. We warn those in relationships of that very thing. If you are in a relationship and think that you can change the other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong. You never change that person.


The same is true of friendships. If you are staying in a relationship that causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong. You might as well raise the white flag and abandon ship right now. You will change no one.


But people do change. I’ve seen the most despicable, sinful people become godly men and women seeking after the Father. People I would have long since given up on become more than I ever thought they would. I’ve had to eat my words.


I’ve also seen people once seemingly on fire for God have an event or something happen in their lives and they are suddenly adrift out to sea to parts unknown.


Are you frustrated that you are not seeing the changes or transformation in your life that you so desire?


So what happens? What is it that changes a person for the better? Is it our own willpower? Is it developing good habits and doing all the right things? What creates change that is not just temporary?


True transformation always happens from the inside out and never when you are watching for it to happen.


I’ve been going to church for well over 50 years now. I’ve heard ‘be good’ preached from every standpoint that a preacher could preach it from. So for years I tried to do all the right things. Many were easy, but many were short-lived. No matter how hard I tried, I seemed to always slip back into previous behavior.


I tried to live by the rules, you know, the 10 Commandments and the teachings of the New Testament. But what I have found is that even if I force myself through my self-control, that is just me forcing myself to be a certain way. And honestly, this means nothing. For me to force myself to be ‘good’ without transformation means absolutely nothing! In II Corinthians 3, Paul refers to the 10 Commandments as the ministry that brought death, but that there is a better way, the ministry of the Spirit!


II Corinthians 3:7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!


What God wants for us is true transformation, a glory that will last. With true transformation, we will automatically choose the things that are best for us. We will automatically live by ‘the rules’ naturally without thinking about them because they are written on our hearts.


The Pharisees and Sadducees followed all the rules and made a great show of it, but they were not transformed. They were living a lie and were spiritually dead. The only people in the Bible that Jesus appeared to have no compassion for, but only disdain, were those who appeared to be doing good while all the while not being transformed on the inside. In fact, he was almost vicious towards them.


So today, if we say good and charming things to a person while in our hearts we are seething with anger towards them, are we transformed or just ‘following the rules’? If we go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help whenever needed, but dread it or, almost worse, do it to gain praise from God and man, we are not transformed.


If you are living by the rules because you know that is what you are supposed to do and not naturally from the heart, you have fallen from grace. For to live by grace is to live by the spirit and the unction of the spirit, not by rules, not even the 10 commandments.


So what are we to do then? Live lawlessly? Yes! We are to live rooted and grounded in Jesus. Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. Read the Word of God with passion. Then and only then will true transformation come. You will become like who you hang out with. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will become like Him.


Hebrews 7:18 So a previous physical regulation and command is cancelled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness—

19 For the Law never made anything perfect–but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God.”  


I have said this to too many people, but that seems overwhelming to them, almost like giving them another law to live by. Spend time with Jesus—check. Read the word - check. So, what is the key here? How do we desire to live by grace? How do we desire to spend more time with Jesus? How do we desire to spend more time reading the Word?


The key is in the only commandment of the New Testament. If you live by these, then transformation will begin, and you will live a godly life, a life of transformation.


Luke 10:27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”  


John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 “This I command you, that you love one another.  


So how do we just arbitrarily love Jesus? How do we develop a love that compels us to spend time with someone? How do we truly love others?


It begins with the realization of just how much He first loved us. We are all attracted to healthy love. But this is no ordinary love. It is a love that transforms, heals, protects, elevates to royalty, prospers, vindicates, admonishes, promotes, prefers, favors, comforts, and on and on and on.


The very first step to transformation is to learn about Jesus’ love for you. Learn about the Father’s love for you. Look in the concordance of your Bible or go to an online Bible and search out the term ‘love’. Read and re-read about God’s love for you. Read with an open heart, accepting and receiving.


As you soak in the reality of His love for you, you will transform into a Jesus lover. Then you will want to spend time with Him. Then you will want to read the Word. Then love and joy will flood your heart, and you will want to serve others.


Start today by seeking to learn more about His love for you.


<...

]]> Sun, 02 Aug 2026 18:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 760 We often say that people don’t change. We warn those in relationships of that very thing. If you are in a relationship and think that you can change the other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong. You never change that person.


The same is true of friendships. If you are staying in a relationship that causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong. You might as well raise the white flag and abandon ship right now. You will change no one.


But people do change. I’ve seen the most despicable, sinful people become godly men and women seeking after the Father. People I would have long since given up on become more than I ever thought they would. I’ve had to eat my words.


I’ve also seen people once seemingly on fire for God have an event or something happen in their lives and they are suddenly adrift out to sea to parts unknown.


Are you frustrated that you are not seeing the changes or transformation in your life that you so desire?


So what happens? What is it that changes a person for the better? Is it our own willpower? Is it developing good habits and doing all the right things? What creates change that is not just temporary?


True transformation always happens from the inside out and never when you are watching for it to happen.


I’ve been going to church for well over 50 years now. I’ve heard ‘be good’ preached from every standpoint that a preacher could preach it from. So for years I tried to do all the right things. Many were easy, but many were short-lived. No matter how hard I tried, I seemed to always slip back into previous behavior.


I tried to live by the rules, you know, the 10 Commandments and the teachings of the New Testament. But what I have found is that even if I force myself through my self-control, that is just me forcing myself to be a certain way. And honestly, this means nothing. For me to force myself to be ‘good’ without transformation means absolutely nothing! In II Corinthians 3, Paul refers to the 10 Commandments as the ministry that brought death, but that there is a better way, the ministry of the Spirit!


II Corinthians 3:7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!


What God wants for us is true transformation, a glory that will last. With true transformation, we will automatically choose the things that are best for us. We will automatically live by ‘the rules’ naturally without thinking about them because they are written on our hearts.


The Pharisees and Sadducees followed all the rules and made a great show of it, but they were not transformed. They were living a lie and were spiritually dead. The only people in the Bible that Jesus appeared to have no compassion for, but only disdain, were those who appeared to be doing good while all the while not being transformed on the inside. In fact, he was almost vicious towards them.


So today, if we say good and charming things to a person while in our hearts we are seething with anger towards them, are we transformed or just ‘following the rules’? If we go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help whenever needed, but dread it or, almost worse, do it to gain praise from God and man, we are not transformed.


If you are living by the rules because you know that is what you are supposed to do and not naturally from the heart, you have fallen from grace. For to live by grace is to live by the spirit and the unction of the spirit, not by rules, not even the 10 commandments.


So what are we to do then? Live lawlessly? Yes! We are to live rooted and grounded in Jesus. Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. Read the Word of God with passion. Then and only then will true transformation come. You will become like who you hang out with. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will become like Him.


Hebrews 7:18 So a previous physical regulation and command is cancelled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness—

19 For the Law never made anything perfect–but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God.”  


I have said this to too many people, but that seems overwhelming to them, almost like giving them another law to live by. Spend time with Jesus—check. Read the word - check. So, what is the key here? How do we desire to live by grace? How do we desire to spend more time with Jesus? How do we desire to spend more time reading the Word?


The key is in the only commandment of the New Testament. If you live by these, then transformation will begin, and you will live a godly life, a life of transformation.


Luke 10:27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”  


John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 “This I command you, that you love one another.  


So how do we just arbitrarily love Jesus? How do we develop a love that compels us to spend time with someone? How do we truly love others?


It begins with the realization of just how much He first loved us. We are all attracted to healthy love. But this is no ordinary love. It is a love that transforms, heals, protects, elevates to royalty, prospers, vindicates, admonishes, promotes, prefers, favors, comforts, and on and on and on.


The very first step to transformation is to learn about Jesus’ love for you. Learn about the Father’s love for you. Look in the concordance of your Bible or go to an online Bible and search out the term ‘love’. Read and re-read about God’s love for you. Read with an open heart, accepting and receiving.


As you soak in the reality of His love for you, you will transform into a Jesus lover. Then you will want to spend time with Him. Then you will want to read the Word. Then love and joy will flood your heart, and you will want to serve others.


Start today by seeking to learn more about His love for you.


<...

]]> No Miracle Story | God Sees Even When I Don’t - Episode 22 1 1 22 22 Miracle Story | God Sees Even When I Don’t - Episode 22 full b141feb9-b728-4127-9999-ae8bb086f9a6 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Keeping with the theme of God saving me from careless and stupid actions, here is another one. I am convinced that I have a gene in my DNA that has pre-programmed me to believe the best in a person, any person. So, needless to say, I have had my fair share of stupid moments when I believed someone was telling me the truth, and they were not.

Each time I would firmly resolve not to get duped again, and each time it would happen again. I Corinthians 13:6 in the Amplified Bible, says love believes all things [looking for the best in each one]. I guess you could say that is what that gene is in my DNA. It could be worse. I could be entirely cynical and suspicious of everyone and everything. I would rather love and believe the best.

But back to the story. There was a period of time when the entire world seemed to crash down on me. There were major, I mean major life events that I was having to deal with on my own. I won’t discuss those ordeals here because others are involved and I want to protect their privacy.

On top of those multiple major events, I had decided to buy another car and sell the one I had on my own. But I couldn’t sell it. The double car payments on top of everything else I was dealing with were almost more than I could endure. This was in the 90s when we sold things via advertisements in newspapers or specialty papers. I had placed an add in one such paper.

One night I got a call, and it was a man who said he helped people sell their cars. He had a lot, and instead of buying the car and reselling it, he would allow customers to put the car on his lot, and then he would get a commission or cut of the proceeds when sold.

I met him at his office. I didn’t see a car lot. Not sure why that wasn’t the first red flag. His office was virtually bare. Not sure why that wasn’t the second red flag. He seemed incredibly nervous. Not sure why that wasn’t the third red flag. 

I signed some kind of paper, gave him the keys and went home to wait for him to sell the car. I was excited and hopeful that this man, whom I didn’t know, would get the car sold.

About a week later, I got a call from the OKCPD. It was an officer who asked me a few questions, such as my name and address. Then he asked me if I owned a silver Mustang. I said yes. They said that they had my car and that I could come down to the police station and get it.

I was shocked. When I got there, two officers were in the parking lot of the station, standing beside my car. I explained to them what the situation was. They explained to me that I had been scammed, and that man had stolen my car.

They said it was a fluke that they had even stopped him. But they just felt like they should, and sure enough, nothing added up. They arrested him and gave me back my car. They were very serious when they said that I should feel incredibly lucky to have gotten my car back.

I knew it wasn’t luck. It had been another miracle from God in the midst of another stupid mistake. God retrieved my stolen car, which I didn’t even know had been stolen. The officers were so wonderful. They were so sympathetic towards me.

They told me this scam had happened before, and they rarely found the cars. When they did, they were usually in parts or crashed. Again, they emphasized just how fortunate it had been for them to stop the man and retrieve my car.

Needless to say, I was once again humiliated but so eternally grateful to God for getting my car back. Again, perfection is not a prerequisite for God to perform a miracle for you. If you trust in Him and lean on Him, He will work on your behalf even when you don’t know you need it. He will literally save you from yourself.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

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]]> Keeping with the theme of God saving me from careless and stupid actions, here is another one. I am convinced that I have a gene in my DNA that has pre-programmed me to believe the best in a person, any person. So, needless to say, I have had my fair share of stupid moments when I believed someone was telling me the truth, and they were not.

Each time I would firmly resolve not to get duped again, and each time it would happen again. I Corinthians 13:6 in the Amplified Bible, says love believes all things [looking for the best in each one]. I guess you could say that is what that gene is in my DNA. It could be worse. I could be entirely cynical and suspicious of everyone and everything. I would rather love and believe the best.

But back to the story. There was a period of time when the entire world seemed to crash down on me. There were major, I mean major life events that I was having to deal with on my own. I won’t discuss those ordeals here because others are involved and I want to protect their privacy.

On top of those multiple major events, I had decided to buy another car and sell the one I had on my own. But I couldn’t sell it. The double car payments on top of everything else I was dealing with were almost more than I could endure. This was in the 90s when we sold things via advertisements in newspapers or specialty papers. I had placed an add in one such paper.

One night I got a call, and it was a man who said he helped people sell their cars. He had a lot, and instead of buying the car and reselling it, he would allow customers to put the car on his lot, and then he would get a commission or cut of the proceeds when sold.

I met him at his office. I didn’t see a car lot. Not sure why that wasn’t the first red flag. His office was virtually bare. Not sure why that wasn’t the second red flag. He seemed incredibly nervous. Not sure why that wasn’t the third red flag. 

I signed some kind of paper, gave him the keys and went home to wait for him to sell the car. I was excited and hopeful that this man, whom I didn’t know, would get the car sold.

About a week later, I got a call from the OKCPD. It was an officer who asked me a few questions, such as my name and address. Then he asked me if I owned a silver Mustang. I said yes. They said that they had my car and that I could come down to the police station and get it.

I was shocked. When I got there, two officers were in the parking lot of the station, standing beside my car. I explained to them what the situation was. They explained to me that I had been scammed, and that man had stolen my car.

They said it was a fluke that they had even stopped him. But they just felt like they should, and sure enough, nothing added up. They arrested him and gave me back my car. They were very serious when they said that I should feel incredibly lucky to have gotten my car back.

I knew it wasn’t luck. It had been another miracle from God in the midst of another stupid mistake. God retrieved my stolen car, which I didn’t even know had been stolen. The officers were so wonderful. They were so sympathetic towards me.

They told me this scam had happened before, and they rarely found the cars. When they did, they were usually in parts or crashed. Again, they emphasized just how fortunate it had been for them to stop the man and retrieve my car.

Needless to say, I was once again humiliated but so eternally grateful to God for getting my car back. Again, perfection is not a prerequisite for God to perform a miracle for you. If you trust in Him and lean on Him, He will work on your behalf even when you don’t know you need it. He will literally save you from yourself.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Sun, 02 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 441 Keeping with the theme of God saving me from careless and stupid actions, here is another one. I am convinced that I have a gene in my DNA that has pre-programmed me to believe the best in a person, any person. So, needless to say, I have had my fair share of stupid moments when I believed someone was telling me the truth, and they were not.

Each time I would firmly resolve not to get duped again, and each time it would happen again. I Corinthians 13:6 in the Amplified Bible, says love believes all things [looking for the best in each one]. I guess you could say that is what that gene is in my DNA. It could be worse. I could be entirely cynical and suspicious of everyone and everything. I would rather love and believe the best.

But back to the story. There was a period of time when the entire world seemed to crash down on me. There were major, I mean major life events that I was having to deal with on my own. I won’t discuss those ordeals here because others are involved and I want to protect their privacy.

On top of those multiple major events, I had decided to buy another car and sell the one I had on my own. But I couldn’t sell it. The double car payments on top of everything else I was dealing with were almost more than I could endure. This was in the 90s when we sold things via advertisements in newspapers or specialty papers. I had placed an add in one such paper.

One night I got a call, and it was a man who said he helped people sell their cars. He had a lot, and instead of buying the car and reselling it, he would allow customers to put the car on his lot, and then he would get a commission or cut of the proceeds when sold.

I met him at his office. I didn’t see a car lot. Not sure why that wasn’t the first red flag. His office was virtually bare. Not sure why that wasn’t the second red flag. He seemed incredibly nervous. Not sure why that wasn’t the third red flag. 

I signed some kind of paper, gave him the keys and went home to wait for him to sell the car. I was excited and hopeful that this man, whom I didn’t know, would get the car sold.

About a week later, I got a call from the OKCPD. It was an officer who asked me a few questions, such as my name and address. Then he asked me if I owned a silver Mustang. I said yes. They said that they had my car and that I could come down to the police station and get it.

I was shocked. When I got there, two officers were in the parking lot of the station, standing beside my car. I explained to them what the situation was. They explained to me that I had been scammed, and that man had stolen my car.

They said it was a fluke that they had even stopped him. But they just felt like they should, and sure enough, nothing added up. They arrested him and gave me back my car. They were very serious when they said that I should feel incredibly lucky to have gotten my car back.

I knew it wasn’t luck. It had been another miracle from God in the midst of another stupid mistake. God retrieved my stolen car, which I didn’t even know had been stolen. The officers were so wonderful. They were so sympathetic towards me.

They told me this scam had happened before, and they rarely found the cars. When they did, they were usually in parts or crashed. Again, they emphasized just how fortunate it had been for them to stop the man and retrieve my car.

Needless to say, I was once again humiliated but so eternally grateful to God for getting my car back. Again, perfection is not a prerequisite for God to perform a miracle for you. If you trust in Him and lean on Him, He will work on your behalf even when you don’t know you need it. He will literally save you from yourself.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Friday Finale | Take Care – Episode 9 1 1 9 9 Friday Finale | Take Care – Episode 9 full cc913f83-c6e9-4506-8be4-d1588b3ad913 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ This week we have been talking about caring and the cares of this life. We have learned that we must care about certain things to a certain degree, but when something causes us concern that affects us adversely, then we have crossed the line to anxiety, which is basically fear. And fear is distrust in God.

I don’t think as Christians our problem is that we don’t care enough, but that we care too much. We carry many burdens that we were never supposed to carry. We reserve certain issues in our lives for us to carry while only bothering Father God with those things that “we just can’t take any more”.

But that was never meant to be. On Monday, we read the scripture:

1 Peter 5:7
 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)

I like where it emphasizes ‘casting the whole of your care upon Him’, “ALL of your anxieties, worries and concerns”. Not just some, and not just anxieties, but worries and concerns too.

How many times have I heard someone say, “well I guess I’ll just pray about it. That’s all I can do”. So many times casting that care, going to God is a last resort, not the first refuge.

We have geared ourselves up to worry and to be concerned. In times past, the degree of your worry was an unofficial indicator of how loving you were or how much you cared about someone. A person would tell someone that they worried about them as if it were the same as showing them the degree of how much they loved them.

We have worrying and anxiety down to a point whereas as a society we must take medication to slow that boat down. The cares of this life have so overtaken us we cannot live the life that Jesus came to bring us, the life that He died to give us.

John 10:10
 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). (Amplified Bible)

Worry and anxiety are the key things that the enemy is using to steal, kill, and destroy our lives. Jesus said that He came that we might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance to the full until it overflows. We cannot entertain worry and anxiety and enjoy our lives. The two do not and cannot co-exist.

When was the last time that you could genuinely say that you were enjoying your life in abundance to the full until it overflowed? Does that describe your life?

So we must cast our cares on Him. We must exchange our worries and concerns for His abundant life. As we hand over our worries to Him, He will in turn hand back to us a joyful life. A life of abundant joy to the full, until it overflows. And why is it important that it overflows? So that it will overflow onto those around us, so that they can genuinely see and experience the joy of the Lord.

What a trade-off! We hand Him the things that worry us and drag us down, and in exchange for that He hands us His perfect peace and joy. So why then do we hang on to the worry? So why then do we hang on to those anxieties? Do we really feel that we are abandoning those that we are worrying about if we cease to worry about them? By placing them in God’s hands, we are doing the most admirable and beneficial thing for them.

So the next time someone says, “So long, take care”, just smile and say, “I’ll have a great day, but I’ll leave the care with the Lord.”

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> This week we have been talking about caring and the cares of this life. We have learned that we must care about certain things to a certain degree, but when something causes us concern that affects us adversely, then we have crossed the line to anxiety, which is basically fear. And fear is distrust in God.

I don’t think as Christians our problem is that we don’t care enough, but that we care too much. We carry many burdens that we were never supposed to carry. We reserve certain issues in our lives for us to carry while only bothering Father God with those things that “we just can’t take any more”.

But that was never meant to be. On Monday, we read the scripture:

1 Peter 5:7
 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)

I like where it emphasizes ‘casting the whole of your care upon Him’, “ALL of your anxieties, worries and concerns”. Not just some, and not just anxieties, but worries and concerns too.

How many times have I heard someone say, “well I guess I’ll just pray about it. That’s all I can do”. So many times casting that care, going to God is a last resort, not the first refuge.

We have geared ourselves up to worry and to be concerned. In times past, the degree of your worry was an unofficial indicator of how loving you were or how much you cared about someone. A person would tell someone that they worried about them as if it were the same as showing them the degree of how much they loved them.

We have worrying and anxiety down to a point whereas as a society we must take medication to slow that boat down. The cares of this life have so overtaken us we cannot live the life that Jesus came to bring us, the life that He died to give us.

John 10:10
 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). (Amplified Bible)

Worry and anxiety are the key things that the enemy is using to steal, kill, and destroy our lives. Jesus said that He came that we might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance to the full until it overflows. We cannot entertain worry and anxiety and enjoy our lives. The two do not and cannot co-exist.

When was the last time that you could genuinely say that you were enjoying your life in abundance to the full until it overflowed? Does that describe your life?

So we must cast our cares on Him. We must exchange our worries and concerns for His abundant life. As we hand over our worries to Him, He will in turn hand back to us a joyful life. A life of abundant joy to the full, until it overflows. And why is it important that it overflows? So that it will overflow onto those around us, so that they can genuinely see and experience the joy of the Lord.

What a trade-off! We hand Him the things that worry us and drag us down, and in exchange for that He hands us His perfect peace and joy. So why then do we hang on to the worry? So why then do we hang on to those anxieties? Do we really feel that we are abandoning those that we are worrying about if we cease to worry about them? By placing them in God’s hands, we are doing the most admirable and beneficial thing for them.

So the next time someone says, “So long, take care”, just smile and say, “I’ll have a great day, but I’ll leave the care with the Lord.”

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 420 This week we have been talking about caring and the cares of this life. We have learned that we must care about certain things to a certain degree, but when something causes us concern that affects us adversely, then we have crossed the line to anxiety, which is basically fear. And fear is distrust in God.

I don’t think as Christians our problem is that we don’t care enough, but that we care too much. We carry many burdens that we were never supposed to carry. We reserve certain issues in our lives for us to carry while only bothering Father God with those things that “we just can’t take any more”.

But that was never meant to be. On Monday, we read the scripture:

1 Peter 5:7
 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)

I like where it emphasizes ‘casting the whole of your care upon Him’, “ALL of your anxieties, worries and concerns”. Not just some, and not just anxieties, but worries and concerns too.

How many times have I heard someone say, “well I guess I’ll just pray about it. That’s all I can do”. So many times casting that care, going to God is a last resort, not the first refuge.

We have geared ourselves up to worry and to be concerned. In times past, the degree of your worry was an unofficial indicator of how loving you were or how much you cared about someone. A person would tell someone that they worried about them as if it were the same as showing them the degree of how much they loved them.

We have worrying and anxiety down to a point whereas as a society we must take medication to slow that boat down. The cares of this life have so overtaken us we cannot live the life that Jesus came to bring us, the life that He died to give us.

John 10:10
 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). (Amplified Bible)

Worry and anxiety are the key things that the enemy is using to steal, kill, and destroy our lives. Jesus said that He came that we might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance to the full until it overflows. We cannot entertain worry and anxiety and enjoy our lives. The two do not and cannot co-exist.

When was the last time that you could genuinely say that you were enjoying your life in abundance to the full until it overflowed? Does that describe your life?

So we must cast our cares on Him. We must exchange our worries and concerns for His abundant life. As we hand over our worries to Him, He will in turn hand back to us a joyful life. A life of abundant joy to the full, until it overflows. And why is it important that it overflows? So that it will overflow onto those around us, so that they can genuinely see and experience the joy of the Lord.

What a trade-off! We hand Him the things that worry us and drag us down, and in exchange for that He hands us His perfect peace and joy. So why then do we hang on to the worry? So why then do we hang on to those anxieties? Do we really feel that we are abandoning those that we are worrying about if we cease to worry about them? By placing them in God’s hands, we are doing the most admirable and beneficial thing for them.

So the next time someone says, “So long, take care”, just smile and say, “I’ll have a great day, but I’ll leave the care with the Lord.”

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Wednesday Word Study | Cares – Episode 9 1 1 9 9 Wednesday Word Study | Cares – Episode 9 full 9ce4ffa1-2ed5-492f-9a58-d9a69d570a78 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Strongs Concordance Number:  3199

Transliteration: meló
Phonetic Spelling: (mel'-o)
Definition: it is a care, it is an object of anxiety, it concerns.


Our verse for Monday Meditations this week was I Peter 5:7 and in the King James reads like this…


I Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.


At first glance, we would think that the first care and careth are just similar versions of the same word, but they are not.

The word above is the second word, careth or cares. When it says that the Lord cares for us using this word, it means that we are the object of His concern.

Here is the word care as it is in the first part of the verse.

Strongs Concordance Number:  3308
Transliteration: merimna
Phonetic Spelling: (mer'-im-nah)
Definition: care, worry, anxiety, properly, a part, separated from the whole; (figuratively) worry (anxiety), dividing and fracturing a person's being into parts.

This word is a noun and was translated to anxiety in the Amplified Bible. It is similar, but paints a different picture from the first care. In the first word we are an object of concern or an object of care. Here we see that the word care is taken to an extreme.

When studying this word, it refers to word #3309, which is the verb derivative of this word. The expounded definition is: 

drawn in opposite directions; "divided into parts", "to go to pieces" because pulled apart (in different directions), like the force exerted by sinful anxiety (worry).

I have heard many mothers and fathers talk about worrying about their children. When they are not home late at night or don’t call when they should. There is no doubt that we should care (3199) about our children and the other parts of our lives.

But when that care (3199) turns into the care of (3308) it will literally pull us apart in different directions and we will go to pieces. And this is sinful. So let’s insert these meanings fully into this scripture and see what we find.

Casting all your sinful anxiety, which pulls you apart, upon him; for you are an object of His concern.

Do we take care or concern to the wrong extreme? When we feel it pulling us apart, we can know that we have crossed the line and we must cast this care on the Father, because we are the object of His care.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Strongs Concordance Number:  3199

Transliteration: meló
Phonetic Spelling: (mel'-o)
Definition: it is a care, it is an object of anxiety, it concerns.


Our verse for Monday Meditations this week was I Peter 5:7 and in the King James reads like this…


I Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.


At first glance, we would think that the first care and careth are just similar versions of the same word, but they are not.

The word above is the second word, careth or cares. When it says that the Lord cares for us using this word, it means that we are the object of His concern.

Here is the word care as it is in the first part of the verse.

Strongs Concordance Number:  3308
Transliteration: merimna
Phonetic Spelling: (mer'-im-nah)
Definition: care, worry, anxiety, properly, a part, separated from the whole; (figuratively) worry (anxiety), dividing and fracturing a person's being into parts.

This word is a noun and was translated to anxiety in the Amplified Bible. It is similar, but paints a different picture from the first care. In the first word we are an object of concern or an object of care. Here we see that the word care is taken to an extreme.

When studying this word, it refers to word #3309, which is the verb derivative of this word. The expounded definition is: 

drawn in opposite directions; "divided into parts", "to go to pieces" because pulled apart (in different directions), like the force exerted by sinful anxiety (worry).

I have heard many mothers and fathers talk about worrying about their children. When they are not home late at night or don’t call when they should. There is no doubt that we should care (3199) about our children and the other parts of our lives.

But when that care (3199) turns into the care of (3308) it will literally pull us apart in different directions and we will go to pieces. And this is sinful. So let’s insert these meanings fully into this scripture and see what we find.

Casting all your sinful anxiety, which pulls you apart, upon him; for you are an object of His concern.

Do we take care or concern to the wrong extreme? When we feel it pulling us apart, we can know that we have crossed the line and we must cast this care on the Father, because we are the object of His care.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 331 Strongs Concordance Number:  3199

Transliteration: meló
Phonetic Spelling: (mel'-o)
Definition: it is a care, it is an object of anxiety, it concerns.


Our verse for Monday Meditations this week was I Peter 5:7 and in the King James reads like this…


I Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.


At first glance, we would think that the first care and careth are just similar versions of the same word, but they are not.

The word above is the second word, careth or cares. When it says that the Lord cares for us using this word, it means that we are the object of His concern.

Here is the word care as it is in the first part of the verse.

Strongs Concordance Number:  3308
Transliteration: merimna
Phonetic Spelling: (mer'-im-nah)
Definition: care, worry, anxiety, properly, a part, separated from the whole; (figuratively) worry (anxiety), dividing and fracturing a person's being into parts.

This word is a noun and was translated to anxiety in the Amplified Bible. It is similar, but paints a different picture from the first care. In the first word we are an object of concern or an object of care. Here we see that the word care is taken to an extreme.

When studying this word, it refers to word #3309, which is the verb derivative of this word. The expounded definition is: 

drawn in opposite directions; "divided into parts", "to go to pieces" because pulled apart (in different directions), like the force exerted by sinful anxiety (worry).

I have heard many mothers and fathers talk about worrying about their children. When they are not home late at night or don’t call when they should. There is no doubt that we should care (3199) about our children and the other parts of our lives.

But when that care (3199) turns into the care of (3308) it will literally pull us apart in different directions and we will go to pieces. And this is sinful. So let’s insert these meanings fully into this scripture and see what we find.

Casting all your sinful anxiety, which pulls you apart, upon him; for you are an object of His concern.

Do we take care or concern to the wrong extreme? When we feel it pulling us apart, we can know that we have crossed the line and we must cast this care on the Father, because we are the object of His care.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Monday Meditations | I Peter 5:7 – Episode 9 1 1 9 9 Monday Meditations | I Peter 5:7 – Episode 9 full d8b2707d-0da3-495d-9ba8-125892d06ba5 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Today’s Meditation Verse:

1 Peter 5:7

7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)

I Peter 5:7

7 casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (King James Bible)


Mostly when a scripture comes to my mind, it comes to me in the King James Version because that was the version I was reading and studying when the word of God first came alive to me and burned into my heart.

So that is the way I remember it, not from memorization, but because that is how it was seared into my heart.

But many years later, I discovered the Amplified Bible and fell in love all over again. Above you will see today’s Monday Meditation scripture in both the King James Version and also in the Amplified version.

The Amplified version expounds the meaning of the words so that you will have a clearer understanding. Sometimes, if you are reading long passages and you are not used to it, it becomes cumbersome. But in time you become comfortable with how the brackets divide out the meanings.

Today’s scripture is amazing in the Amplified version. It tells you to take the WHOLE of your care, not just a bit or the part that is troubling you the most, but ALL of your care and concerns and cast it [ONCE AND FOR ALL] on Him.

How many times do we attempt to do that and then, before we know it, we have picked them back up and have to do it all over again? Well, we must practice the art of casting them once and for all on Him!

We can do this peacefully because—He cares for you and me affectionately and cares about you and me watchfully! Awe, His eye is there, watching over us always! Affectionately, as a parent watches over that tiny infant that they love so dearly, always watching, always attentive. That is our Father, God!


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

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]]> Today’s Meditation Verse:

1 Peter 5:7

7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)

I Peter 5:7

7 casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (King James Bible)


Mostly when a scripture comes to my mind, it comes to me in the King James Version because that was the version I was reading and studying when the word of God first came alive to me and burned into my heart.

So that is the way I remember it, not from memorization, but because that is how it was seared into my heart.

But many years later, I discovered the Amplified Bible and fell in love all over again. Above you will see today’s Monday Meditation scripture in both the King James Version and also in the Amplified version.

The Amplified version expounds the meaning of the words so that you will have a clearer understanding. Sometimes, if you are reading long passages and you are not used to it, it becomes cumbersome. But in time you become comfortable with how the brackets divide out the meanings.

Today’s scripture is amazing in the Amplified version. It tells you to take the WHOLE of your care, not just a bit or the part that is troubling you the most, but ALL of your care and concerns and cast it [ONCE AND FOR ALL] on Him.

How many times do we attempt to do that and then, before we know it, we have picked them back up and have to do it all over again? Well, we must practice the art of casting them once and for all on Him!

We can do this peacefully because—He cares for you and me affectionately and cares about you and me watchfully! Awe, His eye is there, watching over us always! Affectionately, as a parent watches over that tiny infant that they love so dearly, always watching, always attentive. That is our Father, God!


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 27 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 268 Today’s Meditation Verse:

1 Peter 5:7

7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)

I Peter 5:7

7 casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (King James Bible)


Mostly when a scripture comes to my mind, it comes to me in the King James Version because that was the version I was reading and studying when the word of God first came alive to me and burned into my heart.

So that is the way I remember it, not from memorization, but because that is how it was seared into my heart.

But many years later, I discovered the Amplified Bible and fell in love all over again. Above you will see today’s Monday Meditation scripture in both the King James Version and also in the Amplified version.

The Amplified version expounds the meaning of the words so that you will have a clearer understanding. Sometimes, if you are reading long passages and you are not used to it, it becomes cumbersome. But in time you become comfortable with how the brackets divide out the meanings.

Today’s scripture is amazing in the Amplified version. It tells you to take the WHOLE of your care, not just a bit or the part that is troubling you the most, but ALL of your care and concerns and cast it [ONCE AND FOR ALL] on Him.

How many times do we attempt to do that and then, before we know it, we have picked them back up and have to do it all over again? Well, we must practice the art of casting them once and for all on Him!

We can do this peacefully because—He cares for you and me affectionately and cares about you and me watchfully! Awe, His eye is there, watching over us always! Affectionately, as a parent watches over that tiny infant that they love so dearly, always watching, always attentive. That is our Father, God!


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Archive Story | GIGO - Episode 21 1 1 21 21 Archive Story | GIGO - Episode 21 full 9d6847fc-665a-43be-af77-14272c5d47f4 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ I remember many years ago when I was studying computer science, first in Vo-Tech in the 70s, then in college in the 80s, there was a term that was frequently used. It sounded funny, and we tossed it around flippantly, but nevertheless, one that is true and was birthed out of truth. The irony of that term is that it is pretty much universal, not just for computers. That term is GIGO, or Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Through the years, I realize this is critically true of us as humans. From the moment a baby is born, they are learning. They are taking in information which will develop them into the person they will become. The better the information they take in, the better person they will grow to be.

They take in information through their eyes, ears, and touch. The first years of a baby’s life are massive sequences of data input and storage. Each progressive step is built on the previous step. Much, if not most, of what a child learns is not taught to the child directly, but indirectly as they perceive the world around them.

We are still the same today. It is probably safe to say, however, that our learning process slows with time. We stop receiving new experiences or become set in our thoughts and ideals and refuse to receive or accept information that is new to us. We develop biased opinions over time, which influences every thought or piece of knowledge that we receive.

Right now, I am still studying the parable of the sower. God keeps impressing on me that there is much more to see in that parable than we have ever dreamed. Today, this scripture stood out to me.

 

Luke 8:18

18 Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and guesses and supposes that he has will be taken away. Amplified Bible


The word ‘how’ really stuck out to me. Not be careful ‘that’ we listen, but ‘how’. As I meditated on this, reading the definitions of the Greek root words, I saw this as further confirmation that we must listen to the Word with acceptance and not resistance, as I spoke about in the recent blog Good Ground.

There is a strong warning in this verse. To gain spiritual knowledge, you must accept that whatever the Word says is truth and determine to receive that truth with an open mind. If you do this, you will gain more spiritual knowledge. The spiritual knowledge needed to produce a good outcome in your life.

If you don’t; if you close off your mind and heart to aspects of the bible, picking and choosing what you decide to believe and manipulate the interpretation based on pre-disposed ideas, you will lose even that spiritual knowledge that you think you already have.

We must feed on the truth of the Word and not on false, partially correct, or out of context teachings. They will produce toxic results and will not transform our lives the way Christ intended. So how then do we know if what we are hearing is delivered to us with the correct interpretation and not with a predisposed bias?

 Hebrews 8:10-11

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 
 11 And it will nevermore be necessary for each one to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen or each one his brother, saying, Know (perceive, have knowledge of, and get acquainted by experience with) the Lord, for all will know Me, from the smallest to the greatest of them. Amplified Bible.

It is good to listen to preachers and teachers of the Word, but the most important thing you can do is read the Word for yourself. Read it with an open mind and ask with sincerity for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the accurate interpretation of the Word. Don’t read it with a preconceived notion or thought, but fresh and new as the Spirit reveals it to you, and then accept it as it is.

That is one of the primary services of the Holy Spirit to us: to reveal to us the truth in the Word. If you ask with a genuine heart to learn and know the truth, then you are developing good ground and this is HOW you listen, by listening not to men only, but to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you the truth with an open mind.

And with this truth, with this revelation comes the power to transform, to change. Not by your own might, but by the Spirit.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> I remember many years ago when I was studying computer science, first in Vo-Tech in the 70s, then in college in the 80s, there was a term that was frequently used. It sounded funny, and we tossed it around flippantly, but nevertheless, one that is true and was birthed out of truth. The irony of that term is that it is pretty much universal, not just for computers. That term is GIGO, or Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Through the years, I realize this is critically true of us as humans. From the moment a baby is born, they are learning. They are taking in information which will develop them into the person they will become. The better the information they take in, the better person they will grow to be.

They take in information through their eyes, ears, and touch. The first years of a baby’s life are massive sequences of data input and storage. Each progressive step is built on the previous step. Much, if not most, of what a child learns is not taught to the child directly, but indirectly as they perceive the world around them.

We are still the same today. It is probably safe to say, however, that our learning process slows with time. We stop receiving new experiences or become set in our thoughts and ideals and refuse to receive or accept information that is new to us. We develop biased opinions over time, which influences every thought or piece of knowledge that we receive.

Right now, I am still studying the parable of the sower. God keeps impressing on me that there is much more to see in that parable than we have ever dreamed. Today, this scripture stood out to me.

 

Luke 8:18

18 Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and guesses and supposes that he has will be taken away. Amplified Bible


The word ‘how’ really stuck out to me. Not be careful ‘that’ we listen, but ‘how’. As I meditated on this, reading the definitions of the Greek root words, I saw this as further confirmation that we must listen to the Word with acceptance and not resistance, as I spoke about in the recent blog Good Ground.

There is a strong warning in this verse. To gain spiritual knowledge, you must accept that whatever the Word says is truth and determine to receive that truth with an open mind. If you do this, you will gain more spiritual knowledge. The spiritual knowledge needed to produce a good outcome in your life.

If you don’t; if you close off your mind and heart to aspects of the bible, picking and choosing what you decide to believe and manipulate the interpretation based on pre-disposed ideas, you will lose even that spiritual knowledge that you think you already have.

We must feed on the truth of the Word and not on false, partially correct, or out of context teachings. They will produce toxic results and will not transform our lives the way Christ intended. So how then do we know if what we are hearing is delivered to us with the correct interpretation and not with a predisposed bias?

 Hebrews 8:10-11

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 
 11 And it will nevermore be necessary for each one to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen or each one his brother, saying, Know (perceive, have knowledge of, and get acquainted by experience with) the Lord, for all will know Me, from the smallest to the greatest of them. Amplified Bible.

It is good to listen to preachers and teachers of the Word, but the most important thing you can do is read the Word for yourself. Read it with an open mind and ask with sincerity for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the accurate interpretation of the Word. Don’t read it with a preconceived notion or thought, but fresh and new as the Spirit reveals it to you, and then accept it as it is.

That is one of the primary services of the Holy Spirit to us: to reveal to us the truth in the Word. If you ask with a genuine heart to learn and know the truth, then you are developing good ground and this is HOW you listen, by listening not to men only, but to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you the truth with an open mind.

And with this truth, with this revelation comes the power to transform, to change. Not by your own might, but by the Spirit.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Sun, 26 Jul 2026 18:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 509 I remember many years ago when I was studying computer science, first in Vo-Tech in the 70s, then in college in the 80s, there was a term that was frequently used. It sounded funny, and we tossed it around flippantly, but nevertheless, one that is true and was birthed out of truth. The irony of that term is that it is pretty much universal, not just for computers. That term is GIGO, or Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Through the years, I realize this is critically true of us as humans. From the moment a baby is born, they are learning. They are taking in information which will develop them into the person they will become. The better the information they take in, the better person they will grow to be.

They take in information through their eyes, ears, and touch. The first years of a baby’s life are massive sequences of data input and storage. Each progressive step is built on the previous step. Much, if not most, of what a child learns is not taught to the child directly, but indirectly as they perceive the world around them.

We are still the same today. It is probably safe to say, however, that our learning process slows with time. We stop receiving new experiences or become set in our thoughts and ideals and refuse to receive or accept information that is new to us. We develop biased opinions over time, which influences every thought or piece of knowledge that we receive.

Right now, I am still studying the parable of the sower. God keeps impressing on me that there is much more to see in that parable than we have ever dreamed. Today, this scripture stood out to me.

 

Luke 8:18

18 Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and guesses and supposes that he has will be taken away. Amplified Bible


The word ‘how’ really stuck out to me. Not be careful ‘that’ we listen, but ‘how’. As I meditated on this, reading the definitions of the Greek root words, I saw this as further confirmation that we must listen to the Word with acceptance and not resistance, as I spoke about in the recent blog Good Ground.

There is a strong warning in this verse. To gain spiritual knowledge, you must accept that whatever the Word says is truth and determine to receive that truth with an open mind. If you do this, you will gain more spiritual knowledge. The spiritual knowledge needed to produce a good outcome in your life.

If you don’t; if you close off your mind and heart to aspects of the bible, picking and choosing what you decide to believe and manipulate the interpretation based on pre-disposed ideas, you will lose even that spiritual knowledge that you think you already have.

We must feed on the truth of the Word and not on false, partially correct, or out of context teachings. They will produce toxic results and will not transform our lives the way Christ intended. So how then do we know if what we are hearing is delivered to us with the correct interpretation and not with a predisposed bias?

 Hebrews 8:10-11

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 
 11 And it will nevermore be necessary for each one to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen or each one his brother, saying, Know (perceive, have knowledge of, and get acquainted by experience with) the Lord, for all will know Me, from the smallest to the greatest of them. Amplified Bible.

It is good to listen to preachers and teachers of the Word, but the most important thing you can do is read the Word for yourself. Read it with an open mind and ask with sincerity for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the accurate interpretation of the Word. Don’t read it with a preconceived notion or thought, but fresh and new as the Spirit reveals it to you, and then accept it as it is.

That is one of the primary services of the Holy Spirit to us: to reveal to us the truth in the Word. If you ask with a genuine heart to learn and know the truth, then you are developing good ground and this is HOW you listen, by listening not to men only, but to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you the truth with an open mind.

And with this truth, with this revelation comes the power to transform, to change. Not by your own might, but by the Spirit.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Miracle Story | God Surprised Me - Episode 21 1 1 21 21 Miracle Story | God Surprised Me - Episode 21 full 94ed0ddc-9717-483c-97d1-8abc2e055124 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/episodes/ Several years after graduating from college, I worked for various companies. I hated leaving jobs; however, various situations led me to work for several employers through those years. It was good in the aspect that I gained a ton of expert knowledge.

One morning while I was driving to work, a thought ran through my mind, not a prayer. The thought was so outlandish that I would never have been able to believe it could have come true. Just musings in my mind, as I sometimes did.

I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be nice if I could work from home, but not with a business of my own? But with a company, so I could get a steady paycheck. Oh, and maybe even get to travel on top of that. I chuckled as I rolled this over in my mind at the cherry I had added on top.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Several years after graduating from college, I worked for various companies. I hated leaving jobs; however, various situations led me to work for several employers through those years. It was good in the aspect that I gained a ton of expert knowledge.

One morning while I was driving to work, a thought ran through my mind, not a prayer. The thought was so outlandish that I would never have been able to believe it could have come true. Just musings in my mind, as I sometimes did.

I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be nice if I could work from home, but not with a business of my own? But with a company, so I could get a steady paycheck. Oh, and maybe even get to travel on top of that. I chuckled as I rolled this over in my mind at the cherry I had added on top.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Sun, 26 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 460 Several years after graduating from college, I worked for various companies. I hated leaving jobs; however, various situations led me to work for several employers through those years. It was good in the aspect that I gained a ton of expert knowledge.

One morning while I was driving to work, a thought ran through my mind, not a prayer. The thought was so outlandish that I would never have been able to believe it could have come true. Just musings in my mind, as I sometimes did.

I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be nice if I could work from home, but not with a business of my own? But with a company, so I could get a steady paycheck. Oh, and maybe even get to travel on top of that. I chuckled as I rolled this over in my mind at the cherry I had added on top.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Friday Finale | Orphans - Episode 8 1 1 10 10 Friday Finale | Orphans - Episode 8 full 952b0567-e79f-40a5-8ff8-d4d604068e31 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/episodes/ Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/23/orphans/

Romans 8:19-23 (Amplified Bible)

19 For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].

20 For the creation (nature) was subjected to [i]frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it--[yet] with the hope(D)

21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children.

22 We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.(E)

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God's sons).


Picture the scene from Apple Cider Rules when a couple came to look over the children at the orphanage to find a child. All the children made sure that day that they looked their best. They tried not to hope too much that they would be chosen. There was always a huge possibility of disappointment. As the children grew older, their chances of being chosen grew slim, and many became adults having never been chosen.


We are orphans. And yet, when we hear that there is a Father who owns and rules the entire universe, that wants us to be His children, wants to adopt us, many times we just shrug our shoulders and walk away.


This Father had a son, only one. But he wanted to be able to adopt us so much that he gave up that son so that it would be legal for Him to adopt us all. But rather than waiting with anticipation for that moment when we could be chosen with our hands extended high in the air, crying out, ‘pick me, pick me”, we wait unconcerned.


The entire universe is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. They wait expectantly for that very day. But it is delayed. This Father who rules the universe waits to see that as many as desire can become His sons. But one day the wait will be over and those sons will be revealed.


Yes, I know we call ourselves children of God if we go to church and we said the sinner’s prayer at one time. But if you remember from the Wednesday Word Study last week when we talked about the word children, that word means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


But how many out there who call themselves a child of God really are? Do they, in their heart of hearts, live in FULL dependence on the heavenly Father, willingly relying upon Him in GLAD submission?


Do you? Do I?


Phillipians 4:13
 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.


This is a favorite scripture for Christians. We love to quote it. It gives us encouragement. But what I have come to see and to know is that our perception of this scripture is that we can do many things, but for those things we cannot do, He will give us strength. We go through our days full steam ahead, doing what we do. We do our jobs; we do our lives at home. But when it gets tough, we turn to God.


The Father that I know wants us to submit as little children do. Children who rely totally and completely on Him as infants do on their mothers.  He calls those who are COMPLETELY in all areas dependent and submissive to Him, His children.


Are there areas of our lives that we have chosen not to submit to Him? A stronghold or a bad habit? We will let him handle all but that? What about areas that we feel we have conquered on our own, from our own strength, persistence, and willpower? It may have appeared that we have conquered it, but if it was brought under our own submission, then it was not brought under the Father’s submission.


He wants to do it! He wants to take care of us in all areas. He wants us totally submitted and relying on Him completely. He wants to do the small things for us, not just the things we deem too difficult for us to handle. Then he can call us children.


When will those children be revealed? Not until that day when we are redeemed from our flesh. 


I believe that the revelation on that day will be that so many who declared by their voice that they were children of God, were not really His children at all.


Are you hungry for Him? Are you waiting anxiously to be adopted? So you submit EVERY area to Him willingly and submissively? What are you waiting for? You must trust Him with your entire life. Your sonship depends on it.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

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]]> Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/23/orphans/

Romans 8:19-23 (Amplified Bible)

19 For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].

20 For the creation (nature) was subjected to [i]frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it--[yet] with the hope(D)

21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children.

22 We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.(E)

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God's sons).


Picture the scene from Apple Cider Rules when a couple came to look over the children at the orphanage to find a child. All the children made sure that day that they looked their best. They tried not to hope too much that they would be chosen. There was always a huge possibility of disappointment. As the children grew older, their chances of being chosen grew slim, and many became adults having never been chosen.


We are orphans. And yet, when we hear that there is a Father who owns and rules the entire universe, that wants us to be His children, wants to adopt us, many times we just shrug our shoulders and walk away.


This Father had a son, only one. But he wanted to be able to adopt us so much that he gave up that son so that it would be legal for Him to adopt us all. But rather than waiting with anticipation for that moment when we could be chosen with our hands extended high in the air, crying out, ‘pick me, pick me”, we wait unconcerned.


The entire universe is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. They wait expectantly for that very day. But it is delayed. This Father who rules the universe waits to see that as many as desire can become His sons. But one day the wait will be over and those sons will be revealed.


Yes, I know we call ourselves children of God if we go to church and we said the sinner’s prayer at one time. But if you remember from the Wednesday Word Study last week when we talked about the word children, that word means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


But how many out there who call themselves a child of God really are? Do they, in their heart of hearts, live in FULL dependence on the heavenly Father, willingly relying upon Him in GLAD submission?


Do you? Do I?


Phillipians 4:13
 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.


This is a favorite scripture for Christians. We love to quote it. It gives us encouragement. But what I have come to see and to know is that our perception of this scripture is that we can do many things, but for those things we cannot do, He will give us strength. We go through our days full steam ahead, doing what we do. We do our jobs; we do our lives at home. But when it gets tough, we turn to God.


The Father that I know wants us to submit as little children do. Children who rely totally and completely on Him as infants do on their mothers.  He calls those who are COMPLETELY in all areas dependent and submissive to Him, His children.


Are there areas of our lives that we have chosen not to submit to Him? A stronghold or a bad habit? We will let him handle all but that? What about areas that we feel we have conquered on our own, from our own strength, persistence, and willpower? It may have appeared that we have conquered it, but if it was brought under our own submission, then it was not brought under the Father’s submission.


He wants to do it! He wants to take care of us in all areas. He wants us totally submitted and relying on Him completely. He wants to do the small things for us, not just the things we deem too difficult for us to handle. Then he can call us children.


When will those children be revealed? Not until that day when we are redeemed from our flesh. 


I believe that the revelation on that day will be that so many who declared by their voice that they were children of God, were not really His children at all.


Are you hungry for Him? Are you waiting anxiously to be adopted? So you submit EVERY area to Him willingly and submissively? What are you waiting for? You must trust Him with your entire life. Your sonship depends on it.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

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]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 509 Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/23/orphans/

Romans 8:19-23 (Amplified Bible)

19 For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].

20 For the creation (nature) was subjected to [i]frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it--[yet] with the hope(D)

21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children.

22 We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.(E)

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God's sons).


Picture the scene from Apple Cider Rules when a couple came to look over the children at the orphanage to find a child. All the children made sure that day that they looked their best. They tried not to hope too much that they would be chosen. There was always a huge possibility of disappointment. As the children grew older, their chances of being chosen grew slim, and many became adults having never been chosen.


We are orphans. And yet, when we hear that there is a Father who owns and rules the entire universe, that wants us to be His children, wants to adopt us, many times we just shrug our shoulders and walk away.


This Father had a son, only one. But he wanted to be able to adopt us so much that he gave up that son so that it would be legal for Him to adopt us all. But rather than waiting with anticipation for that moment when we could be chosen with our hands extended high in the air, crying out, ‘pick me, pick me”, we wait unconcerned.


The entire universe is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. They wait expectantly for that very day. But it is delayed. This Father who rules the universe waits to see that as many as desire can become His sons. But one day the wait will be over and those sons will be revealed.


Yes, I know we call ourselves children of God if we go to church and we said the sinner’s prayer at one time. But if you remember from the Wednesday Word Study last week when we talked about the word children, that word means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


But how many out there who call themselves a child of God really are? Do they, in their heart of hearts, live in FULL dependence on the heavenly Father, willingly relying upon Him in GLAD submission?


Do you? Do I?


Phillipians 4:13
 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.


This is a favorite scripture for Christians. We love to quote it. It gives us encouragement. But what I have come to see and to know is that our perception of this scripture is that we can do many things, but for those things we cannot do, He will give us strength. We go through our days full steam ahead, doing what we do. We do our jobs; we do our lives at home. But when it gets tough, we turn to God.


The Father that I know wants us to submit as little children do. Children who rely totally and completely on Him as infants do on their mothers.  He calls those who are COMPLETELY in all areas dependent and submissive to Him, His children.


Are there areas of our lives that we have chosen not to submit to Him? A stronghold or a bad habit? We will let him handle all but that? What about areas that we feel we have conquered on our own, from our own strength, persistence, and willpower? It may have appeared that we have conquered it, but if it was brought under our own submission, then it was not brought under the Father’s submission.


He wants to do it! He wants to take care of us in all areas. He wants us totally submitted and relying on Him completely. He wants to do the small things for us, not just the things we deem too difficult for us to handle. Then he can call us children.


When will those children be revealed? Not until that day when we are redeemed from our flesh. 


I believe that the revelation on that day will be that so many who declared by their voice that they were children of God, were not really His children at all.


Are you hungry for Him? Are you waiting anxiously to be adopted? So you submit EVERY area to Him willingly and submissively? What are you waiting for? You must trust Him with your entire life. Your sonship depends on it.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Wednesday Word Study - Children - Episode 8 1 1 8 8 Wednesday Word Study - Children - Episode 8 full 40589cfa-0d59-42cd-a296-987b80c0ab2c https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Wednesday Word Study | Children - Episode 8


Originally written September 28, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/28/wednesday-word-study-children/

Children

John 1:12

12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,


Children
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043
Transliteration: teknon
 Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non)
 Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


In this particular scripture the word children means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


It has often been said that the kingdom of God is backwards to the world.  In God’s kingdom you give to receive where the world takes and holds onto, to have.  And this is only one of many comparisons.


The scripture above is another such precept.  When we receive Christ we are usually strong and mentally self-sufficient.  Even in the Jewish culture the age of 12 or 13 is considered the beginning of adulthood for spiritual purposes.  It is the point where we can take accountability for our decisions.


We’ve grown from a baby that is totally dependent on our parents to provide us with everything, to someone seemingly self-sufficient.  But it is at this point that we must make the choice to reverse the process and transition into someone who is living in full dependence on the heavenly Father.


It doesn’t happen overnight.  It is a gradual process, a releasing of control over our own lives.  But with time and persistence, we will grow in reverse and become totally dependent on the Father and then can rightfully be called His child.


But as many as (actively take hold of) Him, to them He gave the (authority) to (transition into) (a child living in full dependence) on God, even to those who (believe in a way that leads to and proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith) in (the manifestation or revelation of Jesus’ character).


In the notes are the other words in this scripture with their root meanings.


Received
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 2983
Transliteration: lambanó
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
Definition: to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting


Right
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1849
Transliteration: exousia
Phonetic Spelling: (ex-oo-see'-ah)
Definition: authority, conferred power; delegated empowerment ("authorization")


Become
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1096
Transliteration: ginomai
Phonetic Spelling: (ghin'-om-ahee)
Definition: come into being/manifestation implying motion, movement, or growth, transitioning


Children
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043
Transliteration: teknon
Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non)
Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


Believe
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 4100
Transliteration: pisteuó
Phonetic Spelling: (pist-yoo'-o)
Definition: the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith.


Name
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3686
Transliteration: onoma
Phonetic Spelling: (on'-om-ah)
Definition: the manifestation or revelation of someone's character(name)


 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wednesday Word Study | Children - Episode 8


Originally written September 28, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/28/wednesday-word-study-children/

Children

John 1:12

12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,


Children
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043
Transliteration: teknon
 Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non)
 Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


In this particular scripture the word children means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


It has often been said that the kingdom of God is backwards to the world.  In God’s kingdom you give to receive where the world takes and holds onto, to have.  And this is only one of many comparisons.


The scripture above is another such precept.  When we receive Christ we are usually strong and mentally self-sufficient.  Even in the Jewish culture the age of 12 or 13 is considered the beginning of adulthood for spiritual purposes.  It is the point where we can take accountability for our decisions.


We’ve grown from a baby that is totally dependent on our parents to provide us with everything, to someone seemingly self-sufficient.  But it is at this point that we must make the choice to reverse the process and transition into someone who is living in full dependence on the heavenly Father.


It doesn’t happen overnight.  It is a gradual process, a releasing of control over our own lives.  But with time and persistence, we will grow in reverse and become totally dependent on the Father and then can rightfully be called His child.


But as many as (actively take hold of) Him, to them He gave the (authority) to (transition into) (a child living in full dependence) on God, even to those who (believe in a way that leads to and proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith) in (the manifestation or revelation of Jesus’ character).


In the notes are the other words in this scripture with their root meanings.


Received
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 2983
Transliteration: lambanó
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
Definition: to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting


Right
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1849
Transliteration: exousia
Phonetic Spelling: (ex-oo-see'-ah)
Definition: authority, conferred power; delegated empowerment ("authorization")


Become
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1096
Transliteration: ginomai
Phonetic Spelling: (ghin'-om-ahee)
Definition: come into being/manifestation implying motion, movement, or growth, transitioning


Children
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043
Transliteration: teknon
Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non)
Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


Believe
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 4100
Transliteration: pisteuó
Phonetic Spelling: (pist-yoo'-o)
Definition: the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith.


Name
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3686
Transliteration: onoma
Phonetic Spelling: (on'-om-ah)
Definition: the manifestation or revelation of someone's character(name)


 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 277 Wednesday Word Study | Children - Episode 8


Originally written September 28, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/28/wednesday-word-study-children/

Children

John 1:12

12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,


Children
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043
Transliteration: teknon
 Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non)
 Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


In this particular scripture the word children means anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


It has often been said that the kingdom of God is backwards to the world.  In God’s kingdom you give to receive where the world takes and holds onto, to have.  And this is only one of many comparisons.


The scripture above is another such precept.  When we receive Christ we are usually strong and mentally self-sufficient.  Even in the Jewish culture the age of 12 or 13 is considered the beginning of adulthood for spiritual purposes.  It is the point where we can take accountability for our decisions.


We’ve grown from a baby that is totally dependent on our parents to provide us with everything, to someone seemingly self-sufficient.  But it is at this point that we must make the choice to reverse the process and transition into someone who is living in full dependence on the heavenly Father.


It doesn’t happen overnight.  It is a gradual process, a releasing of control over our own lives.  But with time and persistence, we will grow in reverse and become totally dependent on the Father and then can rightfully be called His child.


But as many as (actively take hold of) Him, to them He gave the (authority) to (transition into) (a child living in full dependence) on God, even to those who (believe in a way that leads to and proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith) in (the manifestation or revelation of Jesus’ character).


In the notes are the other words in this scripture with their root meanings.


Received
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 2983
Transliteration: lambanó
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
Definition: to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting


Right
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1849
Transliteration: exousia
Phonetic Spelling: (ex-oo-see'-ah)
Definition: authority, conferred power; delegated empowerment ("authorization")


Become
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 1096
Transliteration: ginomai
Phonetic Spelling: (ghin'-om-ahee)
Definition: come into being/manifestation implying motion, movement, or growth, transitioning


Children
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 5043
Transliteration: teknon
Phonetic Spelling: (tek'-non)
Definition: anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission.


Believe
 This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 4100
Transliteration: pisteuó
Phonetic Spelling: (pist-yoo'-o)
Definition: the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith.


Name
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3686
Transliteration: onoma
Phonetic Spelling: (on'-om-ah)
Definition: the manifestation or revelation of someone's character(name)


 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Monday Meditations - John 1:12 – Episode 8 1 1 8 8 Monday Meditations - John 1:12 – Episode 8 full 40f24310-e117-4c3e-84c4-711c74a24d68 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ John 1:12

12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,


From the time Christ was here and He came to bring the pure undiluted and perfect gospel, man himself as set out, even if unintentionally to dissect and dilute it.


Through the years there are thousands of different beliefs on not only religion, but also the gospel itself.  Churches continue to split even now regarding what they want to believe is the truth.


There is a belief that permeates many hearts and minds of people around the world.  That belief is that ‘if I am a good person’ I will be ok.  I will go to heaven.  Many people who even attend church believe that very thing.


I want to start your mind to thinking and your heart to searching today.  If you will bear with me through the week I hope to unravel and allow God to reveal more about the scripture above as well as related scriptures.  But today I want to dissect this verse just a bit to get you thinking.


If you will look at the scripture where it says “that as many as received Him, to them He gave the RIGHT to become children of God…”


When you receive Jesus he gives you the authority to BECOME a child of God, future tense.


Meditate on this scripture this week.  From the time we accept Jesus and acquire the right to become a child of God, just what happens to cause us to actually become a child of God?  You won’t want to miss the Wednesday Word Study this week and my blog on Friday.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> John 1:12

12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,


From the time Christ was here and He came to bring the pure undiluted and perfect gospel, man himself as set out, even if unintentionally to dissect and dilute it.


Through the years there are thousands of different beliefs on not only religion, but also the gospel itself.  Churches continue to split even now regarding what they want to believe is the truth.


There is a belief that permeates many hearts and minds of people around the world.  That belief is that ‘if I am a good person’ I will be ok.  I will go to heaven.  Many people who even attend church believe that very thing.


I want to start your mind to thinking and your heart to searching today.  If you will bear with me through the week I hope to unravel and allow God to reveal more about the scripture above as well as related scriptures.  But today I want to dissect this verse just a bit to get you thinking.


If you will look at the scripture where it says “that as many as received Him, to them He gave the RIGHT to become children of God…”


When you receive Jesus he gives you the authority to BECOME a child of God, future tense.


Meditate on this scripture this week.  From the time we accept Jesus and acquire the right to become a child of God, just what happens to cause us to actually become a child of God?  You won’t want to miss the Wednesday Word Study this week and my blog on Friday.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 246 John 1:12

12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,


From the time Christ was here and He came to bring the pure undiluted and perfect gospel, man himself as set out, even if unintentionally to dissect and dilute it.


Through the years there are thousands of different beliefs on not only religion, but also the gospel itself.  Churches continue to split even now regarding what they want to believe is the truth.


There is a belief that permeates many hearts and minds of people around the world.  That belief is that ‘if I am a good person’ I will be ok.  I will go to heaven.  Many people who even attend church believe that very thing.


I want to start your mind to thinking and your heart to searching today.  If you will bear with me through the week I hope to unravel and allow God to reveal more about the scripture above as well as related scriptures.  But today I want to dissect this verse just a bit to get you thinking.


If you will look at the scripture where it says “that as many as received Him, to them He gave the RIGHT to become children of God…”


When you receive Jesus he gives you the authority to BECOME a child of God, future tense.


Meditate on this scripture this week.  From the time we accept Jesus and acquire the right to become a child of God, just what happens to cause us to actually become a child of God?  You won’t want to miss the Wednesday Word Study this week and my blog on Friday.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Archive Story | Love and Its Fullness - Episode 20 1 1 20 20 Archive Story | Love and Its Fullness - Episode 20 full 1f075d0f-1270-48bc-bb74-66a0ce3c32f7 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ LOVE!

What a word!

We hear that word from the moment we are born.

Mommy whispers in our ear, ‘Mommy loves you”.

As we grow we hear, and therefore learn, that big brother just ‘loves’ the neighbors new car. Big sister, ‘loves’ her new boyfriend she just had one date with. Mom ‘loves’ the new wallpaper in the bedroom. Dad ‘loves’ his new job.

Our first impression of love is one of tender affection. And honestly it IS our whole world. But as we grow, that word becomes watered down. That once powerful word which was the definition of our closest bond, has come to be on an equal playing ground with the neighbors new car and wallpaper.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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]]> LOVE!

What a word!

We hear that word from the moment we are born.

Mommy whispers in our ear, ‘Mommy loves you”.

As we grow we hear, and therefore learn, that big brother just ‘loves’ the neighbors new car. Big sister, ‘loves’ her new boyfriend she just had one date with. Mom ‘loves’ the new wallpaper in the bedroom. Dad ‘loves’ his new job.

Our first impression of love is one of tender affection. And honestly it IS our whole world. But as we grow, that word becomes watered down. That once powerful word which was the definition of our closest bond, has come to be on an equal playing ground with the neighbors new car and wallpaper.

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]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2026 18:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 537 LOVE!

What a word!

We hear that word from the moment we are born.

Mommy whispers in our ear, ‘Mommy loves you”.

As we grow we hear, and therefore learn, that big brother just ‘loves’ the neighbors new car. Big sister, ‘loves’ her new boyfriend she just had one date with. Mom ‘loves’ the new wallpaper in the bedroom. Dad ‘loves’ his new job.

Our first impression of love is one of tender affection. And honestly it IS our whole world. But as we grow, that word becomes watered down. That once powerful word which was the definition of our closest bond, has come to be on an equal playing ground with the neighbors new car and wallpaper.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

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]]> No Miracle Story | Hiding Something to Help Me - Episode 20 1 1 20 20 Miracle Story | Hiding Something to Help Me - Episode 20 full 99c69739-76a8-4b33-a35d-198f4a53952e https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Many years after that last miracle, I was through college and working a full-time job. I had bought a house and felt like life was good. I was attending a church I loved and had many good friends. I thought I was past that last toxic relationship and in a good place. But I wasn’t.

Once again, I am going to divulge another shameful episode in my life with a miracle attached. I am being vulnerable to you so that you can see that if you maintain a relationship with God, no matter how much you mess up, He will always be there for you. I had a heart to do what was right and to serve God, but I was still broken with an overwhelming need to feel loved. That is the operative word right there - feel.

The truth was that I was loved. God had so much love for me that there aren’t words to describe. Even though I sought him out daily, I didn’t allow myself to feel His love for me. If I had, it would have changed everything, and later it did. But during this period, I still felt ‘less-than’.

During this time, I was working as the office manager for a large commercial construction company. We had operations going all across the United States. As office manager, I frequently spoke with employees in various parts of the country. There was one particular employee who flirted with me, and my damaged soul ate it up.

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]]> Many years after that last miracle, I was through college and working a full-time job. I had bought a house and felt like life was good. I was attending a church I loved and had many good friends. I thought I was past that last toxic relationship and in a good place. But I wasn’t.

Once again, I am going to divulge another shameful episode in my life with a miracle attached. I am being vulnerable to you so that you can see that if you maintain a relationship with God, no matter how much you mess up, He will always be there for you. I had a heart to do what was right and to serve God, but I was still broken with an overwhelming need to feel loved. That is the operative word right there - feel.

The truth was that I was loved. God had so much love for me that there aren’t words to describe. Even though I sought him out daily, I didn’t allow myself to feel His love for me. If I had, it would have changed everything, and later it did. But during this period, I still felt ‘less-than’.

During this time, I was working as the office manager for a large commercial construction company. We had operations going all across the United States. As office manager, I frequently spoke with employees in various parts of the country. There was one particular employee who flirted with me, and my damaged soul ate it up.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

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]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 758 Many years after that last miracle, I was through college and working a full-time job. I had bought a house and felt like life was good. I was attending a church I loved and had many good friends. I thought I was past that last toxic relationship and in a good place. But I wasn’t.

Once again, I am going to divulge another shameful episode in my life with a miracle attached. I am being vulnerable to you so that you can see that if you maintain a relationship with God, no matter how much you mess up, He will always be there for you. I had a heart to do what was right and to serve God, but I was still broken with an overwhelming need to feel loved. That is the operative word right there - feel.

The truth was that I was loved. God had so much love for me that there aren’t words to describe. Even though I sought him out daily, I didn’t allow myself to feel His love for me. If I had, it would have changed everything, and later it did. But during this period, I still felt ‘less-than’.

During this time, I was working as the office manager for a large commercial construction company. We had operations going all across the United States. As office manager, I frequently spoke with employees in various parts of the country. There was one particular employee who flirted with me, and my damaged soul ate it up.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

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]]> No More to the Story - God's Game Plan - Episode 6 1 1 6 6 More to the Story - God's Game Plan - Episode 6 full 41188f65-d894-489d-832b-989262973cbe https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Sometimes when we are in the middle of something, we can’t see the big picture, and it is hard to take a bird’s-eye view and see the overall plan.

One well know phrase is, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” I think that is very fitting.

Perspective is also very important and has been the crux of division for years. For thousands of years, man has been fighting over what is correct because our narrow perspectives become the entire picture to us. We all do this.

None are completely wrong and none are completely right. But it causes divisions, and that is exactly what the enemy wants. When we are critical of other brothers and sisters in Christ, we are playing right into the enemy’s hand and being disobedient to Christ. 

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]]> Sometimes when we are in the middle of something, we can’t see the big picture, and it is hard to take a bird’s-eye view and see the overall plan.

One well know phrase is, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” I think that is very fitting.

Perspective is also very important and has been the crux of division for years. For thousands of years, man has been fighting over what is correct because our narrow perspectives become the entire picture to us. We all do this.

None are completely wrong and none are completely right. But it causes divisions, and that is exactly what the enemy wants. When we are critical of other brothers and sisters in Christ, we are playing right into the enemy’s hand and being disobedient to Christ. 

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1708 Sometimes when we are in the middle of something, we can’t see the big picture, and it is hard to take a bird’s-eye view and see the overall plan.

One well know phrase is, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” I think that is very fitting.

Perspective is also very important and has been the crux of division for years. For thousands of years, man has been fighting over what is correct because our narrow perspectives become the entire picture to us. We all do this.

None are completely wrong and none are completely right. But it causes divisions, and that is exactly what the enemy wants. When we are critical of other brothers and sisters in Christ, we are playing right into the enemy’s hand and being disobedient to Christ. 

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

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]]> No Friday Finale | The Great Deception – Episode 7 1 1 7 7 Friday Finale | The Great Deception – Episode 7 full 1189ce96-2568-450c-a108-9acf91824401 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ At the beginning of Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit and fell dead. It was an excellent lesson, and there were many comments for discussion.

I wanted to write today because this very thing ties so closely with what I have been writing about. Ananias and Sapphira were tares, or counterfeit Christians. How do I know this? Because their hearts’ motives were revealed and their hearts were not turned towards the Father, but that Satan had filled their hearts.

As I said above, they attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit. I used the word attempted because, in their ignorance, they really thought they could deceive Him, not recognizing His deity. But the Spirit revealed to Peter what was going on. He would not let their deception go unnoticed.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

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]]> At the beginning of Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit and fell dead. It was an excellent lesson, and there were many comments for discussion.

I wanted to write today because this very thing ties so closely with what I have been writing about. Ananias and Sapphira were tares, or counterfeit Christians. How do I know this? Because their hearts’ motives were revealed and their hearts were not turned towards the Father, but that Satan had filled their hearts.

As I said above, they attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit. I used the word attempted because, in their ignorance, they really thought they could deceive Him, not recognizing His deity. But the Spirit revealed to Peter what was going on. He would not let their deception go unnoticed.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 451 At the beginning of Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit and fell dead. It was an excellent lesson, and there were many comments for discussion.

I wanted to write today because this very thing ties so closely with what I have been writing about. Ananias and Sapphira were tares, or counterfeit Christians. How do I know this? Because their hearts’ motives were revealed and their hearts were not turned towards the Father, but that Satan had filled their hearts.

As I said above, they attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit. I used the word attempted because, in their ignorance, they really thought they could deceive Him, not recognizing His deity. But the Spirit revealed to Peter what was going on. He would not let their deception go unnoticed.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> No Wednesday Word Study | Futility - Episode 7 1 1 7 7 Wednesday Word Study | Futility - Episode 7 full 82171298-322e-4003-987b-e5fb937c94a7 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Strongs Concordance Number: 3153

Transliteration: mataiotés
 Phonetic Spelling: (mat-ah-yot'-ace)
 Definition: vanity, emptiness, unreality, purposelessness, ineffectiveness, instability, frailty; false religion. Aimlessness due to lacking purpose or any meaningful end.


On Monday, we talked about the scripture Romans 8:19 and how all of creation is waiting eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed. This holding pattern we are all placed in until that time is described by the author with the word futility. All of creation is in a futile period of time, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.


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]]> Strongs Concordance Number: 3153

Transliteration: mataiotés
 Phonetic Spelling: (mat-ah-yot'-ace)
 Definition: vanity, emptiness, unreality, purposelessness, ineffectiveness, instability, frailty; false religion. Aimlessness due to lacking purpose or any meaningful end.


On Monday, we talked about the scripture Romans 8:19 and how all of creation is waiting eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed. This holding pattern we are all placed in until that time is described by the author with the word futility. All of creation is in a futile period of time, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 375 Strongs Concordance Number: 3153

Transliteration: mataiotés
 Phonetic Spelling: (mat-ah-yot'-ace)
 Definition: vanity, emptiness, unreality, purposelessness, ineffectiveness, instability, frailty; false religion. Aimlessness due to lacking purpose or any meaningful end.


On Monday, we talked about the scripture Romans 8:19 and how all of creation is waiting eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed. This holding pattern we are all placed in until that time is described by the author with the word futility. All of creation is in a futile period of time, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

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]]> No Monday Meditations | Romans 8:19 – Episode 7 1 1 7 7 Monday Meditations | Romans 8:19 – Episode 7 full a7204b1d-1cc8-44a8-87d8-c9936cb2a136 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Today’s Meditation Verse:

Romans 8:19

19) All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are.


Monday Meditations are designed to get you to thinking about scriptures that you may have not previously thought much about.  It is to hopefully get you to meditating on a particular scripture for the entire week.  I think this week you may ponder this one for some time.

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]]> Today’s Meditation Verse:

Romans 8:19

19) All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are.


Monday Meditations are designed to get you to thinking about scriptures that you may have not previously thought much about.  It is to hopefully get you to meditating on a particular scripture for the entire week.  I think this week you may ponder this one for some time.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

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]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 250 Today’s Meditation Verse:

Romans 8:19

19) All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are.


Monday Meditations are designed to get you to thinking about scriptures that you may have not previously thought much about.  It is to hopefully get you to meditating on a particular scripture for the entire week.  I think this week you may ponder this one for some time.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

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]]> No Archive Story | A Test of the Emergency Godcast System! - Episode 19 1 1 19 19 Archive Story | A Test of the Emergency Godcast System! - Episode 19 full 72080e7f-dc8f-4b9d-82f0-5d53c489bd74 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ How many moments in our lives could truly be labeled… “Attention. Attention. This is a test of the emergency GODCAST system!”?

As children of God, we are continually being tested as to our quality.

I Peter 4:12 in the Amplified reads,

“Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.” (Emphasis mine).

Sometimes it takes years before we even realize that we are being tested. We look at it as just another of life’s experiences and act according to our impulses. Then at some point we realize it is a test, and that God desires a specific reaction from us in any situation. The tests are not for God’s benefit to see how we will react but for our own benefit; for our growth.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

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]]> How many moments in our lives could truly be labeled… “Attention. Attention. This is a test of the emergency GODCAST system!”?

As children of God, we are continually being tested as to our quality.

I Peter 4:12 in the Amplified reads,

“Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.” (Emphasis mine).

Sometimes it takes years before we even realize that we are being tested. We look at it as just another of life’s experiences and act according to our impulses. Then at some point we realize it is a test, and that God desires a specific reaction from us in any situation. The tests are not for God’s benefit to see how we will react but for our own benefit; for our growth.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

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]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2026 18:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 454 How many moments in our lives could truly be labeled… “Attention. Attention. This is a test of the emergency GODCAST system!”?

As children of God, we are continually being tested as to our quality.

I Peter 4:12 in the Amplified reads,

“Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.” (Emphasis mine).

Sometimes it takes years before we even realize that we are being tested. We look at it as just another of life’s experiences and act according to our impulses. Then at some point we realize it is a test, and that God desires a specific reaction from us in any situation. The tests are not for God’s benefit to see how we will react but for our own benefit; for our growth.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> No Miracle Story | Misguided Fasting & Prayer - Episode 19 1 1 19 19 Miracle Story | Misguided Fasting & Prayer - Episode 19 full f0cadcd9-6bcc-4146-b94e-7390377d736e https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ I wrote the previous eighteen miracles sometime ago. When coming to this spot, I just froze. I debated for literally years before deciding to include this one. It is no doubt a miracle, but one that honestly I am ashamed to admit to.

However, including it may very well help someone else. There is a lesson to be learned here, so I am going to humble myself, admit to my naivety and immaturity at the time and write about this experience.

Major Life Change

Not long after my father passed away, everything changed. My marriage had been rocky for years. I had been so on fire for the Lord and reading my Bible and going to church that my life felt truly alive, except for one thing. My marriage was, for me, horrible. He worked very long hours. He was a good provider, but that left very few hours at home with us.

The details of the downfall of my marriage is a story for another time. Suffice it to say that I had become horribly depressed and longed to be loved. 

My father had loved me unconditionally. My mother loved me the best she could, but the scenario surrounding my conception and birth clouded me in a dense spirit of rejection, which I spoke about previously. A spirit of rejection prevents a person from feeling loved and accepted and, in return, pushes others away. I never felt loved or accepted and yearned for it.

Even after being delivered, the damage from years of experiencing that bondage remained. Let me encourage anyone who is walking through any type of deliverance; you still need to work on allowing God to heal what was damaged. Once delivered, so many walk away assuming that all is good and well and nothing more needs to be done. But where wounds were created, there needs to be healing and forgiveness.

Craving To Be Loved

As I said, my father had loved me unconditionally. But he was gone. I never ever felt loved other than that. I craved to be loved. I never ever felt that my husband loved me. If he had, he never once showed me or told me.

So, during that dark period of my life, I was subconsciously on a quest for love or to be loved. I dated a lot. I began a life of falling into relationships compulsively and hanging on to them for dear life, hoping I would feel loved. They were horrible and toxic relationships. I knew I should change, but couldn’t help it. 

After my divorce, I did not handle the freedom from being on my own for the first time well. But I eventually began the climb out of the toxic fall God had allowed, not caused, but had allowed. I moved to Oklahoma City and got out of the area where I had lived and out of a relationship that I shouldn’t have been in.

I Wanted a New Start

A new start. I started going back to church and living a way that I knew to live. I felt so much better. I was in a Christian singles group and made great friends. But I carried guilt, shame, and sorrow for the previous few years. I told none of my new friends. I honestly didn’t even feel worthy to call myself a Christian. I was so ashamed.

I also carried still that compulsive need to feel loved. A need to be in a relationship that would fulfill that need to be loved. In the huge singles group I was in, there was a sea of single men. And I always seemed to pick the wrong ones. Unhealed wounds will do that to you. Those wounds draw you to the wrong people and wrong places. And not all men in a singles group are good, Godly men.

Early on, there was one man I fixed my eye on. I was determined that he was ‘the one’. I would talk about it with my new best friend. She also had fixated on someone. So, we would pray and talk about it. We would try to rationalize what and how to make it work out so that the relationships would happen. In other words, we were attempting to manipulate the situation.

As I look back on this, I am so very ashamed that my focus was on this and not on the kingdom of God. It breaks my heart when I think of it. With all that I knew spiritually, there was still so much toxic behavior that was unresolved. I had been delivered from a spirit of rejection. I had been delivered from a spirit of fear. But there were still toxic tendrils remaining from having lived like that for so long.

I was not healed emotionally. As I said earlier, I felt shame about how I had lived for so long. I unconsciously felt as though I didn’t deserve to be loved. I felt like I didn’t deserve to have a good man love me. I honestly didn’t believe that God would give me someone just right for me. With all my faith, I still couldn’t believe it. So, I didn’t trust Him with that part of my life.

Surrender Would Have Solved So Much

Had I only known, if I had just surrendered that part to Him, He would have performed miracles I never knew could be done. And He tried to. He brought a great man into my life who had become a great friend. But I didn’t believe he could ever love me beyond friendship, and I pushed that miracle away.

But that is not what this miracle is about. It may seem like I have been very long-winded here. And yes, I have, but feel like in order to talk about all of this you needed context.

To go back to that man that I had become fixated on and how determined that I was to ‘have him’, I decided I would fast and pray for him. Not for him as a person, but to have him as mine. What a waste of fasting and prayer. It moves mountains and so much spiritual darkness.. But to use it in a way that is so shallow and immature brings me embarrassment and a galling bitter taste in my mouth.

I knew fasting was powerful. So, I did it. I fasted for three days. No food, only water. I journaled what I hoped would happen from my fasting. That he become more than a friend. Let me say here that we had gone on a date, and then he decided I was not what he wanted for a mate. But I still hoped that prayer and fasting would ‘force’ him into another decision. That makes me cringe to this day.

My fast ended at midnight Saturday. The next morning I was so hopeful heading to church. There was nothing different when we saw each other. He said ‘hi’ and went his way. I was disappointed, but still hopeful. Church ended, and I went home devastated.

Fasting and Prayer Does Work

But once home, I went before the Lord and reminded Him I had fasted and prayed and believed, and that what I had believed for should happen. I knew that prayer and fasting were powerful and I was so confused by the outcome.

Then there was a knock on my door. It was him. He seemed a little flustered, as though he wasn’t sure why he was there. He asked me if I wanted to go to Target with him. He said he was on the way there, and before he passed by my house, he felt the overwhelming urge that he was supposed to stop and ask me to go with him.

Well, you can imagine how thrilled I was. I knew, just knew it was the answer to my fasting. We went to Target and sparks didn’t fly. It was fine. It was two friends going to Target. I am not sure we ever did anything together again after that.

So, what is the miracle here? What is the takeaway? Prayer and fasting moves mountains. I believe God wanted to show me how powerful my fasting and praying had been. But it wasn’t meant to be for me to be with that person. He wasn’t someone who could love me the way I was meant to be loved. I saw the power of fasting and prayer that day, but without the complete answer.

It was after that when God presented me with that friend who would have made a great husband. But I was so damaged still, ...

]]> I wrote the previous eighteen miracles sometime ago. When coming to this spot, I just froze. I debated for literally years before deciding to include this one. It is no doubt a miracle, but one that honestly I am ashamed to admit to.

However, including it may very well help someone else. There is a lesson to be learned here, so I am going to humble myself, admit to my naivety and immaturity at the time and write about this experience.

Major Life Change

Not long after my father passed away, everything changed. My marriage had been rocky for years. I had been so on fire for the Lord and reading my Bible and going to church that my life felt truly alive, except for one thing. My marriage was, for me, horrible. He worked very long hours. He was a good provider, but that left very few hours at home with us.

The details of the downfall of my marriage is a story for another time. Suffice it to say that I had become horribly depressed and longed to be loved. 

My father had loved me unconditionally. My mother loved me the best she could, but the scenario surrounding my conception and birth clouded me in a dense spirit of rejection, which I spoke about previously. A spirit of rejection prevents a person from feeling loved and accepted and, in return, pushes others away. I never felt loved or accepted and yearned for it.

Even after being delivered, the damage from years of experiencing that bondage remained. Let me encourage anyone who is walking through any type of deliverance; you still need to work on allowing God to heal what was damaged. Once delivered, so many walk away assuming that all is good and well and nothing more needs to be done. But where wounds were created, there needs to be healing and forgiveness.

Craving To Be Loved

As I said, my father had loved me unconditionally. But he was gone. I never ever felt loved other than that. I craved to be loved. I never ever felt that my husband loved me. If he had, he never once showed me or told me.

So, during that dark period of my life, I was subconsciously on a quest for love or to be loved. I dated a lot. I began a life of falling into relationships compulsively and hanging on to them for dear life, hoping I would feel loved. They were horrible and toxic relationships. I knew I should change, but couldn’t help it. 

After my divorce, I did not handle the freedom from being on my own for the first time well. But I eventually began the climb out of the toxic fall God had allowed, not caused, but had allowed. I moved to Oklahoma City and got out of the area where I had lived and out of a relationship that I shouldn’t have been in.

I Wanted a New Start

A new start. I started going back to church and living a way that I knew to live. I felt so much better. I was in a Christian singles group and made great friends. But I carried guilt, shame, and sorrow for the previous few years. I told none of my new friends. I honestly didn’t even feel worthy to call myself a Christian. I was so ashamed.

I also carried still that compulsive need to feel loved. A need to be in a relationship that would fulfill that need to be loved. In the huge singles group I was in, there was a sea of single men. And I always seemed to pick the wrong ones. Unhealed wounds will do that to you. Those wounds draw you to the wrong people and wrong places. And not all men in a singles group are good, Godly men.

Early on, there was one man I fixed my eye on. I was determined that he was ‘the one’. I would talk about it with my new best friend. She also had fixated on someone. So, we would pray and talk about it. We would try to rationalize what and how to make it work out so that the relationships would happen. In other words, we were attempting to manipulate the situation.

As I look back on this, I am so very ashamed that my focus was on this and not on the kingdom of God. It breaks my heart when I think of it. With all that I knew spiritually, there was still so much toxic behavior that was unresolved. I had been delivered from a spirit of rejection. I had been delivered from a spirit of fear. But there were still toxic tendrils remaining from having lived like that for so long.

I was not healed emotionally. As I said earlier, I felt shame about how I had lived for so long. I unconsciously felt as though I didn’t deserve to be loved. I felt like I didn’t deserve to have a good man love me. I honestly didn’t believe that God would give me someone just right for me. With all my faith, I still couldn’t believe it. So, I didn’t trust Him with that part of my life.

Surrender Would Have Solved So Much

Had I only known, if I had just surrendered that part to Him, He would have performed miracles I never knew could be done. And He tried to. He brought a great man into my life who had become a great friend. But I didn’t believe he could ever love me beyond friendship, and I pushed that miracle away.

But that is not what this miracle is about. It may seem like I have been very long-winded here. And yes, I have, but feel like in order to talk about all of this you needed context.

To go back to that man that I had become fixated on and how determined that I was to ‘have him’, I decided I would fast and pray for him. Not for him as a person, but to have him as mine. What a waste of fasting and prayer. It moves mountains and so much spiritual darkness.. But to use it in a way that is so shallow and immature brings me embarrassment and a galling bitter taste in my mouth.

I knew fasting was powerful. So, I did it. I fasted for three days. No food, only water. I journaled what I hoped would happen from my fasting. That he become more than a friend. Let me say here that we had gone on a date, and then he decided I was not what he wanted for a mate. But I still hoped that prayer and fasting would ‘force’ him into another decision. That makes me cringe to this day.

My fast ended at midnight Saturday. The next morning I was so hopeful heading to church. There was nothing different when we saw each other. He said ‘hi’ and went his way. I was disappointed, but still hopeful. Church ended, and I went home devastated.

Fasting and Prayer Does Work

But once home, I went before the Lord and reminded Him I had fasted and prayed and believed, and that what I had believed for should happen. I knew that prayer and fasting were powerful and I was so confused by the outcome.

Then there was a knock on my door. It was him. He seemed a little flustered, as though he wasn’t sure why he was there. He asked me if I wanted to go to Target with him. He said he was on the way there, and before he passed by my house, he felt the overwhelming urge that he was supposed to stop and ask me to go with him.

Well, you can imagine how thrilled I was. I knew, just knew it was the answer to my fasting. We went to Target and sparks didn’t fly. It was fine. It was two friends going to Target. I am not sure we ever did anything together again after that.

So, what is the miracle here? What is the takeaway? Prayer and fasting moves mountains. I believe God wanted to show me how powerful my fasting and praying had been. But it wasn’t meant to be for me to be with that person. He wasn’t someone who could love me the way I was meant to be loved. I saw the power of fasting and prayer that day, but without the complete answer.

It was after that when God presented me with that friend who would have made a great husband. But I was so damaged still, ...

]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 887 I wrote the previous eighteen miracles sometime ago. When coming to this spot, I just froze. I debated for literally years before deciding to include this one. It is no doubt a miracle, but one that honestly I am ashamed to admit to.

However, including it may very well help someone else. There is a lesson to be learned here, so I am going to humble myself, admit to my naivety and immaturity at the time and write about this experience.

Major Life Change

Not long after my father passed away, everything changed. My marriage had been rocky for years. I had been so on fire for the Lord and reading my Bible and going to church that my life felt truly alive, except for one thing. My marriage was, for me, horrible. He worked very long hours. He was a good provider, but that left very few hours at home with us.

The details of the downfall of my marriage is a story for another time. Suffice it to say that I had become horribly depressed and longed to be loved. 

My father had loved me unconditionally. My mother loved me the best she could, but the scenario surrounding my conception and birth clouded me in a dense spirit of rejection, which I spoke about previously. A spirit of rejection prevents a person from feeling loved and accepted and, in return, pushes others away. I never felt loved or accepted and yearned for it.

Even after being delivered, the damage from years of experiencing that bondage remained. Let me encourage anyone who is walking through any type of deliverance; you still need to work on allowing God to heal what was damaged. Once delivered, so many walk away assuming that all is good and well and nothing more needs to be done. But where wounds were created, there needs to be healing and forgiveness.

Craving To Be Loved

As I said, my father had loved me unconditionally. But he was gone. I never ever felt loved other than that. I craved to be loved. I never ever felt that my husband loved me. If he had, he never once showed me or told me.

So, during that dark period of my life, I was subconsciously on a quest for love or to be loved. I dated a lot. I began a life of falling into relationships compulsively and hanging on to them for dear life, hoping I would feel loved. They were horrible and toxic relationships. I knew I should change, but couldn’t help it. 

After my divorce, I did not handle the freedom from being on my own for the first time well. But I eventually began the climb out of the toxic fall God had allowed, not caused, but had allowed. I moved to Oklahoma City and got out of the area where I had lived and out of a relationship that I shouldn’t have been in.

I Wanted a New Start

A new start. I started going back to church and living a way that I knew to live. I felt so much better. I was in a Christian singles group and made great friends. But I carried guilt, shame, and sorrow for the previous few years. I told none of my new friends. I honestly didn’t even feel worthy to call myself a Christian. I was so ashamed.

I also carried still that compulsive need to feel loved. A need to be in a relationship that would fulfill that need to be loved. In the huge singles group I was in, there was a sea of single men. And I always seemed to pick the wrong ones. Unhealed wounds will do that to you. Those wounds draw you to the wrong people and wrong places. And not all men in a singles group are good, Godly men.

Early on, there was one man I fixed my eye on. I was determined that he was ‘the one’. I would talk about it with my new best friend. She also had fixated on someone. So, we would pray and talk about it. We would try to rationalize what and how to make it work out so that the relationships would happen. In other words, we were attempting to manipulate the situation.

As I look back on this, I am so very ashamed that my focus was on this and not on the kingdom of God. It breaks my heart when I think of it. With all that I knew spiritually, there was still so much toxic behavior that was unresolved. I had been delivered from a spirit of rejection. I had been delivered from a spirit of fear. But there were still toxic tendrils remaining from having lived like that for so long.

I was not healed emotionally. As I said earlier, I felt shame about how I had lived for so long. I unconsciously felt as though I didn’t deserve to be loved. I felt like I didn’t deserve to have a good man love me. I honestly didn’t believe that God would give me someone just right for me. With all my faith, I still couldn’t believe it. So, I didn’t trust Him with that part of my life.

Surrender Would Have Solved So Much

Had I only known, if I had just surrendered that part to Him, He would have performed miracles I never knew could be done. And He tried to. He brought a great man into my life who had become a great friend. But I didn’t believe he could ever love me beyond friendship, and I pushed that miracle away.

But that is not what this miracle is about. It may seem like I have been very long-winded here. And yes, I have, but feel like in order to talk about all of this you needed context.

To go back to that man that I had become fixated on and how determined that I was to ‘have him’, I decided I would fast and pray for him. Not for him as a person, but to have him as mine. What a waste of fasting and prayer. It moves mountains and so much spiritual darkness.. But to use it in a way that is so shallow and immature brings me embarrassment and a galling bitter taste in my mouth.

I knew fasting was powerful. So, I did it. I fasted for three days. No food, only water. I journaled what I hoped would happen from my fasting. That he become more than a friend. Let me say here that we had gone on a date, and then he decided I was not what he wanted for a mate. But I still hoped that prayer and fasting would ‘force’ him into another decision. That makes me cringe to this day.

My fast ended at midnight Saturday. The next morning I was so hopeful heading to church. There was nothing different when we saw each other. He said ‘hi’ and went his way. I was disappointed, but still hopeful. Church ended, and I went home devastated.

Fasting and Prayer Does Work

But once home, I went before the Lord and reminded Him I had fasted and prayed and believed, and that what I had believed for should happen. I knew that prayer and fasting were powerful and I was so confused by the outcome.

Then there was a knock on my door. It was him. He seemed a little flustered, as though he wasn’t sure why he was there. He asked me if I wanted to go to Target with him. He said he was on the way there, and before he passed by my house, he felt the overwhelming urge that he was supposed to stop and ask me to go with him.

Well, you can imagine how thrilled I was. I knew, just knew it was the answer to my fasting. We went to Target and sparks didn’t fly. It was fine. It was two friends going to Target. I am not sure we ever did anything together again after that.

So, what is the miracle here? What is the takeaway? Prayer and fasting moves mountains. I believe God wanted to show me how powerful my fasting and praying had been. But it wasn’t meant to be for me to be with that person. He wasn’t someone who could love me the way I was meant to be loved. I saw the power of fasting and prayer that day, but without the complete answer.

It was after that when God presented me with that friend who would have made a great husband. But I was so damaged still, ...

]]> No Only the Hungry have the Authority to Become a Child of God 1 1 6 6 Only the Hungry have the Authority to Become a Child of God full aa9a9bb5-91f8-4276-8992-a6c09538c574 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Only the Hungry have the Authority to Become a Child of God

Monday Meditations – Episode 6

Originally written September 12, 2011

Today’s Meditation Verse:

John 1:9-13 Amplified Bible
9) There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. 
 10) He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 
 11) He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. 
 12) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 
 13) who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

This passage says so much. Jesus is the true light who came into this world, this earth which He had made. And yet the world, those on this earth did not recognize their maker. His Jewish people, did not receive Him.


But that is okay because He came so that ANYONE can now receive Him and therefore become a citizen of His kingdom.  And those who were His people that rejected Jesus at that time, brought themselves under judgement.


In verse 12 John tells us that anyone who receives Jesus was given by God’s authority the right to become a child of God. The walls were down, no more an exclusive club defined by lineage. Now anyone, regardless of race, vocation, or culture who received Jesus was given permission to become.


In verse 13 we learn it isn’t by natural conception (Jewish lineage), not by physical impulse (just because you want to), nor by a natural father or person. Only by God and His divine supernatural birth are you born of God.


Good works cannot get you there.

Nationality cannot get you there.

Force of will cannot get you there.

Culture cannot get you there.


Becoming a child of God cannot be done by any measure other than receiving Jesus. Once that genuine reception of Jesus happens (we will talk more about that soon in this week's Wednesday Word Study and Friday Finale) then anyone is given permission to become a child of God.


Wednesday Word Study – Episode 6

Originally written August 10, 2011


Receive

Today I want to discuss the contrast of one word that is used twice in one passage but has very different meanings. The word receive.

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This scripture is talking about receiving Jesus as the Christ. In verse 11 it says… ‘His own did not receive Him.” In this instance the word receive. 

paralambanó: To take, to receive, to take along, to accept

Original Word: παραλαμβάνω
 Part of Speech: Verb
 Transliteration: paralambanó
 Pronunciation: pah-rah-lahm-BAH-no
 Phonetic Spelling: (par-al-am-ban'-o)
 KJV: receive, take (unto, with)
 NASB: took, received, take, taken, receive, took along, took aside
 Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2983 (λαμβάνω - receive)]
 
1. to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)
2. (by analogy) to assume an office
3. (figuratively) to learn

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

receive, take unto, with.

From 3844 para "from close-alongside" and 2983 lambano "aggressively take"; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn -- receive, take (unto), to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.

I find it interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is talking about ‘His own” meaning the Jews not receiving Him. In the definition of that case of the word receive it says ‘to assume office’. Jesus had come to fulfill the promises made to both Abraham and David per their respective covenants with God. He came as both a Priest (Messiah) and King. He came to assume those offices, but His people did not receive Him as such.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there. They didn’t acknowledge Him as priest (messiah) or king.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.

lambanó: To take, receive, obtain


Original Word: λαμβάνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: lambanó
Pronunciation: lam-BAN-o
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
 1. (actively) to take
 2. (passively) to receive
 3. (objectively) to get hold of (with the hand)
 {in very many applications (literally and figuratively); whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove}


HELPS Word-studies

2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.

This is a very good example why to get a good and clear picture of scripture, we need to go to the root to find the genuine meaning of a word. Root words along with historical context will bring a much more acc...

]]> Only the Hungry have the Authority to Become a Child of God

Monday Meditations – Episode 6

Originally written September 12, 2011

Today’s Meditation Verse:

John 1:9-13 Amplified Bible
9) There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. 
 10) He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 
 11) He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. 
 12) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 
 13) who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

This passage says so much. Jesus is the true light who came into this world, this earth which He had made. And yet the world, those on this earth did not recognize their maker. His Jewish people, did not receive Him.


But that is okay because He came so that ANYONE can now receive Him and therefore become a citizen of His kingdom.  And those who were His people that rejected Jesus at that time, brought themselves under judgement.


In verse 12 John tells us that anyone who receives Jesus was given by God’s authority the right to become a child of God. The walls were down, no more an exclusive club defined by lineage. Now anyone, regardless of race, vocation, or culture who received Jesus was given permission to become.


In verse 13 we learn it isn’t by natural conception (Jewish lineage), not by physical impulse (just because you want to), nor by a natural father or person. Only by God and His divine supernatural birth are you born of God.


Good works cannot get you there.

Nationality cannot get you there.

Force of will cannot get you there.

Culture cannot get you there.


Becoming a child of God cannot be done by any measure other than receiving Jesus. Once that genuine reception of Jesus happens (we will talk more about that soon in this week's Wednesday Word Study and Friday Finale) then anyone is given permission to become a child of God.


Wednesday Word Study – Episode 6

Originally written August 10, 2011


Receive

Today I want to discuss the contrast of one word that is used twice in one passage but has very different meanings. The word receive.

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This scripture is talking about receiving Jesus as the Christ. In verse 11 it says… ‘His own did not receive Him.” In this instance the word receive. 

paralambanó: To take, to receive, to take along, to accept

Original Word: παραλαμβάνω
 Part of Speech: Verb
 Transliteration: paralambanó
 Pronunciation: pah-rah-lahm-BAH-no
 Phonetic Spelling: (par-al-am-ban'-o)
 KJV: receive, take (unto, with)
 NASB: took, received, take, taken, receive, took along, took aside
 Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2983 (λαμβάνω - receive)]
 
1. to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)
2. (by analogy) to assume an office
3. (figuratively) to learn

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

receive, take unto, with.

From 3844 para "from close-alongside" and 2983 lambano "aggressively take"; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn -- receive, take (unto), to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.

I find it interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is talking about ‘His own” meaning the Jews not receiving Him. In the definition of that case of the word receive it says ‘to assume office’. Jesus had come to fulfill the promises made to both Abraham and David per their respective covenants with God. He came as both a Priest (Messiah) and King. He came to assume those offices, but His people did not receive Him as such.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there. They didn’t acknowledge Him as priest (messiah) or king.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.

lambanó: To take, receive, obtain


Original Word: λαμβάνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: lambanó
Pronunciation: lam-BAN-o
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
 1. (actively) to take
 2. (passively) to receive
 3. (objectively) to get hold of (with the hand)
 {in very many applications (literally and figuratively); whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove}


HELPS Word-studies

2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.

This is a very good example why to get a good and clear picture of scripture, we need to go to the root to find the genuine meaning of a word. Root words along with historical context will bring a much more acc...

]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1126 Only the Hungry have the Authority to Become a Child of God

Monday Meditations – Episode 6

Originally written September 12, 2011

Today’s Meditation Verse:

John 1:9-13 Amplified Bible
9) There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. 
 10) He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 
 11) He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. 
 12) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 
 13) who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

This passage says so much. Jesus is the true light who came into this world, this earth which He had made. And yet the world, those on this earth did not recognize their maker. His Jewish people, did not receive Him.


But that is okay because He came so that ANYONE can now receive Him and therefore become a citizen of His kingdom.  And those who were His people that rejected Jesus at that time, brought themselves under judgement.


In verse 12 John tells us that anyone who receives Jesus was given by God’s authority the right to become a child of God. The walls were down, no more an exclusive club defined by lineage. Now anyone, regardless of race, vocation, or culture who received Jesus was given permission to become.


In verse 13 we learn it isn’t by natural conception (Jewish lineage), not by physical impulse (just because you want to), nor by a natural father or person. Only by God and His divine supernatural birth are you born of God.


Good works cannot get you there.

Nationality cannot get you there.

Force of will cannot get you there.

Culture cannot get you there.


Becoming a child of God cannot be done by any measure other than receiving Jesus. Once that genuine reception of Jesus happens (we will talk more about that soon in this week's Wednesday Word Study and Friday Finale) then anyone is given permission to become a child of God.


Wednesday Word Study – Episode 6

Originally written August 10, 2011


Receive

Today I want to discuss the contrast of one word that is used twice in one passage but has very different meanings. The word receive.

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This scripture is talking about receiving Jesus as the Christ. In verse 11 it says… ‘His own did not receive Him.” In this instance the word receive. 

paralambanó: To take, to receive, to take along, to accept

Original Word: παραλαμβάνω
 Part of Speech: Verb
 Transliteration: paralambanó
 Pronunciation: pah-rah-lahm-BAH-no
 Phonetic Spelling: (par-al-am-ban'-o)
 KJV: receive, take (unto, with)
 NASB: took, received, take, taken, receive, took along, took aside
 Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2983 (λαμβάνω - receive)]
 
1. to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)
2. (by analogy) to assume an office
3. (figuratively) to learn

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

receive, take unto, with.

From 3844 para "from close-alongside" and 2983 lambano "aggressively take"; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn -- receive, take (unto), to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.

I find it interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is talking about ‘His own” meaning the Jews not receiving Him. In the definition of that case of the word receive it says ‘to assume office’. Jesus had come to fulfill the promises made to both Abraham and David per their respective covenants with God. He came as both a Priest (Messiah) and King. He came to assume those offices, but His people did not receive Him as such.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there. They didn’t acknowledge Him as priest (messiah) or king.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.

lambanó: To take, receive, obtain


Original Word: λαμβάνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: lambanó
Pronunciation: lam-BAN-o
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
 1. (actively) to take
 2. (passively) to receive
 3. (objectively) to get hold of (with the hand)
 {in very many applications (literally and figuratively); whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove}


HELPS Word-studies

2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.

This is a very good example why to get a good and clear picture of scripture, we need to go to the root to find the genuine meaning of a word. Root words along with historical context will bring a much more acc...

]]> No Friday Finale | Feeding The Hungry - Episode 6 1 1 6 6 Friday Finale | Feeding The Hungry - Episode 6 full d2cfd0ec-22a0-4faa-ab64-9b3aee0ffef3 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/  Friday Finale – Episode 6

Originally written September 16, 2011
 posted here: https://forthhttps://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/esakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/

Feeding The Hungry

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

I know that some may question why lately we are going to such lengths to dig below the surface of a scripture to see what the greek words are and what their meaning is. But the more I dig, the more I find that it does make a difference. 

The Greek language is so much more exact than our English language. Love for instance is a word that we casually throw around and yet also use for our dearest devotion. We know that in the Greek Language there is a word for each and every varying kind of love. So when we read the scriptures in our English language it is interesting to see it in the way it was first written.

There is an example in the previous passage of one word in the English being use in two varying degrees. That word is received. In verse 11 it talks about Jesus coming to His own, the Jews, and they did not ‘receive’ Him.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.

This study this week has answered many questions that I’ve had for a long time. Questions like why do some people agree to their need for Jesus, say the sinners prayer, and then go on their own way as if nothing ever happened, living that same old lifestyle. Then in others we see an immediate and radical change.

I believe one key is here. Let’s take this and move it to something more familiar to get a strong visual on the subject.

For a person who eats on a regular basis, sometimes life distracts us and we get busy and for hours we don’t even realize that we are hungry. In fact because we are so well fed on a regular basis our hunger is just a slight reminder. It is one that can easily be ignored when we are engaged in things that we find more interesting and entertaining.

But there are so many out there that never eat regularly and are really starving. Eating is their only thought and they long for it and crave it every second of every day. Just a morsel to eat, just a scrap, they will take it eagerly.

Many times I’ve cooked for someone and when the food was ready they were engaged in something that they wanted to finish before eating. I would bring them their food and they would acknowledge it and ask me to just set it down and they would get to it when they were done with what they were doing. They received, or acknowledged the food. But their receipt of it was very passive.

Let’s contrast that with feeding genuinely hungry people. We’ve seen pictures of missionaries who bring food to starving countries in trucks, and as they are coming down the road the people run to them. When the food is passed out they aggressively take it, many times fighting for even a small share of the food. This is much different than the ‘received’ example previously.

So, now that we have a visual in our minds let’s move back to the spiritual application of it. Jesus says that those who received (actively take hold of) Him…

I believe that the difference in one’s life transformation when receiving Jesus is their degree of hunger. How many people have been pushed by guilt or peer pressure to answer an alter call when they have not yet reached a point of true spiritual hunger? They passively accept Jesus, but have no true hunger for Him. As we see in verse 12, it is those who receive Him aggressively that He gives the authority to transition into the children of God.

We know that Jesus is the way and we are hungry still for more of Him. We ‘cook’ a good meal and are eager for everyone to eat. But they are not hungry. So, they receive it by acknowledging it, I believe out of a sense of duty, obligation or pressure, and then set it aside. Then there it sets getting cold and forgotten. By passively accepting it they will not be transformed.

To our credit we have experienced the hunger and the satisfaction of being filled spiritually and that experience brings with it an eagerness for others to experience it as well. So we push. We manipulate and we engineer places and times so that they too will accept Jesus.

But from what I am seeing here, if that person does not have a true hunger on their own, then it will not transform their life. It will be set aside and in my opinion do more harm than good because it will have no effect on them while they continue to do life their way.

Our example can be taken from Jesus Himself when He walked on this earth. He was the bread of life yet he never forced Himself on anyone at anytime. He knew He possessed life eternal and yet He did not force feed anyone. But to those who aggressively sought Him out and actively pursued Him, He fed.

Many walked away from Him, but he never ran after them attempting to explain Himself and what it was that He was providing so that they would come back and receive Him.

Many might say that passive reception is better than no reception. But, I believe Jesus would disagree. It is to those who hunger and aggressively receive that He gives the authority to become the children of God.

If a person passively received Jesus, they may have the belief that they have become a child of God and are good to go, but because they did not aggressively pursue and take hold of Jesus they were not given that right and therefore are deceived into believing a lie.

Jesus wants to feed those who are hungry, really hungry for transformation, hungry for Him. He wants to see their ‘life denying hunger’ and then satisfy it.

So, as followers of Christ who have experienced this very thing, what are we to do? Well, we are not to push and manipulate others to get them to ‘say the sinners prayer’. We are to create a hunger within them by living a life that is filled with the bread of life.

Jesus lived it and loved them and they came! And they came in droves. Since He is our example, why are we trying to improve on His way of doing things? Why are we trying to improve on His design. Because it is easier to do it our way than it is to live it His way. Living it His way just seems to take too long. We are more concerned about quantity than quality.


If we eat of the bread of life daily and are loving and kind and giving… If we allow the ...

]]>  Friday Finale – Episode 6

Originally written September 16, 2011
 posted here: https://forthhttps://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/esakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/

Feeding The Hungry

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

I know that some may question why lately we are going to such lengths to dig below the surface of a scripture to see what the greek words are and what their meaning is. But the more I dig, the more I find that it does make a difference. 

The Greek language is so much more exact than our English language. Love for instance is a word that we casually throw around and yet also use for our dearest devotion. We know that in the Greek Language there is a word for each and every varying kind of love. So when we read the scriptures in our English language it is interesting to see it in the way it was first written.

There is an example in the previous passage of one word in the English being use in two varying degrees. That word is received. In verse 11 it talks about Jesus coming to His own, the Jews, and they did not ‘receive’ Him.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.

This study this week has answered many questions that I’ve had for a long time. Questions like why do some people agree to their need for Jesus, say the sinners prayer, and then go on their own way as if nothing ever happened, living that same old lifestyle. Then in others we see an immediate and radical change.

I believe one key is here. Let’s take this and move it to something more familiar to get a strong visual on the subject.

For a person who eats on a regular basis, sometimes life distracts us and we get busy and for hours we don’t even realize that we are hungry. In fact because we are so well fed on a regular basis our hunger is just a slight reminder. It is one that can easily be ignored when we are engaged in things that we find more interesting and entertaining.

But there are so many out there that never eat regularly and are really starving. Eating is their only thought and they long for it and crave it every second of every day. Just a morsel to eat, just a scrap, they will take it eagerly.

Many times I’ve cooked for someone and when the food was ready they were engaged in something that they wanted to finish before eating. I would bring them their food and they would acknowledge it and ask me to just set it down and they would get to it when they were done with what they were doing. They received, or acknowledged the food. But their receipt of it was very passive.

Let’s contrast that with feeding genuinely hungry people. We’ve seen pictures of missionaries who bring food to starving countries in trucks, and as they are coming down the road the people run to them. When the food is passed out they aggressively take it, many times fighting for even a small share of the food. This is much different than the ‘received’ example previously.

So, now that we have a visual in our minds let’s move back to the spiritual application of it. Jesus says that those who received (actively take hold of) Him…

I believe that the difference in one’s life transformation when receiving Jesus is their degree of hunger. How many people have been pushed by guilt or peer pressure to answer an alter call when they have not yet reached a point of true spiritual hunger? They passively accept Jesus, but have no true hunger for Him. As we see in verse 12, it is those who receive Him aggressively that He gives the authority to transition into the children of God.

We know that Jesus is the way and we are hungry still for more of Him. We ‘cook’ a good meal and are eager for everyone to eat. But they are not hungry. So, they receive it by acknowledging it, I believe out of a sense of duty, obligation or pressure, and then set it aside. Then there it sets getting cold and forgotten. By passively accepting it they will not be transformed.

To our credit we have experienced the hunger and the satisfaction of being filled spiritually and that experience brings with it an eagerness for others to experience it as well. So we push. We manipulate and we engineer places and times so that they too will accept Jesus.

But from what I am seeing here, if that person does not have a true hunger on their own, then it will not transform their life. It will be set aside and in my opinion do more harm than good because it will have no effect on them while they continue to do life their way.

Our example can be taken from Jesus Himself when He walked on this earth. He was the bread of life yet he never forced Himself on anyone at anytime. He knew He possessed life eternal and yet He did not force feed anyone. But to those who aggressively sought Him out and actively pursued Him, He fed.

Many walked away from Him, but he never ran after them attempting to explain Himself and what it was that He was providing so that they would come back and receive Him.

Many might say that passive reception is better than no reception. But, I believe Jesus would disagree. It is to those who hunger and aggressively receive that He gives the authority to become the children of God.

If a person passively received Jesus, they may have the belief that they have become a child of God and are good to go, but because they did not aggressively pursue and take hold of Jesus they were not given that right and therefore are deceived into believing a lie.

Jesus wants to feed those who are hungry, really hungry for transformation, hungry for Him. He wants to see their ‘life denying hunger’ and then satisfy it.

So, as followers of Christ who have experienced this very thing, what are we to do? Well, we are not to push and manipulate others to get them to ‘say the sinners prayer’. We are to create a hunger within them by living a life that is filled with the bread of life.

Jesus lived it and loved them and they came! And they came in droves. Since He is our example, why are we trying to improve on His way of doing things? Why are we trying to improve on His design. Because it is easier to do it our way than it is to live it His way. Living it His way just seems to take too long. We are more concerned about quantity than quality.


If we eat of the bread of life daily and are loving and kind and giving… If we allow the ...

]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1126  Friday Finale – Episode 6

Originally written September 16, 2011
 posted here: https://forthhttps://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/esakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/16/feeding-the-hungry/

Feeding The Hungry

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

I know that some may question why lately we are going to such lengths to dig below the surface of a scripture to see what the greek words are and what their meaning is. But the more I dig, the more I find that it does make a difference. 

The Greek language is so much more exact than our English language. Love for instance is a word that we casually throw around and yet also use for our dearest devotion. We know that in the Greek Language there is a word for each and every varying kind of love. So when we read the scriptures in our English language it is interesting to see it in the way it was first written.

There is an example in the previous passage of one word in the English being use in two varying degrees. That word is received. In verse 11 it talks about Jesus coming to His own, the Jews, and they did not ‘receive’ Him.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.

This study this week has answered many questions that I’ve had for a long time. Questions like why do some people agree to their need for Jesus, say the sinners prayer, and then go on their own way as if nothing ever happened, living that same old lifestyle. Then in others we see an immediate and radical change.

I believe one key is here. Let’s take this and move it to something more familiar to get a strong visual on the subject.

For a person who eats on a regular basis, sometimes life distracts us and we get busy and for hours we don’t even realize that we are hungry. In fact because we are so well fed on a regular basis our hunger is just a slight reminder. It is one that can easily be ignored when we are engaged in things that we find more interesting and entertaining.

But there are so many out there that never eat regularly and are really starving. Eating is their only thought and they long for it and crave it every second of every day. Just a morsel to eat, just a scrap, they will take it eagerly.

Many times I’ve cooked for someone and when the food was ready they were engaged in something that they wanted to finish before eating. I would bring them their food and they would acknowledge it and ask me to just set it down and they would get to it when they were done with what they were doing. They received, or acknowledged the food. But their receipt of it was very passive.

Let’s contrast that with feeding genuinely hungry people. We’ve seen pictures of missionaries who bring food to starving countries in trucks, and as they are coming down the road the people run to them. When the food is passed out they aggressively take it, many times fighting for even a small share of the food. This is much different than the ‘received’ example previously.

So, now that we have a visual in our minds let’s move back to the spiritual application of it. Jesus says that those who received (actively take hold of) Him…

I believe that the difference in one’s life transformation when receiving Jesus is their degree of hunger. How many people have been pushed by guilt or peer pressure to answer an alter call when they have not yet reached a point of true spiritual hunger? They passively accept Jesus, but have no true hunger for Him. As we see in verse 12, it is those who receive Him aggressively that He gives the authority to transition into the children of God.

We know that Jesus is the way and we are hungry still for more of Him. We ‘cook’ a good meal and are eager for everyone to eat. But they are not hungry. So, they receive it by acknowledging it, I believe out of a sense of duty, obligation or pressure, and then set it aside. Then there it sets getting cold and forgotten. By passively accepting it they will not be transformed.

To our credit we have experienced the hunger and the satisfaction of being filled spiritually and that experience brings with it an eagerness for others to experience it as well. So we push. We manipulate and we engineer places and times so that they too will accept Jesus.

But from what I am seeing here, if that person does not have a true hunger on their own, then it will not transform their life. It will be set aside and in my opinion do more harm than good because it will have no effect on them while they continue to do life their way.

Our example can be taken from Jesus Himself when He walked on this earth. He was the bread of life yet he never forced Himself on anyone at anytime. He knew He possessed life eternal and yet He did not force feed anyone. But to those who aggressively sought Him out and actively pursued Him, He fed.

Many walked away from Him, but he never ran after them attempting to explain Himself and what it was that He was providing so that they would come back and receive Him.

Many might say that passive reception is better than no reception. But, I believe Jesus would disagree. It is to those who hunger and aggressively receive that He gives the authority to become the children of God.

If a person passively received Jesus, they may have the belief that they have become a child of God and are good to go, but because they did not aggressively pursue and take hold of Jesus they were not given that right and therefore are deceived into believing a lie.

Jesus wants to feed those who are hungry, really hungry for transformation, hungry for Him. He wants to see their ‘life denying hunger’ and then satisfy it.

So, as followers of Christ who have experienced this very thing, what are we to do? Well, we are not to push and manipulate others to get them to ‘say the sinners prayer’. We are to create a hunger within them by living a life that is filled with the bread of life.

Jesus lived it and loved them and they came! And they came in droves. Since He is our example, why are we trying to improve on His way of doing things? Why are we trying to improve on His design. Because it is easier to do it our way than it is to live it His way. Living it His way just seems to take too long. We are more concerned about quantity than quality.


If we eat of the bread of life daily and are loving and kind and giving… If we allow the ...

]]> No Wednesday Word Study | Receive - Episode 6 1 1 6 6 Wednesday Word Study | Receive - Episode 6 full f0d1da4d-f6ab-4948-aee8-e712c78d7d12 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/  Wednesday Word Study – Episode 6

Originally written August 10, 2011

Receive

Today I want to discuss the contrast of one word that is used twice in one passage but has very different meanings. The word receive.

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This scripture is talking about receiving Jesus as the Christ. In verse 11 it says… ‘His own did not receive Him.” In this instance the word receive. 

paralambanó: To take, to receive, to take along, to accept

Original Word: παραλαμβάνω
 Part of Speech: Verb
 Transliteration: paralambanó
 Pronunciation: pah-rah-lahm-BAH-no
 Phonetic Spelling: (par-al-am-ban'-o)
 KJV: receive, take (unto, with)
 NASB: took, received, take, taken, receive, took along, took aside
 Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2983 (λαμβάνω - receive)]
 
1. to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)
2. (by analogy) to assume an office
3. (figuratively) to learn

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

receive, take unto, with.

From 3844 para "from close-alongside" and 2983 lambano "aggressively take"; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn -- receive, take (unto), to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.

I find it interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is talking about ‘His own” meaning the Jews not receiving Him. In the definition of that case of the word receive it says ‘to assume office’. Jesus had come to fulfill the promises made to both Abraham and David per their respective covenants with God. He came as both a Priest (Messiah) and King. He came to assume those offices, but His people did not receive Him as such.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there. They didn’t acknowledge Him as priest (messiah) or king.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.


lambanó: To take, receive, obtain


Original Word: λαμβάνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: lambanó
Pronunciation: lam-BAN-o
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
 1. (actively) to take
 2. (passively) to receive
 3. (objectively) to get hold of (with the hand)
 {in very many applications (literally and figuratively); whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove}


HELPS Word-studies

2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.

This is a very good example why to get a good and clear picture of scripture, we need to go to the root to find the genuine meaning of a word. Root words along with historical context will bring a much more accurate view to the scriptures. 

Divisive arguments have been waged to the detriment of the body of Christ and has split the Kingdom into factions. We are called to be united and in order to do so, we need to learn the truth of the words we read.


 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



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]]>  Wednesday Word Study – Episode 6

Originally written August 10, 2011

Receive

Today I want to discuss the contrast of one word that is used twice in one passage but has very different meanings. The word receive.

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This scripture is talking about receiving Jesus as the Christ. In verse 11 it says… ‘His own did not receive Him.” In this instance the word receive. 

paralambanó: To take, to receive, to take along, to accept

Original Word: παραλαμβάνω
 Part of Speech: Verb
 Transliteration: paralambanó
 Pronunciation: pah-rah-lahm-BAH-no
 Phonetic Spelling: (par-al-am-ban'-o)
 KJV: receive, take (unto, with)
 NASB: took, received, take, taken, receive, took along, took aside
 Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2983 (λαμβάνω - receive)]
 
1. to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)
2. (by analogy) to assume an office
3. (figuratively) to learn

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

receive, take unto, with.

From 3844 para "from close-alongside" and 2983 lambano "aggressively take"; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn -- receive, take (unto), to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.

I find it interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is talking about ‘His own” meaning the Jews not receiving Him. In the definition of that case of the word receive it says ‘to assume office’. Jesus had come to fulfill the promises made to both Abraham and David per their respective covenants with God. He came as both a Priest (Messiah) and King. He came to assume those offices, but His people did not receive Him as such.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there. They didn’t acknowledge Him as priest (messiah) or king.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.


lambanó: To take, receive, obtain


Original Word: λαμβάνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: lambanó
Pronunciation: lam-BAN-o
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
 1. (actively) to take
 2. (passively) to receive
 3. (objectively) to get hold of (with the hand)
 {in very many applications (literally and figuratively); whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove}


HELPS Word-studies

2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.

This is a very good example why to get a good and clear picture of scripture, we need to go to the root to find the genuine meaning of a word. Root words along with historical context will bring a much more accurate view to the scriptures. 

Divisive arguments have been waged to the detriment of the body of Christ and has split the Kingdom into factions. We are called to be united and in order to do so, we need to learn the truth of the words we read.


 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 358  Wednesday Word Study – Episode 6

Originally written August 10, 2011

Receive

Today I want to discuss the contrast of one word that is used twice in one passage but has very different meanings. The word receive.

John 1:9-13
 9) There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This scripture is talking about receiving Jesus as the Christ. In verse 11 it says… ‘His own did not receive Him.” In this instance the word receive. 

paralambanó: To take, to receive, to take along, to accept

Original Word: παραλαμβάνω
 Part of Speech: Verb
 Transliteration: paralambanó
 Pronunciation: pah-rah-lahm-BAH-no
 Phonetic Spelling: (par-al-am-ban'-o)
 KJV: receive, take (unto, with)
 NASB: took, received, take, taken, receive, took along, took aside
 Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2983 (λαμβάνω - receive)]
 
1. to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)
2. (by analogy) to assume an office
3. (figuratively) to learn

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

receive, take unto, with.

From 3844 para "from close-alongside" and 2983 lambano "aggressively take"; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn -- receive, take (unto), to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.

I find it interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is talking about ‘His own” meaning the Jews not receiving Him. In the definition of that case of the word receive it says ‘to assume office’. Jesus had come to fulfill the promises made to both Abraham and David per their respective covenants with God. He came as both a Priest (Messiah) and King. He came to assume those offices, but His people did not receive Him as such.

Here the word receive is a very passive type of word. It actually means they did not acknowledge Him. As if being in a group and someone walks in and they are ignored and no one notices that they are there. They didn’t acknowledge Him as priest (messiah) or king.

The next verse, verse 12, says that as many, meaning anyone — Jew or Gentile who ‘received’ Him were given the right to become children of God. In this verse the word ‘received’ is totally different than the verse before.

This word is a very active and even aggressive word. It means to aggressively take hold of something. In our English we have a watered down version of this word in this usage.


lambanó: To take, receive, obtain


Original Word: λαμβάνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: lambanó
Pronunciation: lam-BAN-o
Phonetic Spelling: (lam-ban'-o)
 1. (actively) to take
 2. (passively) to receive
 3. (objectively) to get hold of (with the hand)
 {in very many applications (literally and figuratively); whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove}


HELPS Word-studies

2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.

This is a very good example why to get a good and clear picture of scripture, we need to go to the root to find the genuine meaning of a word. Root words along with historical context will bring a much more accurate view to the scriptures. 

Divisive arguments have been waged to the detriment of the body of Christ and has split the Kingdom into factions. We are called to be united and in order to do so, we need to learn the truth of the words we read.


 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Monday Meditation | John 1:9-13 - Episode 8 1 1 8 8 Monday Meditation | John 1:9-13 - Episode 8 full 36d5600e-cc61-4e9a-8548-6012b8fa68b3 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/  Monday Meditations – Episode 6

Originally written September 12, 2011

Today’s Meditation Verse:

John 1:9-13 Amplified Bible
9) There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. 
 10) He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 
 11) He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. 
 12) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 
 13) who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

This passage says so much. Jesus is the true light who came into this world, this earth which He had made. And yet the world, those on this earth did not recognize their maker. His Jewish people, did not receive Him.


But that is okay because He came so that ANYONE can now receive Him and therefore become a citizen of His kingdom.  And those who were His people that rejected Jesus at that time, brought themselves under judgement.


In verse 12 John tells us that anyone who receives Jesus was given by God’s authority the right to become a child of God. The walls were down, no more an exclusive club defined by lineage. Now anyone, regardless of race, vocation, or culture who received Jesus was given permission to become.


In verse 13 we learn it isn’t by natural conception (Jewish lineage), not by physical impulse (just because you want to), nor by a natural father or person. Only by God and His divine supernatural birth are you born of God.


Good works cannot get you there.

Nationality cannot get you there.

Force of will cannot get you there.

Culture cannot get you there.


Becoming a child of God cannot be done by any measure other than receiving Jesus. Once that genuine reception of Jesus happens (we will talk more about that soon in this week's Wednesday Word Study and Friday Finale) then anyone is given permission to become a child of God.


 

Each Monday I am going to be having ‘Monday Meditations’. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]>  Monday Meditations – Episode 6

Originally written September 12, 2011

Today’s Meditation Verse:

John 1:9-13 Amplified Bible
9) There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. 
 10) He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 
 11) He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. 
 12) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 
 13) who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

This passage says so much. Jesus is the true light who came into this world, this earth which He had made. And yet the world, those on this earth did not recognize their maker. His Jewish people, did not receive Him.


But that is okay because He came so that ANYONE can now receive Him and therefore become a citizen of His kingdom.  And those who were His people that rejected Jesus at that time, brought themselves under judgement.


In verse 12 John tells us that anyone who receives Jesus was given by God’s authority the right to become a child of God. The walls were down, no more an exclusive club defined by lineage. Now anyone, regardless of race, vocation, or culture who received Jesus was given permission to become.


In verse 13 we learn it isn’t by natural conception (Jewish lineage), not by physical impulse (just because you want to), nor by a natural father or person. Only by God and His divine supernatural birth are you born of God.


Good works cannot get you there.

Nationality cannot get you there.

Force of will cannot get you there.

Culture cannot get you there.


Becoming a child of God cannot be done by any measure other than receiving Jesus. Once that genuine reception of Jesus happens (we will talk more about that soon in this week's Wednesday Word Study and Friday Finale) then anyone is given permission to become a child of God.


 

Each Monday I am going to be having ‘Monday Meditations’. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 298  Monday Meditations – Episode 6

Originally written September 12, 2011

Today’s Meditation Verse:

John 1:9-13 Amplified Bible
9) There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. 
 10) He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 
 11) He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. 
 12) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 
 13) who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

This passage says so much. Jesus is the true light who came into this world, this earth which He had made. And yet the world, those on this earth did not recognize their maker. His Jewish people, did not receive Him.


But that is okay because He came so that ANYONE can now receive Him and therefore become a citizen of His kingdom.  And those who were His people that rejected Jesus at that time, brought themselves under judgement.


In verse 12 John tells us that anyone who receives Jesus was given by God’s authority the right to become a child of God. The walls were down, no more an exclusive club defined by lineage. Now anyone, regardless of race, vocation, or culture who received Jesus was given permission to become.


In verse 13 we learn it isn’t by natural conception (Jewish lineage), not by physical impulse (just because you want to), nor by a natural father or person. Only by God and His divine supernatural birth are you born of God.


Good works cannot get you there.

Nationality cannot get you there.

Force of will cannot get you there.

Culture cannot get you there.


Becoming a child of God cannot be done by any measure other than receiving Jesus. Once that genuine reception of Jesus happens (we will talk more about that soon in this week's Wednesday Word Study and Friday Finale) then anyone is given permission to become a child of God.


 

Each Monday I am going to be having ‘Monday Meditations’. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Archive Story | Do Something Different - Episode 18 1 1 18 18 Archive Story | Do Something Different - Episode 18 full f56815bf-1476-4396-b9cb-c7d5d8882bfe https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Archive Story

Episode 18

Originally written January 25, 2024

Do Something Different

If you’ve ever been on an old country dirt road, you know that through time the ruts just get deeper and deeper and more pronounced.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I can still see the rutted red dirt roads where I grew up. The road was much lower than the sides where tall, wild grass grew. Often there was also a strip down the very center that was grass. Because once the ruts were cut in, the only path for the tires was on those ruts.

Our lives can easily become like those old dirt roads. We can get in a habit of doing something and then, before we know it, we’ve carved out deep ruts in our road.

Are You In A Rut

I have habits I’ve developed, and they are very good habits. I make my bed the very first thing when I get out of bed each morning. I have additional morning, and then evening routines. These are very good habits, but sometimes I believe we need to jar things loose in our lives and that can only be done by doing something completely out of our norm.

People interest me - greatly. I listen to many documentaries on all types of people. I like to know why and how they lived their lives, and how it benefitted them or not.

Paul Simon

Once I was listening to a documentary on Paul Simon. Someone I believe to be one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

His song, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, was their biggest hit. Ironically, it was the last recorded song on their last album before parting for solo careers.

They did not know at the time that the song would become the hit that it did. I don’t think that would have mattered. It was simply time for them to do a new thing.

The interesting thing I’ve heard Paul Simon say in a few different documentaries is that he has no idea where the song came from.

He is not a religious person. He is certainly not a Christian; he is Jewish and says he doesn’t ascribe to any faith.

He Did Something Different

However, before he wrote one of his most famous songs, he said he had been on a binge of listening to gospel songs for days on end which was totally out of the norm for him.

I’ve never heard him say why he did that, other than he was just compelled to do something different, to listen to different music.

After weeks of listening to gospel music, he was lying on his bed one day with his guitar in hand and was just casually strumming. Out of nowhere came the song. To this day, he says he has no idea where it came from.

Creative Ideas From Out of Nowhere

Have you ever had a creative idea or a thought that just came out of nowhere? I know I have. I’ve also been stuck searching for a creative idea in a sea of nothing.

When we are in a sea of nothing or are traveling down the same rutted road, there is no room for change. Trying to bounce out of those ruts is difficult because of the surrounding obstacles. Sometimes, we just stay in those ruts because we are afraid to do anything different.

I believe that doing something different is critical to our growth as a person, our creative flow, and our success. It doesn’t matter if you are a businessperson in corporate America, or an artist with a paintbrush, just do something very different.

Expand Your Horizons

Go some place you’ve never gone to before. Listen to music you’ve never listened to before. Talk to people you’ve never talked to before. Get involved in a new group. Learn something new. Expand your horizons.

I have a lot of retired friends who are doing well. I have friends who are looking forward to retiring too. However, I have also seen friends and family who have literally withered up and died just a few years after retirement.

Life Is Meant to be Lived

If you are of retirement age, embrace this as an opportunity to do something completely different. Don’t let age or your surroundings stop you.

If you are young and have just graduated high school, don’t cling to the old friends. Love them, keep them dear to your heart, but embrace new people of all ages and nationalities. Go to places you’ve never been in your life. Embrace variety.

If you are approaching middle age and have harbored a dream in your heart for far too many years, move forward. Develop a plan and do something different that will help you achieve that dream. In fact, no matter your age, dream and plan to achieve that dream.

Even I Have to do Something Different

I love to write and I have so many novels and even non-fiction books in my heart and on my list to write. But, sometimes I just need to do something different. In the spring of 2023, I began to water paint.

Both writing and painting are creative endeavors, but very different in thought and skill. When I feel bogged down, I just stop and do something different. On days that I have planned to write, but know I need to jar myself, I paint instead.

Habits, good habits are crucial to living a good life. But sometimes we just have to intentionally break out and do something different.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website:  NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

 

]]> Archive Story

Episode 18

Originally written January 25, 2024

Do Something Different

If you’ve ever been on an old country dirt road, you know that through time the ruts just get deeper and deeper and more pronounced.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I can still see the rutted red dirt roads where I grew up. The road was much lower than the sides where tall, wild grass grew. Often there was also a strip down the very center that was grass. Because once the ruts were cut in, the only path for the tires was on those ruts.

Our lives can easily become like those old dirt roads. We can get in a habit of doing something and then, before we know it, we’ve carved out deep ruts in our road.

Are You In A Rut

I have habits I’ve developed, and they are very good habits. I make my bed the very first thing when I get out of bed each morning. I have additional morning, and then evening routines. These are very good habits, but sometimes I believe we need to jar things loose in our lives and that can only be done by doing something completely out of our norm.

People interest me - greatly. I listen to many documentaries on all types of people. I like to know why and how they lived their lives, and how it benefitted them or not.

Paul Simon

Once I was listening to a documentary on Paul Simon. Someone I believe to be one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

His song, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, was their biggest hit. Ironically, it was the last recorded song on their last album before parting for solo careers.

They did not know at the time that the song would become the hit that it did. I don’t think that would have mattered. It was simply time for them to do a new thing.

The interesting thing I’ve heard Paul Simon say in a few different documentaries is that he has no idea where the song came from.

He is not a religious person. He is certainly not a Christian; he is Jewish and says he doesn’t ascribe to any faith.

He Did Something Different

However, before he wrote one of his most famous songs, he said he had been on a binge of listening to gospel songs for days on end which was totally out of the norm for him.

I’ve never heard him say why he did that, other than he was just compelled to do something different, to listen to different music.

After weeks of listening to gospel music, he was lying on his bed one day with his guitar in hand and was just casually strumming. Out of nowhere came the song. To this day, he says he has no idea where it came from.

Creative Ideas From Out of Nowhere

Have you ever had a creative idea or a thought that just came out of nowhere? I know I have. I’ve also been stuck searching for a creative idea in a sea of nothing.

When we are in a sea of nothing or are traveling down the same rutted road, there is no room for change. Trying to bounce out of those ruts is difficult because of the surrounding obstacles. Sometimes, we just stay in those ruts because we are afraid to do anything different.

I believe that doing something different is critical to our growth as a person, our creative flow, and our success. It doesn’t matter if you are a businessperson in corporate America, or an artist with a paintbrush, just do something very different.

Expand Your Horizons

Go some place you’ve never gone to before. Listen to music you’ve never listened to before. Talk to people you’ve never talked to before. Get involved in a new group. Learn something new. Expand your horizons.

I have a lot of retired friends who are doing well. I have friends who are looking forward to retiring too. However, I have also seen friends and family who have literally withered up and died just a few years after retirement.

Life Is Meant to be Lived

If you are of retirement age, embrace this as an opportunity to do something completely different. Don’t let age or your surroundings stop you.

If you are young and have just graduated high school, don’t cling to the old friends. Love them, keep them dear to your heart, but embrace new people of all ages and nationalities. Go to places you’ve never been in your life. Embrace variety.

If you are approaching middle age and have harbored a dream in your heart for far too many years, move forward. Develop a plan and do something different that will help you achieve that dream. In fact, no matter your age, dream and plan to achieve that dream.

Even I Have to do Something Different

I love to write and I have so many novels and even non-fiction books in my heart and on my list to write. But, sometimes I just need to do something different. In the spring of 2023, I began to water paint.

Both writing and painting are creative endeavors, but very different in thought and skill. When I feel bogged down, I just stop and do something different. On days that I have planned to write, but know I need to jar myself, I paint instead.

Habits, good habits are crucial to living a good life. But sometimes we just have to intentionally break out and do something different.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website:  NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

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]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 18:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 389 Archive Story

Episode 18

Originally written January 25, 2024

Do Something Different

If you’ve ever been on an old country dirt road, you know that through time the ruts just get deeper and deeper and more pronounced.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I can still see the rutted red dirt roads where I grew up. The road was much lower than the sides where tall, wild grass grew. Often there was also a strip down the very center that was grass. Because once the ruts were cut in, the only path for the tires was on those ruts.

Our lives can easily become like those old dirt roads. We can get in a habit of doing something and then, before we know it, we’ve carved out deep ruts in our road.

Are You In A Rut

I have habits I’ve developed, and they are very good habits. I make my bed the very first thing when I get out of bed each morning. I have additional morning, and then evening routines. These are very good habits, but sometimes I believe we need to jar things loose in our lives and that can only be done by doing something completely out of our norm.

People interest me - greatly. I listen to many documentaries on all types of people. I like to know why and how they lived their lives, and how it benefitted them or not.

Paul Simon

Once I was listening to a documentary on Paul Simon. Someone I believe to be one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

His song, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, was their biggest hit. Ironically, it was the last recorded song on their last album before parting for solo careers.

They did not know at the time that the song would become the hit that it did. I don’t think that would have mattered. It was simply time for them to do a new thing.

The interesting thing I’ve heard Paul Simon say in a few different documentaries is that he has no idea where the song came from.

He is not a religious person. He is certainly not a Christian; he is Jewish and says he doesn’t ascribe to any faith.

He Did Something Different

However, before he wrote one of his most famous songs, he said he had been on a binge of listening to gospel songs for days on end which was totally out of the norm for him.

I’ve never heard him say why he did that, other than he was just compelled to do something different, to listen to different music.

After weeks of listening to gospel music, he was lying on his bed one day with his guitar in hand and was just casually strumming. Out of nowhere came the song. To this day, he says he has no idea where it came from.

Creative Ideas From Out of Nowhere

Have you ever had a creative idea or a thought that just came out of nowhere? I know I have. I’ve also been stuck searching for a creative idea in a sea of nothing.

When we are in a sea of nothing or are traveling down the same rutted road, there is no room for change. Trying to bounce out of those ruts is difficult because of the surrounding obstacles. Sometimes, we just stay in those ruts because we are afraid to do anything different.

I believe that doing something different is critical to our growth as a person, our creative flow, and our success. It doesn’t matter if you are a businessperson in corporate America, or an artist with a paintbrush, just do something very different.

Expand Your Horizons

Go some place you’ve never gone to before. Listen to music you’ve never listened to before. Talk to people you’ve never talked to before. Get involved in a new group. Learn something new. Expand your horizons.

I have a lot of retired friends who are doing well. I have friends who are looking forward to retiring too. However, I have also seen friends and family who have literally withered up and died just a few years after retirement.

Life Is Meant to be Lived

If you are of retirement age, embrace this as an opportunity to do something completely different. Don’t let age or your surroundings stop you.

If you are young and have just graduated high school, don’t cling to the old friends. Love them, keep them dear to your heart, but embrace new people of all ages and nationalities. Go to places you’ve never been in your life. Embrace variety.

If you are approaching middle age and have harbored a dream in your heart for far too many years, move forward. Develop a plan and do something different that will help you achieve that dream. In fact, no matter your age, dream and plan to achieve that dream.

Even I Have to do Something Different

I love to write and I have so many novels and even non-fiction books in my heart and on my list to write. But, sometimes I just need to do something different. In the spring of 2023, I began to water paint.

Both writing and painting are creative endeavors, but very different in thought and skill. When I feel bogged down, I just stop and do something different. On days that I have planned to write, but know I need to jar myself, I paint instead.

Habits, good habits are crucial to living a good life. But sometimes we just have to intentionally break out and do something different.

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]]> No Miracle Story | A Double Miracle - Episode 18 1 1 18 18 Miracle Story | A Double Miracle - Episode 18 full ea2ad966-21d0-493a-ad2c-7b7ff82f22be https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ A Double Miracle

When my father had surgery at MD Anderson Hospital to remove the cancer behind his esophagus they had to remove his voice box. That was such a devastating and hard pill to swallow.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

His ordeal in the hospital was a very hard one. He was in intensive care for eight weeks. The last couple of episodes have discussed the miracles that transpired during that time.

Demon of Death

First the intercession I did to push back the angel/demon of death. Then the letter I wrote to him about what it really meant to be born again and how God didn’t want us to follow rules and rituals, but just have a relationship with him.

In that letter I invited him to call out to God and begin that relationship. The last episode told of how he let me know that it was ok. It still brings tears to my eyes.

I Had Prayed For My Father

I had prayed my entire life for my father. I prayed that he would quit drinking and God delivered him from that very thing, suddenly and without warning.

I had prayed many times for his healing and each time it came miraculously. There are so many precious miracles surrounding my father.

But let me say, that all of those were the culmination of one answered prayer in particular, the prayer where I prayed for him to be born again. I prayed simply, daily, that God would not let my daddy die without knowing him. That prayer alone paved the way for all the others.

God Spared My Daddy’s Life

For my daddy to not die before he knew God personally, he had to live. A premature death would have ended that prayer without an answer. So God did honor him with life, through my prayers and he did come to know God in a personal way.

His recovery from the cancer surgery was a long one. Because they had to remove his voice box they had let us know, obviously that he would no longer be able to talk. They sent him home with a device that he could hold up to his throat and it would vibrate and act somewhat as a mechanical voice box.

He Could Talk

But here is another miracle. He didn’t use it because he didn’t need it. He could talk on his own. It was rough and course and somewhat like if we have a ‘horse’ throat. But yet another miracle and Dr. Gepfort was amazed. He too wrote that miracle up in the New England Journal of Medicine.

About a year and a half after his cancer surgery, he was working on the farm again and living life just as he always had. He and my mom were traveling some and things were looking good.

The Cancer Was Back

However on a follow up visit a year and a half after the surgery, they found cancer again. This time it was in his lungs. When I got the news, I was in my bedroom on the phone with my mother. Once I hung up I sat down on the end of my bed and said to myself, “Well, I guess I will just pray again.”

Then I heard in the most gentle and compassionate way, “No, this time he is going home.” It hit hard, but I knew it would be okay.

Revelation of Heaven

For the past year my best friend and I had been on a tangent studying about heaven. During that time I had received such revelation knowledge about it that it was literally real to me just like any other place that we go. I had begun to experience the reality of it, not just as a theoretical place, but truly feel and experience it.

When God told me that he was going home this time, It was just like my father was going to another town or state. That is how real it was. There was no grief. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was already decided.

God had fulfilled every prayer I had ever prayed regarding my father including the one about being born again. I believe he did not want me to pray another prayer. He wanted me to just rest in him and the fact that it was time.

The Very Best Miracle

He had sustained my fathers’ life miraculously until he came to a relationship with him. The very best miracle and the point of it all.

When the time came and my father died, because of the real feeling I had about heaven, there was never ever any grief. I didn’t cry. In fact God showed me in a vision how my father was there. He had his full red hair back and he was younger and more vibrant. It was so incredibly real to me. How could I grieve?

To this day, 39 years later, I have never grieved for my father. I can’t call him or go visit him as though he were in another town, so I do miss him.

Never Grieved

From time to time I do ask God to tell my father that I love and miss him. I do this because the bible makes it clear we are not to pray to or attempt to communicate with the dead. But there is nothing that says I can’t ask God to give him a message for me.

The revelation of heaven remained acutely real for such a long time. I yearned for it. Not because my father was there, but because of the magnificence of it. What I had come to know through the revelation knowledge that God had given me was something I can’t put into words. And the yearning for it was almost more than I could bear.

I Missed My Father

There were times I yearned for it so much that I wanted my life to end so I could be there. Let me be clear not commit suicide, but just for my life here to be over so I could go home.

I often said if he would give everyone that kind of revelation of heaven then there would be a full world of Christ followers. But God wants us to come to him, to have a relationship with him, not just because of heaven.

Then after having battled that for several years and having agonized over the yearning, I asked God to take away that revelation. I needed to go back to a place where I could live my life fully here, unhindered without yearning for heaven. And he did. That acute revelation faded and faded until I came to the place I had been before my father died.

I carry with me the knowing of its magnificence without the full feeling of it. I am groping for words to explain something that is totally intangible in my spirit. I know more than I did, but now it is a head knowledge and yes a heart knowledge too, but no longer an experiential knowledge as it had been before.

Does God Answer All My Prayers?

If you have listened to all my writings so far on miracles you may be feeling like every prayer I have ever prayed has been answered with a miracle and that God has never denied me a request.

That isn’t true. This is a series on miracles and this one shows that sometimes God says no. I can’t tell you why, but he decided and that is the way it was. He saved me from the effort and angst of praying prayers that he knew he would not answer.

That has happened since, but in a positive way. I had a premie grand baby born at 1.9 lbs. I began to earnestly pray and God stopped me. I heard, “I’ve got this.” And I knew he was already taking care of my sweet grandchild.

I Don’t Have All The Answers

I don’t know why God does what he does. I don’t understand his timing. I just know t...

]]> A Double Miracle

When my father had surgery at MD Anderson Hospital to remove the cancer behind his esophagus they had to remove his voice box. That was such a devastating and hard pill to swallow.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

His ordeal in the hospital was a very hard one. He was in intensive care for eight weeks. The last couple of episodes have discussed the miracles that transpired during that time.

Demon of Death

First the intercession I did to push back the angel/demon of death. Then the letter I wrote to him about what it really meant to be born again and how God didn’t want us to follow rules and rituals, but just have a relationship with him.

In that letter I invited him to call out to God and begin that relationship. The last episode told of how he let me know that it was ok. It still brings tears to my eyes.

I Had Prayed For My Father

I had prayed my entire life for my father. I prayed that he would quit drinking and God delivered him from that very thing, suddenly and without warning.

I had prayed many times for his healing and each time it came miraculously. There are so many precious miracles surrounding my father.

But let me say, that all of those were the culmination of one answered prayer in particular, the prayer where I prayed for him to be born again. I prayed simply, daily, that God would not let my daddy die without knowing him. That prayer alone paved the way for all the others.

God Spared My Daddy’s Life

For my daddy to not die before he knew God personally, he had to live. A premature death would have ended that prayer without an answer. So God did honor him with life, through my prayers and he did come to know God in a personal way.

His recovery from the cancer surgery was a long one. Because they had to remove his voice box they had let us know, obviously that he would no longer be able to talk. They sent him home with a device that he could hold up to his throat and it would vibrate and act somewhat as a mechanical voice box.

He Could Talk

But here is another miracle. He didn’t use it because he didn’t need it. He could talk on his own. It was rough and course and somewhat like if we have a ‘horse’ throat. But yet another miracle and Dr. Gepfort was amazed. He too wrote that miracle up in the New England Journal of Medicine.

About a year and a half after his cancer surgery, he was working on the farm again and living life just as he always had. He and my mom were traveling some and things were looking good.

The Cancer Was Back

However on a follow up visit a year and a half after the surgery, they found cancer again. This time it was in his lungs. When I got the news, I was in my bedroom on the phone with my mother. Once I hung up I sat down on the end of my bed and said to myself, “Well, I guess I will just pray again.”

Then I heard in the most gentle and compassionate way, “No, this time he is going home.” It hit hard, but I knew it would be okay.

Revelation of Heaven

For the past year my best friend and I had been on a tangent studying about heaven. During that time I had received such revelation knowledge about it that it was literally real to me just like any other place that we go. I had begun to experience the reality of it, not just as a theoretical place, but truly feel and experience it.

When God told me that he was going home this time, It was just like my father was going to another town or state. That is how real it was. There was no grief. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was already decided.

God had fulfilled every prayer I had ever prayed regarding my father including the one about being born again. I believe he did not want me to pray another prayer. He wanted me to just rest in him and the fact that it was time.

The Very Best Miracle

He had sustained my fathers’ life miraculously until he came to a relationship with him. The very best miracle and the point of it all.

When the time came and my father died, because of the real feeling I had about heaven, there was never ever any grief. I didn’t cry. In fact God showed me in a vision how my father was there. He had his full red hair back and he was younger and more vibrant. It was so incredibly real to me. How could I grieve?

To this day, 39 years later, I have never grieved for my father. I can’t call him or go visit him as though he were in another town, so I do miss him.

Never Grieved

From time to time I do ask God to tell my father that I love and miss him. I do this because the bible makes it clear we are not to pray to or attempt to communicate with the dead. But there is nothing that says I can’t ask God to give him a message for me.

The revelation of heaven remained acutely real for such a long time. I yearned for it. Not because my father was there, but because of the magnificence of it. What I had come to know through the revelation knowledge that God had given me was something I can’t put into words. And the yearning for it was almost more than I could bear.

I Missed My Father

There were times I yearned for it so much that I wanted my life to end so I could be there. Let me be clear not commit suicide, but just for my life here to be over so I could go home.

I often said if he would give everyone that kind of revelation of heaven then there would be a full world of Christ followers. But God wants us to come to him, to have a relationship with him, not just because of heaven.

Then after having battled that for several years and having agonized over the yearning, I asked God to take away that revelation. I needed to go back to a place where I could live my life fully here, unhindered without yearning for heaven. And he did. That acute revelation faded and faded until I came to the place I had been before my father died.

I carry with me the knowing of its magnificence without the full feeling of it. I am groping for words to explain something that is totally intangible in my spirit. I know more than I did, but now it is a head knowledge and yes a heart knowledge too, but no longer an experiential knowledge as it had been before.

Does God Answer All My Prayers?

If you have listened to all my writings so far on miracles you may be feeling like every prayer I have ever prayed has been answered with a miracle and that God has never denied me a request.

That isn’t true. This is a series on miracles and this one shows that sometimes God says no. I can’t tell you why, but he decided and that is the way it was. He saved me from the effort and angst of praying prayers that he knew he would not answer.

That has happened since, but in a positive way. I had a premie grand baby born at 1.9 lbs. I began to earnestly pray and God stopped me. I heard, “I’ve got this.” And I knew he was already taking care of my sweet grandchild.

I Don’t Have All The Answers

I don’t know why God does what he does. I don’t understand his timing. I just know t...

]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 600 A Double Miracle

When my father had surgery at MD Anderson Hospital to remove the cancer behind his esophagus they had to remove his voice box. That was such a devastating and hard pill to swallow.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

His ordeal in the hospital was a very hard one. He was in intensive care for eight weeks. The last couple of episodes have discussed the miracles that transpired during that time.

Demon of Death

First the intercession I did to push back the angel/demon of death. Then the letter I wrote to him about what it really meant to be born again and how God didn’t want us to follow rules and rituals, but just have a relationship with him.

In that letter I invited him to call out to God and begin that relationship. The last episode told of how he let me know that it was ok. It still brings tears to my eyes.

I Had Prayed For My Father

I had prayed my entire life for my father. I prayed that he would quit drinking and God delivered him from that very thing, suddenly and without warning.

I had prayed many times for his healing and each time it came miraculously. There are so many precious miracles surrounding my father.

But let me say, that all of those were the culmination of one answered prayer in particular, the prayer where I prayed for him to be born again. I prayed simply, daily, that God would not let my daddy die without knowing him. That prayer alone paved the way for all the others.

God Spared My Daddy’s Life

For my daddy to not die before he knew God personally, he had to live. A premature death would have ended that prayer without an answer. So God did honor him with life, through my prayers and he did come to know God in a personal way.

His recovery from the cancer surgery was a long one. Because they had to remove his voice box they had let us know, obviously that he would no longer be able to talk. They sent him home with a device that he could hold up to his throat and it would vibrate and act somewhat as a mechanical voice box.

He Could Talk

But here is another miracle. He didn’t use it because he didn’t need it. He could talk on his own. It was rough and course and somewhat like if we have a ‘horse’ throat. But yet another miracle and Dr. Gepfort was amazed. He too wrote that miracle up in the New England Journal of Medicine.

About a year and a half after his cancer surgery, he was working on the farm again and living life just as he always had. He and my mom were traveling some and things were looking good.

The Cancer Was Back

However on a follow up visit a year and a half after the surgery, they found cancer again. This time it was in his lungs. When I got the news, I was in my bedroom on the phone with my mother. Once I hung up I sat down on the end of my bed and said to myself, “Well, I guess I will just pray again.”

Then I heard in the most gentle and compassionate way, “No, this time he is going home.” It hit hard, but I knew it would be okay.

Revelation of Heaven

For the past year my best friend and I had been on a tangent studying about heaven. During that time I had received such revelation knowledge about it that it was literally real to me just like any other place that we go. I had begun to experience the reality of it, not just as a theoretical place, but truly feel and experience it.

When God told me that he was going home this time, It was just like my father was going to another town or state. That is how real it was. There was no grief. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was already decided.

God had fulfilled every prayer I had ever prayed regarding my father including the one about being born again. I believe he did not want me to pray another prayer. He wanted me to just rest in him and the fact that it was time.

The Very Best Miracle

He had sustained my fathers’ life miraculously until he came to a relationship with him. The very best miracle and the point of it all.

When the time came and my father died, because of the real feeling I had about heaven, there was never ever any grief. I didn’t cry. In fact God showed me in a vision how my father was there. He had his full red hair back and he was younger and more vibrant. It was so incredibly real to me. How could I grieve?

To this day, 39 years later, I have never grieved for my father. I can’t call him or go visit him as though he were in another town, so I do miss him.

Never Grieved

From time to time I do ask God to tell my father that I love and miss him. I do this because the bible makes it clear we are not to pray to or attempt to communicate with the dead. But there is nothing that says I can’t ask God to give him a message for me.

The revelation of heaven remained acutely real for such a long time. I yearned for it. Not because my father was there, but because of the magnificence of it. What I had come to know through the revelation knowledge that God had given me was something I can’t put into words. And the yearning for it was almost more than I could bear.

I Missed My Father

There were times I yearned for it so much that I wanted my life to end so I could be there. Let me be clear not commit suicide, but just for my life here to be over so I could go home.

I often said if he would give everyone that kind of revelation of heaven then there would be a full world of Christ followers. But God wants us to come to him, to have a relationship with him, not just because of heaven.

Then after having battled that for several years and having agonized over the yearning, I asked God to take away that revelation. I needed to go back to a place where I could live my life fully here, unhindered without yearning for heaven. And he did. That acute revelation faded and faded until I came to the place I had been before my father died.

I carry with me the knowing of its magnificence without the full feeling of it. I am groping for words to explain something that is totally intangible in my spirit. I know more than I did, but now it is a head knowledge and yes a heart knowledge too, but no longer an experiential knowledge as it had been before.

Does God Answer All My Prayers?

If you have listened to all my writings so far on miracles you may be feeling like every prayer I have ever prayed has been answered with a miracle and that God has never denied me a request.

That isn’t true. This is a series on miracles and this one shows that sometimes God says no. I can’t tell you why, but he decided and that is the way it was. He saved me from the effort and angst of praying prayers that he knew he would not answer.

That has happened since, but in a positive way. I had a premie grand baby born at 1.9 lbs. I began to earnestly pray and God stopped me. I heard, “I’ve got this.” And I knew he was already taking care of my sweet grandchild.

I Don’t Have All The Answers

I don’t know why God does what he does. I don’t understand his timing. I just know t...

]]> No Do You Fear Having an Open Mind 1 1 5 5 Do You Fear Having an Open Mind full aedfc3d3-9845-4b50-a120-ce5365bd2d4a https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/  Do You Fear Having an Open Mind?

Monday Meditations – Episode 5

Originally written September 5 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/05/monday-meditations-acts-319/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 3:19
 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Have you ever had an Etch-a-sketch? I may be dating myself here, but I did as a child. It was one of my favorite toys! I would painstakingly work and work to produce a spectacular work of art. 

I really never came close to the visions that I had in my mind, but I kept trying, day after day. 

The coolest thing about the Etch-A-Sketch was that as soon as I made a mistake I could instantly wipe it away as if it had never been there and start all over. I wouldn’t even stop to think about it. I’d shake it and — Boom — away it would go.

Now sometimes that wonderful feature on an Etch-A-Sketch was a two edged sword. There were times that I would have a great picture going and then by accident I would bump it or shake it and it would all be wiped away, and I could not recover it. 

When something was wiped out, it was gone forever and could never in any way or fashion be recovered. No matter how hard I tried, I could never recover it again.

 Well that is how far removed our sins are. They are not recoverable. So as we are drawing on the Etch-A-Sketch of life and we make a mistake, just shake it (off) and move forward. Start again with a clean slate and move forward with Christ.

 The past mistakes are over and gone, wiped away. Don’t allow the enemy to keep bringing them up and reminding you of them. Remind him that they are gone, wiped away never to be recovered. Move forward with hope for tomorrow, knowing that the old is gone and the new is just ahead. 

And should we make another mistake, and we will, we have Christ to wipe it clean — again. 

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 5

Originally written September 7, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/07/wednesday-word-study-repent/

Acts 3:19
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3340
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh’-o)
Definition: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

When I first learned the true meaning of the work ‘repent’ I was very surprised!!  The church I had grown up in taught us that repenting was telling God you were sorry and that you wouldn’t do it again, then asking Him to forgive that sin.  It was usually a one-sided dialog where we repeatedly kept telling God how sorry we were.

It was usually accompanied by remorse and a sense of guilt. But because of the shame, we never really allowed the Father to work on our heart.  It was if we kept Him at arm’s length while we babbled on about how sorry we were that we thought would make it all right.

So, the remorse, shame and guilt stayed, and afterwards, because we had not allowed ourselves to receive from the Father, we went away unchanged, untransformed and we made the same mistakes and operated in the same sin again and again.

 But the true meaning is to ‘change your mind’!

 I copied this from the Biblios website under the Strongs word section:

3340 metanoé? (from 3326 /metá, “changed after being with” and 3539 /noié?, “think”) – properly, “think differently after,” “after a change of mind”; to repent (literally, “think differently afterwards”).

The phrase above “changed after being with” makes so much sense to me.  When we are with the Father after doing something wrong, we will change our mind and realize that what we did was wrong and that we should not do it again. Being with the Father will change our heart and when we leave His presence we will desire to be different and to do different than before.  If we will take our remorse, shame and guilt to Him and allow Him to reaffirm His forgiveness and love, we will see a new and better way.

Our selfish desires will fade away more and more as we go to the Father in repentance, but not just admitting a wrong done, but receiving His transforming grace, instruction and love in regards to the matter.

That would make sense.  If we thought it was a good idea, or if our selfish desires were leading us to that behavior, then we will change our minds and believe that it is behavior that is not beneficial to us or the kingdom.  Therefore, we will strive to never do it again.  Being with the Father will change both our hearts and our minds.  His immeasurable love and grace will give us the power to live a Holy life.

But we must move toward Him so that that change can occur.  We must take our mistakes, our sin, our missteps and deeds to Him so that He can reveal the truth of our behavior to us.  As He does, He will also show us His loving heart and that kind of love never fails.  It never fails to transform us into His image, little by little, day by day.

Friday Finale – Episode 5

Originally written September 9 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/09/2413/

You Might Change Your Mind


This week our word study and mediation focused around the word repent.  If you have ever spent any time at all in any Christ based church in the world you have heard the word repent.  But what I was taught was the meaning of the word from a small child on up, was not what the true meaning was.


I have been doing a lot of word studies in the past few weeks and very surprisingly when we go look at the root Greek word, it doesn’t have the same meaning that we believed it to have.  I am not sure just how the meanings of the words have become so distorted through the years, but it is vitally important that we know the truth of what is being said in the gospels, for our sake as well as others.


The word repent in the Greek means ‘to change your mind’.  It doesn’t mean to beg for forgiveness every time we become aware of a wrong we have committed.  It doesn’t mean for us  to beat ourselves up in an effort to punish ourselves for that wrong.  It also doesn’t mean to force our behavior to change without the transformative power of God.


But realize this, all behavior begins in the mind with your thinking.  No action is carried out without a thought first.  It may be a lightning fast thought that we are not initially aware of, but the brain controls every behavior, thought and deed.  


Even involuntary...

]]>  Do You Fear Having an Open Mind?

Monday Meditations – Episode 5

Originally written September 5 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/05/monday-meditations-acts-319/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 3:19
 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Have you ever had an Etch-a-sketch? I may be dating myself here, but I did as a child. It was one of my favorite toys! I would painstakingly work and work to produce a spectacular work of art. 

I really never came close to the visions that I had in my mind, but I kept trying, day after day. 

The coolest thing about the Etch-A-Sketch was that as soon as I made a mistake I could instantly wipe it away as if it had never been there and start all over. I wouldn’t even stop to think about it. I’d shake it and — Boom — away it would go.

Now sometimes that wonderful feature on an Etch-A-Sketch was a two edged sword. There were times that I would have a great picture going and then by accident I would bump it or shake it and it would all be wiped away, and I could not recover it. 

When something was wiped out, it was gone forever and could never in any way or fashion be recovered. No matter how hard I tried, I could never recover it again.

 Well that is how far removed our sins are. They are not recoverable. So as we are drawing on the Etch-A-Sketch of life and we make a mistake, just shake it (off) and move forward. Start again with a clean slate and move forward with Christ.

 The past mistakes are over and gone, wiped away. Don’t allow the enemy to keep bringing them up and reminding you of them. Remind him that they are gone, wiped away never to be recovered. Move forward with hope for tomorrow, knowing that the old is gone and the new is just ahead. 

And should we make another mistake, and we will, we have Christ to wipe it clean — again. 

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 5

Originally written September 7, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/07/wednesday-word-study-repent/

Acts 3:19
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3340
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh’-o)
Definition: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

When I first learned the true meaning of the work ‘repent’ I was very surprised!!  The church I had grown up in taught us that repenting was telling God you were sorry and that you wouldn’t do it again, then asking Him to forgive that sin.  It was usually a one-sided dialog where we repeatedly kept telling God how sorry we were.

It was usually accompanied by remorse and a sense of guilt. But because of the shame, we never really allowed the Father to work on our heart.  It was if we kept Him at arm’s length while we babbled on about how sorry we were that we thought would make it all right.

So, the remorse, shame and guilt stayed, and afterwards, because we had not allowed ourselves to receive from the Father, we went away unchanged, untransformed and we made the same mistakes and operated in the same sin again and again.

 But the true meaning is to ‘change your mind’!

 I copied this from the Biblios website under the Strongs word section:

3340 metanoé? (from 3326 /metá, “changed after being with” and 3539 /noié?, “think”) – properly, “think differently after,” “after a change of mind”; to repent (literally, “think differently afterwards”).

The phrase above “changed after being with” makes so much sense to me.  When we are with the Father after doing something wrong, we will change our mind and realize that what we did was wrong and that we should not do it again. Being with the Father will change our heart and when we leave His presence we will desire to be different and to do different than before.  If we will take our remorse, shame and guilt to Him and allow Him to reaffirm His forgiveness and love, we will see a new and better way.

Our selfish desires will fade away more and more as we go to the Father in repentance, but not just admitting a wrong done, but receiving His transforming grace, instruction and love in regards to the matter.

That would make sense.  If we thought it was a good idea, or if our selfish desires were leading us to that behavior, then we will change our minds and believe that it is behavior that is not beneficial to us or the kingdom.  Therefore, we will strive to never do it again.  Being with the Father will change both our hearts and our minds.  His immeasurable love and grace will give us the power to live a Holy life.

But we must move toward Him so that that change can occur.  We must take our mistakes, our sin, our missteps and deeds to Him so that He can reveal the truth of our behavior to us.  As He does, He will also show us His loving heart and that kind of love never fails.  It never fails to transform us into His image, little by little, day by day.

Friday Finale – Episode 5

Originally written September 9 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/09/2413/

You Might Change Your Mind


This week our word study and mediation focused around the word repent.  If you have ever spent any time at all in any Christ based church in the world you have heard the word repent.  But what I was taught was the meaning of the word from a small child on up, was not what the true meaning was.


I have been doing a lot of word studies in the past few weeks and very surprisingly when we go look at the root Greek word, it doesn’t have the same meaning that we believed it to have.  I am not sure just how the meanings of the words have become so distorted through the years, but it is vitally important that we know the truth of what is being said in the gospels, for our sake as well as others.


The word repent in the Greek means ‘to change your mind’.  It doesn’t mean to beg for forgiveness every time we become aware of a wrong we have committed.  It doesn’t mean for us  to beat ourselves up in an effort to punish ourselves for that wrong.  It also doesn’t mean to force our behavior to change without the transformative power of God.


But realize this, all behavior begins in the mind with your thinking.  No action is carried out without a thought first.  It may be a lightning fast thought that we are not initially aware of, but the brain controls every behavior, thought and deed.  


Even involuntary...

]]> Sat, 04 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 968  Do You Fear Having an Open Mind?

Monday Meditations – Episode 5

Originally written September 5 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/05/monday-meditations-acts-319/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 3:19
 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Have you ever had an Etch-a-sketch? I may be dating myself here, but I did as a child. It was one of my favorite toys! I would painstakingly work and work to produce a spectacular work of art. 

I really never came close to the visions that I had in my mind, but I kept trying, day after day. 

The coolest thing about the Etch-A-Sketch was that as soon as I made a mistake I could instantly wipe it away as if it had never been there and start all over. I wouldn’t even stop to think about it. I’d shake it and — Boom — away it would go.

Now sometimes that wonderful feature on an Etch-A-Sketch was a two edged sword. There were times that I would have a great picture going and then by accident I would bump it or shake it and it would all be wiped away, and I could not recover it. 

When something was wiped out, it was gone forever and could never in any way or fashion be recovered. No matter how hard I tried, I could never recover it again.

 Well that is how far removed our sins are. They are not recoverable. So as we are drawing on the Etch-A-Sketch of life and we make a mistake, just shake it (off) and move forward. Start again with a clean slate and move forward with Christ.

 The past mistakes are over and gone, wiped away. Don’t allow the enemy to keep bringing them up and reminding you of them. Remind him that they are gone, wiped away never to be recovered. Move forward with hope for tomorrow, knowing that the old is gone and the new is just ahead. 

And should we make another mistake, and we will, we have Christ to wipe it clean — again. 

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 5

Originally written September 7, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/07/wednesday-word-study-repent/

Acts 3:19
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3340
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh’-o)
Definition: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

When I first learned the true meaning of the work ‘repent’ I was very surprised!!  The church I had grown up in taught us that repenting was telling God you were sorry and that you wouldn’t do it again, then asking Him to forgive that sin.  It was usually a one-sided dialog where we repeatedly kept telling God how sorry we were.

It was usually accompanied by remorse and a sense of guilt. But because of the shame, we never really allowed the Father to work on our heart.  It was if we kept Him at arm’s length while we babbled on about how sorry we were that we thought would make it all right.

So, the remorse, shame and guilt stayed, and afterwards, because we had not allowed ourselves to receive from the Father, we went away unchanged, untransformed and we made the same mistakes and operated in the same sin again and again.

 But the true meaning is to ‘change your mind’!

 I copied this from the Biblios website under the Strongs word section:

3340 metanoé? (from 3326 /metá, “changed after being with” and 3539 /noié?, “think”) – properly, “think differently after,” “after a change of mind”; to repent (literally, “think differently afterwards”).

The phrase above “changed after being with” makes so much sense to me.  When we are with the Father after doing something wrong, we will change our mind and realize that what we did was wrong and that we should not do it again. Being with the Father will change our heart and when we leave His presence we will desire to be different and to do different than before.  If we will take our remorse, shame and guilt to Him and allow Him to reaffirm His forgiveness and love, we will see a new and better way.

Our selfish desires will fade away more and more as we go to the Father in repentance, but not just admitting a wrong done, but receiving His transforming grace, instruction and love in regards to the matter.

That would make sense.  If we thought it was a good idea, or if our selfish desires were leading us to that behavior, then we will change our minds and believe that it is behavior that is not beneficial to us or the kingdom.  Therefore, we will strive to never do it again.  Being with the Father will change both our hearts and our minds.  His immeasurable love and grace will give us the power to live a Holy life.

But we must move toward Him so that that change can occur.  We must take our mistakes, our sin, our missteps and deeds to Him so that He can reveal the truth of our behavior to us.  As He does, He will also show us His loving heart and that kind of love never fails.  It never fails to transform us into His image, little by little, day by day.

Friday Finale – Episode 5

Originally written September 9 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/09/2413/

You Might Change Your Mind


This week our word study and mediation focused around the word repent.  If you have ever spent any time at all in any Christ based church in the world you have heard the word repent.  But what I was taught was the meaning of the word from a small child on up, was not what the true meaning was.


I have been doing a lot of word studies in the past few weeks and very surprisingly when we go look at the root Greek word, it doesn’t have the same meaning that we believed it to have.  I am not sure just how the meanings of the words have become so distorted through the years, but it is vitally important that we know the truth of what is being said in the gospels, for our sake as well as others.


The word repent in the Greek means ‘to change your mind’.  It doesn’t mean to beg for forgiveness every time we become aware of a wrong we have committed.  It doesn’t mean for us  to beat ourselves up in an effort to punish ourselves for that wrong.  It also doesn’t mean to force our behavior to change without the transformative power of God.


But realize this, all behavior begins in the mind with your thinking.  No action is carried out without a thought first.  It may be a lightning fast thought that we are not initially aware of, but the brain controls every behavior, thought and deed.  


Even involuntary...

]]> open mind, fear, opinion, No Friday Finale | You Might Change Your Mind - Episode 5 1 1 5 5 Friday Finale | You Might Change Your Mind - Episode 5 full ca6f56bf-b846-49e6-9ee1-e383ae96f2cb https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Friday Finale – Episode 5

Originally written September 9 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/09/2413/

You Might Change Your Mind


This week our word study and mediation focused around the word repent.  If you have ever spent any time at all in any Christ based church in the world you have heard the word repent.  But what I was taught was the meaning of the word from a small child on up, was not what the true meaning was.


I have been doing a lot of word studies in the past few weeks and very surprisingly when we go look at the root Greek word, it doesn’t have the same meaning that we believed it to have.  I am not sure just how the meanings of the words have become so distorted through the years, but it is vitally important that we know the truth of what is being said in the gospels, for our sake as well as others.


The word repent in the Greek means ‘to change your mind’.  It doesn’t mean to beg for forgiveness every time we become aware of a wrong we have committed.  It doesn’t mean for us  to beat ourselves up in an effort to punish ourselves for that wrong.  It also doesn’t mean to force our behavior to change without the transformative power of God.


But realize this, all behavior begins in the mind with your thinking.  No action is carried out without a thought first.  It may be a lightning fast thought that we are not initially aware of, but the brain controls every behavior, thought and deed.  


Even involuntary actions were instilled in an earlier thought process.  Highly skilled martial arts learn involuntary actions by thinking and practice and repetition.


Let’s look at a few commonly known scriptures with the word repent in them and substitute with ‘change your mind’ and see what we get.


Acts 2:38

Peter replied, "Change your mind and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


Acts 8:22

Change your mind about this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.


Acts 3:19

Change your mind, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,


Revelation 2:16

Change your mind therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.


Luke 24:46-49

46) and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47) and that the changing of one’s mind for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48) “You are witnesses of these things. 49) “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”


So when you are engaging in wrong behavior you may think it is the right thing to do at the time.  Even if you know down deep inside that it isn’t right, you justify it at the time.  


For instance, you know you should go the speed limit, but you justify speeding because you will be late for work.  You haven’t really changed your mind to the belief that you should not speed at all, for any reason.  You still believe it is okay to speed some of the time.


So, when we see that the word repent means to change your mind, that is the beginning of changed behavior.  Once the light of the Word is shed on a subject and revelation knowledge is received, it changes your mind.  You then have the power and ability to live it out.


If you try to change your behavior only without really changing your mind, then you will not have the power to continue on the right path.  True change starts in the mind, but must drop into our spirit to bring life changing power.


True change comes from transformation from the inside out, by first changing your mind.


So, today read the Word, meditate on the word and allow it to change your mind.  After being with the Father your mind will be changed.


This study is a culmination of this week’s Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Friday Finale – Episode 5

Originally written September 9 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/09/2413/

You Might Change Your Mind


This week our word study and mediation focused around the word repent.  If you have ever spent any time at all in any Christ based church in the world you have heard the word repent.  But what I was taught was the meaning of the word from a small child on up, was not what the true meaning was.


I have been doing a lot of word studies in the past few weeks and very surprisingly when we go look at the root Greek word, it doesn’t have the same meaning that we believed it to have.  I am not sure just how the meanings of the words have become so distorted through the years, but it is vitally important that we know the truth of what is being said in the gospels, for our sake as well as others.


The word repent in the Greek means ‘to change your mind’.  It doesn’t mean to beg for forgiveness every time we become aware of a wrong we have committed.  It doesn’t mean for us  to beat ourselves up in an effort to punish ourselves for that wrong.  It also doesn’t mean to force our behavior to change without the transformative power of God.


But realize this, all behavior begins in the mind with your thinking.  No action is carried out without a thought first.  It may be a lightning fast thought that we are not initially aware of, but the brain controls every behavior, thought and deed.  


Even involuntary actions were instilled in an earlier thought process.  Highly skilled martial arts learn involuntary actions by thinking and practice and repetition.


Let’s look at a few commonly known scriptures with the word repent in them and substitute with ‘change your mind’ and see what we get.


Acts 2:38

Peter replied, "Change your mind and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


Acts 8:22

Change your mind about this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.


Acts 3:19

Change your mind, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,


Revelation 2:16

Change your mind therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.


Luke 24:46-49

46) and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47) and that the changing of one’s mind for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48) “You are witnesses of these things. 49) “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”


So when you are engaging in wrong behavior you may think it is the right thing to do at the time.  Even if you know down deep inside that it isn’t right, you justify it at the time.  


For instance, you know you should go the speed limit, but you justify speeding because you will be late for work.  You haven’t really changed your mind to the belief that you should not speed at all, for any reason.  You still believe it is okay to speed some of the time.


So, when we see that the word repent means to change your mind, that is the beginning of changed behavior.  Once the light of the Word is shed on a subject and revelation knowledge is received, it changes your mind.  You then have the power and ability to live it out.


If you try to change your behavior only without really changing your mind, then you will not have the power to continue on the right path.  True change starts in the mind, but must drop into our spirit to bring life changing power.


True change comes from transformation from the inside out, by first changing your mind.


So, today read the Word, meditate on the word and allow it to change your mind.  After being with the Father your mind will be changed.


This study is a culmination of this week’s Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 377 Friday Finale – Episode 5

Originally written September 9 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/09/2413/

You Might Change Your Mind


This week our word study and mediation focused around the word repent.  If you have ever spent any time at all in any Christ based church in the world you have heard the word repent.  But what I was taught was the meaning of the word from a small child on up, was not what the true meaning was.


I have been doing a lot of word studies in the past few weeks and very surprisingly when we go look at the root Greek word, it doesn’t have the same meaning that we believed it to have.  I am not sure just how the meanings of the words have become so distorted through the years, but it is vitally important that we know the truth of what is being said in the gospels, for our sake as well as others.


The word repent in the Greek means ‘to change your mind’.  It doesn’t mean to beg for forgiveness every time we become aware of a wrong we have committed.  It doesn’t mean for us  to beat ourselves up in an effort to punish ourselves for that wrong.  It also doesn’t mean to force our behavior to change without the transformative power of God.


But realize this, all behavior begins in the mind with your thinking.  No action is carried out without a thought first.  It may be a lightning fast thought that we are not initially aware of, but the brain controls every behavior, thought and deed.  


Even involuntary actions were instilled in an earlier thought process.  Highly skilled martial arts learn involuntary actions by thinking and practice and repetition.


Let’s look at a few commonly known scriptures with the word repent in them and substitute with ‘change your mind’ and see what we get.


Acts 2:38

Peter replied, "Change your mind and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


Acts 8:22

Change your mind about this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.


Acts 3:19

Change your mind, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,


Revelation 2:16

Change your mind therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.


Luke 24:46-49

46) and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47) and that the changing of one’s mind for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48) “You are witnesses of these things. 49) “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”


So when you are engaging in wrong behavior you may think it is the right thing to do at the time.  Even if you know down deep inside that it isn’t right, you justify it at the time.  


For instance, you know you should go the speed limit, but you justify speeding because you will be late for work.  You haven’t really changed your mind to the belief that you should not speed at all, for any reason.  You still believe it is okay to speed some of the time.


So, when we see that the word repent means to change your mind, that is the beginning of changed behavior.  Once the light of the Word is shed on a subject and revelation knowledge is received, it changes your mind.  You then have the power and ability to live it out.


If you try to change your behavior only without really changing your mind, then you will not have the power to continue on the right path.  True change starts in the mind, but must drop into our spirit to bring life changing power.


True change comes from transformation from the inside out, by first changing your mind.


So, today read the Word, meditate on the word and allow it to change your mind.  After being with the Father your mind will be changed.


This study is a culmination of this week’s Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Wednesday Word Study | Repent – Episode 5 1 1 5 5 Wednesday Word Study | Repent – Episode 5 full 14de8c79-d82a-4f0c-854d-d46c67ab4667 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Wednesday Word Study – Episode 5

Originally written September 7, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/07/wednesday-word-study-repent/

Acts 3:19
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3340
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh’-o)
Definition: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

When I first learned the true meaning of the work ‘repent’ I was very surprised!!  The church I had grown up in taught us that repenting was telling God you were sorry and that you wouldn’t do it again, then asking Him to forgive that sin.  It was usually a one-sided dialog where we repeatedly kept telling God how sorry we were.

It was usually accompanied by remorse and a sense of guilt. But because of the shame, we never really allowed the Father to work on our heart.  It was if we kept Him at arm’s length while we babbled on about how sorry we were that we thought would make it all right.

So, the remorse, shame and guilt stayed, and afterwards, because we had not allowed ourselves to receive from the Father, we went away unchanged, untransformed and we made the same mistakes and operated in the same sin again and again.

 But the true meaning is to ‘change your mind’!

 I copied this from the Biblios website under the Strongs word section:

3340 metanoé? (from 3326 /metá, “changed after being with” and 3539 /noié?, “think”) – properly, “think differently after,” “after a change of mind”; to repent (literally, “think differently afterwards”).

The phrase above “changed after being with” makes so much sense to me.  When we are with the Father after doing something wrong, we will change our mind and realize that what we did was wrong and that we should not do it again. Being with the Father will change our heart and when we leave His presence we will desire to be different and to do different than before.  If we will take our remorse, shame and guilt to Him and allow Him to reaffirm His forgiveness and love, we will see a new and better way.

Our selfish desires will fade away more and more as we go to the Father in repentance, but not just admitting a wrong done, but receiving His transforming grace, instruction and love in regards to the matter.

That would make sense.  If we thought it was a good idea, or if our selfish desires were leading us to that behavior, then we will change our minds and believe that it is behavior that is not beneficial to us or the kingdom.  Therefore, we will strive to never do it again.  Being with the Father will change both our hearts and our minds.  His immeasurable love and grace will give us the power to live a Holy life.

But we must move toward Him so that that change can occur.  We must take our mistakes, our sin, our missteps and deeds to Him so that He can reveal the truth of our behavior to us.  As He does, He will also show us His loving heart and that kind of love never fails.  It never fails to transform us into His image, little by little, day by day.

 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wednesday Word Study – Episode 5

Originally written September 7, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/07/wednesday-word-study-repent/

Acts 3:19
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3340
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh’-o)
Definition: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

When I first learned the true meaning of the work ‘repent’ I was very surprised!!  The church I had grown up in taught us that repenting was telling God you were sorry and that you wouldn’t do it again, then asking Him to forgive that sin.  It was usually a one-sided dialog where we repeatedly kept telling God how sorry we were.

It was usually accompanied by remorse and a sense of guilt. But because of the shame, we never really allowed the Father to work on our heart.  It was if we kept Him at arm’s length while we babbled on about how sorry we were that we thought would make it all right.

So, the remorse, shame and guilt stayed, and afterwards, because we had not allowed ourselves to receive from the Father, we went away unchanged, untransformed and we made the same mistakes and operated in the same sin again and again.

 But the true meaning is to ‘change your mind’!

 I copied this from the Biblios website under the Strongs word section:

3340 metanoé? (from 3326 /metá, “changed after being with” and 3539 /noié?, “think”) – properly, “think differently after,” “after a change of mind”; to repent (literally, “think differently afterwards”).

The phrase above “changed after being with” makes so much sense to me.  When we are with the Father after doing something wrong, we will change our mind and realize that what we did was wrong and that we should not do it again. Being with the Father will change our heart and when we leave His presence we will desire to be different and to do different than before.  If we will take our remorse, shame and guilt to Him and allow Him to reaffirm His forgiveness and love, we will see a new and better way.

Our selfish desires will fade away more and more as we go to the Father in repentance, but not just admitting a wrong done, but receiving His transforming grace, instruction and love in regards to the matter.

That would make sense.  If we thought it was a good idea, or if our selfish desires were leading us to that behavior, then we will change our minds and believe that it is behavior that is not beneficial to us or the kingdom.  Therefore, we will strive to never do it again.  Being with the Father will change both our hearts and our minds.  His immeasurable love and grace will give us the power to live a Holy life.

But we must move toward Him so that that change can occur.  We must take our mistakes, our sin, our missteps and deeds to Him so that He can reveal the truth of our behavior to us.  As He does, He will also show us His loving heart and that kind of love never fails.  It never fails to transform us into His image, little by little, day by day.

 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 327 Wednesday Word Study – Episode 5

Originally written September 7, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/07/wednesday-word-study-repent/

Acts 3:19
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number: 3340
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh’-o)
Definition: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

When I first learned the true meaning of the work ‘repent’ I was very surprised!!  The church I had grown up in taught us that repenting was telling God you were sorry and that you wouldn’t do it again, then asking Him to forgive that sin.  It was usually a one-sided dialog where we repeatedly kept telling God how sorry we were.

It was usually accompanied by remorse and a sense of guilt. But because of the shame, we never really allowed the Father to work on our heart.  It was if we kept Him at arm’s length while we babbled on about how sorry we were that we thought would make it all right.

So, the remorse, shame and guilt stayed, and afterwards, because we had not allowed ourselves to receive from the Father, we went away unchanged, untransformed and we made the same mistakes and operated in the same sin again and again.

 But the true meaning is to ‘change your mind’!

 I copied this from the Biblios website under the Strongs word section:

3340 metanoé? (from 3326 /metá, “changed after being with” and 3539 /noié?, “think”) – properly, “think differently after,” “after a change of mind”; to repent (literally, “think differently afterwards”).

The phrase above “changed after being with” makes so much sense to me.  When we are with the Father after doing something wrong, we will change our mind and realize that what we did was wrong and that we should not do it again. Being with the Father will change our heart and when we leave His presence we will desire to be different and to do different than before.  If we will take our remorse, shame and guilt to Him and allow Him to reaffirm His forgiveness and love, we will see a new and better way.

Our selfish desires will fade away more and more as we go to the Father in repentance, but not just admitting a wrong done, but receiving His transforming grace, instruction and love in regards to the matter.

That would make sense.  If we thought it was a good idea, or if our selfish desires were leading us to that behavior, then we will change our minds and believe that it is behavior that is not beneficial to us or the kingdom.  Therefore, we will strive to never do it again.  Being with the Father will change both our hearts and our minds.  His immeasurable love and grace will give us the power to live a Holy life.

But we must move toward Him so that that change can occur.  We must take our mistakes, our sin, our missteps and deeds to Him so that He can reveal the truth of our behavior to us.  As He does, He will also show us His loving heart and that kind of love never fails.  It never fails to transform us into His image, little by little, day by day.

 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Monday Meditations | Acts 3:19 – Episode 5 1 1 5 5 Monday Meditations | Acts 3:19 – Episode 5 full f561fe19-902d-4c09-a838-17ce76813cea https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/  Monday Meditations – Episode 5

Originally written September 5 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/05/monday-meditations-acts-319/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 3:19
 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Have you ever had an Etch-a-sketch? I may be dating myself here, but I did as a child. It was one of my favorite toys! I would painstakingly work and work to produce a spectacular work of art. 

I really never came close to the visions that I had in my mind, but I kept trying, day after day. 

The coolest thing about the Etch-A-Sketch was that as soon as I made a mistake I could instantly wipe it away as if it had never been there and start all over. I wouldn’t even stop to think about it. I’d shake it and — Boom — away it would go.

Now sometimes that wonderful feature on an Etch-A-Sketch was a two edged sword. There were times that I would have a great picture going and then by accident I would bump it or shake it and it would all be wiped away, and I could not recover it. 

When something was wiped out, it was gone forever and could never in any way or fashion be recovered. No matter how hard I tried, I could never recover it again.

 Well that is how far removed our sins are. They are not recoverable. So as we are drawing on the Etch-A-Sketch of life and we make a mistake, just shake it (off) and move forward. Start again with a clean slate and move forward with Christ.

 The past mistakes are over and gone, wiped away. Don’t allow the enemy to keep bringing them up and reminding you of them. Remind him that they are gone, wiped away never to be recovered. Move forward with hope for tomorrow, knowing that the old is gone and the new is just ahead. 

And should we make another mistake, and we will, we have Christ to wipe it clean — again. 

 

Each Monday I am going to be having ‘Monday Meditations’. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]>  Monday Meditations – Episode 5

Originally written September 5 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/05/monday-meditations-acts-319/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 3:19
 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Have you ever had an Etch-a-sketch? I may be dating myself here, but I did as a child. It was one of my favorite toys! I would painstakingly work and work to produce a spectacular work of art. 

I really never came close to the visions that I had in my mind, but I kept trying, day after day. 

The coolest thing about the Etch-A-Sketch was that as soon as I made a mistake I could instantly wipe it away as if it had never been there and start all over. I wouldn’t even stop to think about it. I’d shake it and — Boom — away it would go.

Now sometimes that wonderful feature on an Etch-A-Sketch was a two edged sword. There were times that I would have a great picture going and then by accident I would bump it or shake it and it would all be wiped away, and I could not recover it. 

When something was wiped out, it was gone forever and could never in any way or fashion be recovered. No matter how hard I tried, I could never recover it again.

 Well that is how far removed our sins are. They are not recoverable. So as we are drawing on the Etch-A-Sketch of life and we make a mistake, just shake it (off) and move forward. Start again with a clean slate and move forward with Christ.

 The past mistakes are over and gone, wiped away. Don’t allow the enemy to keep bringing them up and reminding you of them. Remind him that they are gone, wiped away never to be recovered. Move forward with hope for tomorrow, knowing that the old is gone and the new is just ahead. 

And should we make another mistake, and we will, we have Christ to wipe it clean — again. 

 

Each Monday I am going to be having ‘Monday Meditations’. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2026 01:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 219  Monday Meditations – Episode 5

Originally written September 5 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/05/monday-meditations-acts-319/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 3:19
 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Have you ever had an Etch-a-sketch? I may be dating myself here, but I did as a child. It was one of my favorite toys! I would painstakingly work and work to produce a spectacular work of art. 

I really never came close to the visions that I had in my mind, but I kept trying, day after day. 

The coolest thing about the Etch-A-Sketch was that as soon as I made a mistake I could instantly wipe it away as if it had never been there and start all over. I wouldn’t even stop to think about it. I’d shake it and — Boom — away it would go.

Now sometimes that wonderful feature on an Etch-A-Sketch was a two edged sword. There were times that I would have a great picture going and then by accident I would bump it or shake it and it would all be wiped away, and I could not recover it. 

When something was wiped out, it was gone forever and could never in any way or fashion be recovered. No matter how hard I tried, I could never recover it again.

 Well that is how far removed our sins are. They are not recoverable. So as we are drawing on the Etch-A-Sketch of life and we make a mistake, just shake it (off) and move forward. Start again with a clean slate and move forward with Christ.

 The past mistakes are over and gone, wiped away. Don’t allow the enemy to keep bringing them up and reminding you of them. Remind him that they are gone, wiped away never to be recovered. Move forward with hope for tomorrow, knowing that the old is gone and the new is just ahead. 

And should we make another mistake, and we will, we have Christ to wipe it clean — again. 

 

Each Monday I am going to be having ‘Monday Meditations’. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Archive Story | Check Engine Light. Is Yours On? 1 1 17 17 Archive Story | Check Engine Light. Is Yours On? full 624c3617-e812-4f06-8112-8602a1f76ed5 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Archive Story

Episode 17

Originally written March 23, 2023

Check Engine Light - is yours on?


For many of you, it may seem that my last blog post Religion - A Dead Man Walking distilled Christianity down too far. I did that in order to make a point. You should know by now that I love to push the antithesis to shock you into thinking.

BUT, I believe every word I posted. I believe we were meant to be a unified body with one goal: to be the body with Christ as the head, and to spread God’s love throughout the world. Therefore, drawing (not pushing, prodding, coercing, or manipulating) all men to Jesus by lifting HIM up in honor, respect and love.

But we have become a brawling set of siblings on the backside of the playground. We’ve lost enormous respect from those who are pre-believers. Why on earth would they want what we have and respect who we are when, from the outside looking in, all they see is discord and strife?

But, I digress. I want to discuss something else only slightly related to my last post, and that is what the church world refers to as sin. Yep, I said it - sin. You may also want to hang on to your hat for this one.

Does Your Church Discuss Sin?

First, let me say that when we discuss sin in the church, we often do not dissect or differentiate between our sin nature and the acts of sin we do once we have become born again.

Adam and Eve sealed the deal on the sin nature part. Their act of disobedience put their generational lineage into a perpetual state of bearing a sin spirit from birth to death. If we do not personally say ‘halt’ and ask God to be born again we will continue that perpetration.

Nicodemus marveled at that term. He searched Jesus out by night, eager and hungry to learn.

John 3:3-6
 3) Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
 4) Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
 5) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6) That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit...

Do You Truly Live?

It is still a unique turn of phrase to our human ears. It is an act that God can only do divinely himself at our request once we realize we need to die spiritually. When we realize that the sin nature or spirit we were born with is corrupt, and we need for it to die and be born again so that we can truly live.

Notice in the above passage that Jesus says a person cannot see or enter the kingdom of God if they are not born of the Spirit.

Let me ruffle some more feathers here (I seem to be so good at it). I take issue with the little ‘ask Jesus into your heart’ prayers we tack on to the end of our religious box sessions. That is not being born again. It is watered down and very vanilla instruction. The most minimal 'way out'. They aren't asking to be born again because they do not know they need to ask for that.

At best, it may allow those saying it to realize that there is a need in their life to allow Jesus to help them change, and by saying that prayer sincerely they are acknowledging that something in their life needs to change and to give that to Jesus. Asking Jesus into our hearts seems to be a gentle way of attempting to confront a dire moment of truth.

And we, the body shout hallelujah and fast forward them to the head of the line as though now they are fully one of us. One of us who knew we needed to go from death to life internally and asked for the death, burial, and resurrection of our spirit. Something they probably don't know they need because it was just too much to load them down with initially.

Going Beyond Acknowledgment That Something Is Wrong

I congratulate all those who have had the courage to say that prayer at the end of a service. You have a heart to follow Christ and were doing what you thought you should. But I believe we already in the body do those new believers a disservice by not going further to teach, and pray with them to complete the new birth process. We have attempted to get as many as possible into the body by making it benignly easy with little explanation. We fear our explanation may frighten and turn most away. But by not fully educating them, we are dooming them to fail.

Being born again is so much more than just a quick, brief prayer. We are talking about death, burial, and resurrection of their spirit here. We have to understand that a death needs to occur. That is serious business. It is no wonder why thousands that have said the prayer have then walked away with absolutely no noticeable change in their lives.

They may want to do what is right. They may try to not ‘sin’. But unless a spiritual death has occurred inside, where the old sinful nature ceases to exist, and a new God breathed and born again spirit has been birthed and takes its place, there will be no genuine change or entrance into the kingdom of God.

It Is Easy To Misunderstand

The Bible is rich with countless layers of knowledge, passion, and instruction. Because of that, and the fact much of it was written in various languages and parts specifically for the people at the time who were alive to hear it, we get some things wrong. I know I have.

Digging deep into the actual Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic and the literary styles the bible it is written in can clarify much misconception.

A section of verses that we have often used to excuse our ‘sin’ is the passage by Paul in the last half of Romans 7 discusses the law and controversy surrounding it. 

Do You Try To Do The Right Thing and Can't?

Romans 7:19-20
 19) For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
 20) But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.

We have used the above specific verses many times to excuse away what we consider is our inappropriate behavior. “Oh well, I want to do good, but I do the things I don’t want to do and I don’t do the things I do want to do.” After all, if it was the way Paul was, then it is okay for us to be that way too.

However, in reading most of Paul’s other writings, it seems very contrary. After spending a large amount of time listening to various Hebrew and Greek scholars who pointed out that there is a shift in the original text that denotes that Paul is referring to the way he used to be before he was born again, it now makes perfect sense. In fact, several verses before and after the two above are in that same literary change.

Finishing a Cohesive Argument

Romans 7:24-25 
 24) Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 
 25) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand, I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:1-5
 1) Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and ...

]]> Archive Story

Episode 17

Originally written March 23, 2023

Check Engine Light - is yours on?


For many of you, it may seem that my last blog post Religion - A Dead Man Walking distilled Christianity down too far. I did that in order to make a point. You should know by now that I love to push the antithesis to shock you into thinking.

BUT, I believe every word I posted. I believe we were meant to be a unified body with one goal: to be the body with Christ as the head, and to spread God’s love throughout the world. Therefore, drawing (not pushing, prodding, coercing, or manipulating) all men to Jesus by lifting HIM up in honor, respect and love.

But we have become a brawling set of siblings on the backside of the playground. We’ve lost enormous respect from those who are pre-believers. Why on earth would they want what we have and respect who we are when, from the outside looking in, all they see is discord and strife?

But, I digress. I want to discuss something else only slightly related to my last post, and that is what the church world refers to as sin. Yep, I said it - sin. You may also want to hang on to your hat for this one.

Does Your Church Discuss Sin?

First, let me say that when we discuss sin in the church, we often do not dissect or differentiate between our sin nature and the acts of sin we do once we have become born again.

Adam and Eve sealed the deal on the sin nature part. Their act of disobedience put their generational lineage into a perpetual state of bearing a sin spirit from birth to death. If we do not personally say ‘halt’ and ask God to be born again we will continue that perpetration.

Nicodemus marveled at that term. He searched Jesus out by night, eager and hungry to learn.

John 3:3-6
 3) Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
 4) Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
 5) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6) That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit...

Do You Truly Live?

It is still a unique turn of phrase to our human ears. It is an act that God can only do divinely himself at our request once we realize we need to die spiritually. When we realize that the sin nature or spirit we were born with is corrupt, and we need for it to die and be born again so that we can truly live.

Notice in the above passage that Jesus says a person cannot see or enter the kingdom of God if they are not born of the Spirit.

Let me ruffle some more feathers here (I seem to be so good at it). I take issue with the little ‘ask Jesus into your heart’ prayers we tack on to the end of our religious box sessions. That is not being born again. It is watered down and very vanilla instruction. The most minimal 'way out'. They aren't asking to be born again because they do not know they need to ask for that.

At best, it may allow those saying it to realize that there is a need in their life to allow Jesus to help them change, and by saying that prayer sincerely they are acknowledging that something in their life needs to change and to give that to Jesus. Asking Jesus into our hearts seems to be a gentle way of attempting to confront a dire moment of truth.

And we, the body shout hallelujah and fast forward them to the head of the line as though now they are fully one of us. One of us who knew we needed to go from death to life internally and asked for the death, burial, and resurrection of our spirit. Something they probably don't know they need because it was just too much to load them down with initially.

Going Beyond Acknowledgment That Something Is Wrong

I congratulate all those who have had the courage to say that prayer at the end of a service. You have a heart to follow Christ and were doing what you thought you should. But I believe we already in the body do those new believers a disservice by not going further to teach, and pray with them to complete the new birth process. We have attempted to get as many as possible into the body by making it benignly easy with little explanation. We fear our explanation may frighten and turn most away. But by not fully educating them, we are dooming them to fail.

Being born again is so much more than just a quick, brief prayer. We are talking about death, burial, and resurrection of their spirit here. We have to understand that a death needs to occur. That is serious business. It is no wonder why thousands that have said the prayer have then walked away with absolutely no noticeable change in their lives.

They may want to do what is right. They may try to not ‘sin’. But unless a spiritual death has occurred inside, where the old sinful nature ceases to exist, and a new God breathed and born again spirit has been birthed and takes its place, there will be no genuine change or entrance into the kingdom of God.

It Is Easy To Misunderstand

The Bible is rich with countless layers of knowledge, passion, and instruction. Because of that, and the fact much of it was written in various languages and parts specifically for the people at the time who were alive to hear it, we get some things wrong. I know I have.

Digging deep into the actual Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic and the literary styles the bible it is written in can clarify much misconception.

A section of verses that we have often used to excuse our ‘sin’ is the passage by Paul in the last half of Romans 7 discusses the law and controversy surrounding it. 

Do You Try To Do The Right Thing and Can't?

Romans 7:19-20
 19) For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
 20) But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.

We have used the above specific verses many times to excuse away what we consider is our inappropriate behavior. “Oh well, I want to do good, but I do the things I don’t want to do and I don’t do the things I do want to do.” After all, if it was the way Paul was, then it is okay for us to be that way too.

However, in reading most of Paul’s other writings, it seems very contrary. After spending a large amount of time listening to various Hebrew and Greek scholars who pointed out that there is a shift in the original text that denotes that Paul is referring to the way he used to be before he was born again, it now makes perfect sense. In fact, several verses before and after the two above are in that same literary change.

Finishing a Cohesive Argument

Romans 7:24-25 
 24) Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 
 25) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand, I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:1-5
 1) Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and ...

]]> Sun, 28 Jun 2026 13:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1056 Archive Story

Episode 17

Originally written March 23, 2023

Check Engine Light - is yours on?


For many of you, it may seem that my last blog post Religion - A Dead Man Walking distilled Christianity down too far. I did that in order to make a point. You should know by now that I love to push the antithesis to shock you into thinking.

BUT, I believe every word I posted. I believe we were meant to be a unified body with one goal: to be the body with Christ as the head, and to spread God’s love throughout the world. Therefore, drawing (not pushing, prodding, coercing, or manipulating) all men to Jesus by lifting HIM up in honor, respect and love.

But we have become a brawling set of siblings on the backside of the playground. We’ve lost enormous respect from those who are pre-believers. Why on earth would they want what we have and respect who we are when, from the outside looking in, all they see is discord and strife?

But, I digress. I want to discuss something else only slightly related to my last post, and that is what the church world refers to as sin. Yep, I said it - sin. You may also want to hang on to your hat for this one.

Does Your Church Discuss Sin?

First, let me say that when we discuss sin in the church, we often do not dissect or differentiate between our sin nature and the acts of sin we do once we have become born again.

Adam and Eve sealed the deal on the sin nature part. Their act of disobedience put their generational lineage into a perpetual state of bearing a sin spirit from birth to death. If we do not personally say ‘halt’ and ask God to be born again we will continue that perpetration.

Nicodemus marveled at that term. He searched Jesus out by night, eager and hungry to learn.

John 3:3-6
 3) Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
 4) Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
 5) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6) That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit...

Do You Truly Live?

It is still a unique turn of phrase to our human ears. It is an act that God can only do divinely himself at our request once we realize we need to die spiritually. When we realize that the sin nature or spirit we were born with is corrupt, and we need for it to die and be born again so that we can truly live.

Notice in the above passage that Jesus says a person cannot see or enter the kingdom of God if they are not born of the Spirit.

Let me ruffle some more feathers here (I seem to be so good at it). I take issue with the little ‘ask Jesus into your heart’ prayers we tack on to the end of our religious box sessions. That is not being born again. It is watered down and very vanilla instruction. The most minimal 'way out'. They aren't asking to be born again because they do not know they need to ask for that.

At best, it may allow those saying it to realize that there is a need in their life to allow Jesus to help them change, and by saying that prayer sincerely they are acknowledging that something in their life needs to change and to give that to Jesus. Asking Jesus into our hearts seems to be a gentle way of attempting to confront a dire moment of truth.

And we, the body shout hallelujah and fast forward them to the head of the line as though now they are fully one of us. One of us who knew we needed to go from death to life internally and asked for the death, burial, and resurrection of our spirit. Something they probably don't know they need because it was just too much to load them down with initially.

Going Beyond Acknowledgment That Something Is Wrong

I congratulate all those who have had the courage to say that prayer at the end of a service. You have a heart to follow Christ and were doing what you thought you should. But I believe we already in the body do those new believers a disservice by not going further to teach, and pray with them to complete the new birth process. We have attempted to get as many as possible into the body by making it benignly easy with little explanation. We fear our explanation may frighten and turn most away. But by not fully educating them, we are dooming them to fail.

Being born again is so much more than just a quick, brief prayer. We are talking about death, burial, and resurrection of their spirit here. We have to understand that a death needs to occur. That is serious business. It is no wonder why thousands that have said the prayer have then walked away with absolutely no noticeable change in their lives.

They may want to do what is right. They may try to not ‘sin’. But unless a spiritual death has occurred inside, where the old sinful nature ceases to exist, and a new God breathed and born again spirit has been birthed and takes its place, there will be no genuine change or entrance into the kingdom of God.

It Is Easy To Misunderstand

The Bible is rich with countless layers of knowledge, passion, and instruction. Because of that, and the fact much of it was written in various languages and parts specifically for the people at the time who were alive to hear it, we get some things wrong. I know I have.

Digging deep into the actual Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic and the literary styles the bible it is written in can clarify much misconception.

A section of verses that we have often used to excuse our ‘sin’ is the passage by Paul in the last half of Romans 7 discusses the law and controversy surrounding it. 

Do You Try To Do The Right Thing and Can't?

Romans 7:19-20
 19) For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
 20) But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.

We have used the above specific verses many times to excuse away what we consider is our inappropriate behavior. “Oh well, I want to do good, but I do the things I don’t want to do and I don’t do the things I do want to do.” After all, if it was the way Paul was, then it is okay for us to be that way too.

However, in reading most of Paul’s other writings, it seems very contrary. After spending a large amount of time listening to various Hebrew and Greek scholars who pointed out that there is a shift in the original text that denotes that Paul is referring to the way he used to be before he was born again, it now makes perfect sense. In fact, several verses before and after the two above are in that same literary change.

Finishing a Cohesive Argument

Romans 7:24-25 
 24) Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 
 25) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand, I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:1-5
 1) Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and ...

]]> No Miracle Story | The Very Best Miracle - Episode 17 1 1 17 17 Miracle Story | The Very Best Miracle - Episode 17 full b1f5cada-a2ba-4954-846e-a0d4b765f39f https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Miracle Story

Episode 17

The Very Best Miracle



My father was born in 1922, way out in the country. He had one living brother and sister. He had been a twin, but the other one had either died right after or during birth.

Twins?

An interesting side note here that has nothing to do with this story is that my father weighed eleven pounds at birth. I can’t imagine carrying two babies around that size and then delivering them way off in a little country house. Probably much of the reason the other twin did not live.

May Grandmother was Very Religious

My grandmother was a member of the Church of Christ. The church where they attended was miles from their home, but every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and on Wednesdays, my grandmother walked with my father and his siblings several miles each way to attend. And yes, this was in the Oklahoma heat and in the snow as well.

After several years of this, my father had had enough and rebelled against church and therefore God. My grandparents divorced when my father was a teenager and he moved to Arizona to live with his dad.

Through the years as I was growing up, my dad did not want to talk about God or religion. All those years of religious activity had soured him so completely on what he thought was required to be a Christian that he wanted no part of it.

I Prayed and Then Prayed Some More

But, I prayed for my dad. For years, I prayed for my dad. I prayed in the natural and in the Spirit. I often just said a simple prayer throughout the day. I would simply say to God, “Please don’t let my daddy die before he is right with you.” I prayed it over and repeatedly.

So, when God allowed my intercession to spare my father’s life, I knew it was time for more than just prayer. I needed to act.

When My Father Came Home

Fast forward this story to when my father was home. He often sat at the end of their dining room table where he had a cup of coffee at the ready. He would watch TV from there.

One day I was at my parents home and found a large cardboard box of cards that friends and family had sent him while in the hospital. It held dozens upon dozens of cards. I sat the box on the opposite end of the dining room table from where my dad was sitting.

I looked through them and read the sentiments from friends. I came upon a letter in an envelope that at first didn’t look familiar, until I pulled the letter out from the envelope and began to read.

When I Realized My Father Was Watching

I didn’t realize my father was watching me until I opened the letter and started to read it. Honestly, I was a little embarrassed.

As I read the first line, I heard a tapping on the table and looked over to see my father tapping the table to get my attention. When I looked over, he mouthed to me in his raspy voice, “Sissy, it’s okay.” I smiled, and he nodded.

I Still Get Emotional

To this day, it makes me so incredibly emotional. I firmly believe God allowed my prayers to spare his life so that he could make things right with him. What if I hadn’t known what I did? What if I’d not prayed those difficult intercessory prayers?

It is wonderful when a physical life is spared, but is there a purpose beyond? In this case, it is a definite yes. Saving his physical body brought him to a place to receive spiritual salvation.

God answered the prayers I had prayed all those years where I asked God to not let my daddy die before being born again. But, I had a part to play as well and I am so thankful that I did.

I Am Thankful

I’m so thankful I knew how to intercede in deep intercessory prayer. I am so glad I knew how to fight spiritual warfare on that level. And I am so glad I wrote the letter.

What had I said in that letter? I told him that a relationship with God was just that and not how many times a week you went to church. I told him how much God loved us and just wants us to be close to him. There was much more I wrote because the letter was about three pages long. But the other words don’t come to mind now.

It Is An Every Changing Journey

Our lives and our faith is a journey. Many events and experiences are stepping stones to the next one. Being in a close relationship with God makes that journey substantial and beneficial for now and for all eternity.

]]> Miracle Story

Episode 17

The Very Best Miracle



My father was born in 1922, way out in the country. He had one living brother and sister. He had been a twin, but the other one had either died right after or during birth.

Twins?

An interesting side note here that has nothing to do with this story is that my father weighed eleven pounds at birth. I can’t imagine carrying two babies around that size and then delivering them way off in a little country house. Probably much of the reason the other twin did not live.

May Grandmother was Very Religious

My grandmother was a member of the Church of Christ. The church where they attended was miles from their home, but every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and on Wednesdays, my grandmother walked with my father and his siblings several miles each way to attend. And yes, this was in the Oklahoma heat and in the snow as well.

After several years of this, my father had had enough and rebelled against church and therefore God. My grandparents divorced when my father was a teenager and he moved to Arizona to live with his dad.

Through the years as I was growing up, my dad did not want to talk about God or religion. All those years of religious activity had soured him so completely on what he thought was required to be a Christian that he wanted no part of it.

I Prayed and Then Prayed Some More

But, I prayed for my dad. For years, I prayed for my dad. I prayed in the natural and in the Spirit. I often just said a simple prayer throughout the day. I would simply say to God, “Please don’t let my daddy die before he is right with you.” I prayed it over and repeatedly.

So, when God allowed my intercession to spare my father’s life, I knew it was time for more than just prayer. I needed to act.

When My Father Came Home

Fast forward this story to when my father was home. He often sat at the end of their dining room table where he had a cup of coffee at the ready. He would watch TV from there.

One day I was at my parents home and found a large cardboard box of cards that friends and family had sent him while in the hospital. It held dozens upon dozens of cards. I sat the box on the opposite end of the dining room table from where my dad was sitting.

I looked through them and read the sentiments from friends. I came upon a letter in an envelope that at first didn’t look familiar, until I pulled the letter out from the envelope and began to read.

When I Realized My Father Was Watching

I didn’t realize my father was watching me until I opened the letter and started to read it. Honestly, I was a little embarrassed.

As I read the first line, I heard a tapping on the table and looked over to see my father tapping the table to get my attention. When I looked over, he mouthed to me in his raspy voice, “Sissy, it’s okay.” I smiled, and he nodded.

I Still Get Emotional

To this day, it makes me so incredibly emotional. I firmly believe God allowed my prayers to spare his life so that he could make things right with him. What if I hadn’t known what I did? What if I’d not prayed those difficult intercessory prayers?

It is wonderful when a physical life is spared, but is there a purpose beyond? In this case, it is a definite yes. Saving his physical body brought him to a place to receive spiritual salvation.

God answered the prayers I had prayed all those years where I asked God to not let my daddy die before being born again. But, I had a part to play as well and I am so thankful that I did.

I Am Thankful

I’m so thankful I knew how to intercede in deep intercessory prayer. I am so glad I knew how to fight spiritual warfare on that level. And I am so glad I wrote the letter.

What had I said in that letter? I told him that a relationship with God was just that and not how many times a week you went to church. I told him how much God loved us and just wants us to be close to him. There was much more I wrote because the letter was about three pages long. But the other words don’t come to mind now.

It Is An Every Changing Journey

Our lives and our faith is a journey. Many events and experiences are stepping stones to the next one. Being in a close relationship with God makes that journey substantial and beneficial for now and for all eternity.

]]> Sun, 28 Jun 2026 01:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 322 Miracle Story

Episode 17

The Very Best Miracle



My father was born in 1922, way out in the country. He had one living brother and sister. He had been a twin, but the other one had either died right after or during birth.

Twins?

An interesting side note here that has nothing to do with this story is that my father weighed eleven pounds at birth. I can’t imagine carrying two babies around that size and then delivering them way off in a little country house. Probably much of the reason the other twin did not live.

May Grandmother was Very Religious

My grandmother was a member of the Church of Christ. The church where they attended was miles from their home, but every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and on Wednesdays, my grandmother walked with my father and his siblings several miles each way to attend. And yes, this was in the Oklahoma heat and in the snow as well.

After several years of this, my father had had enough and rebelled against church and therefore God. My grandparents divorced when my father was a teenager and he moved to Arizona to live with his dad.

Through the years as I was growing up, my dad did not want to talk about God or religion. All those years of religious activity had soured him so completely on what he thought was required to be a Christian that he wanted no part of it.

I Prayed and Then Prayed Some More

But, I prayed for my dad. For years, I prayed for my dad. I prayed in the natural and in the Spirit. I often just said a simple prayer throughout the day. I would simply say to God, “Please don’t let my daddy die before he is right with you.” I prayed it over and repeatedly.

So, when God allowed my intercession to spare my father’s life, I knew it was time for more than just prayer. I needed to act.

When My Father Came Home

Fast forward this story to when my father was home. He often sat at the end of their dining room table where he had a cup of coffee at the ready. He would watch TV from there.

One day I was at my parents home and found a large cardboard box of cards that friends and family had sent him while in the hospital. It held dozens upon dozens of cards. I sat the box on the opposite end of the dining room table from where my dad was sitting.

I looked through them and read the sentiments from friends. I came upon a letter in an envelope that at first didn’t look familiar, until I pulled the letter out from the envelope and began to read.

When I Realized My Father Was Watching

I didn’t realize my father was watching me until I opened the letter and started to read it. Honestly, I was a little embarrassed.

As I read the first line, I heard a tapping on the table and looked over to see my father tapping the table to get my attention. When I looked over, he mouthed to me in his raspy voice, “Sissy, it’s okay.” I smiled, and he nodded.

I Still Get Emotional

To this day, it makes me so incredibly emotional. I firmly believe God allowed my prayers to spare his life so that he could make things right with him. What if I hadn’t known what I did? What if I’d not prayed those difficult intercessory prayers?

It is wonderful when a physical life is spared, but is there a purpose beyond? In this case, it is a definite yes. Saving his physical body brought him to a place to receive spiritual salvation.

God answered the prayers I had prayed all those years where I asked God to not let my daddy die before being born again. But, I had a part to play as well and I am so thankful that I did.

I Am Thankful

I’m so thankful I knew how to intercede in deep intercessory prayer. I am so glad I knew how to fight spiritual warfare on that level. And I am so glad I wrote the letter.

What had I said in that letter? I told him that a relationship with God was just that and not how many times a week you went to church. I told him how much God loved us and just wants us to be close to him. There was much more I wrote because the letter was about three pages long. But the other words don’t come to mind now.

It Is An Every Changing Journey

Our lives and our faith is a journey. Many events and experiences are stepping stones to the next one. Being in a close relationship with God makes that journey substantial and beneficial for now and for all eternity.

]]> miracle No What Could You Do If You Really Believed? 1 1 4 4 What Could You Do If You Really Believed? full c1ce4848-585a-4f07-855c-fa5259a347e4 https://www.podpage.com/the-story--more---with-nancy-jackson/ What Could You Do If You Really Believed?

Monday Meditations – Episode 4

Originally written August 8, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/29/monday-meditations-acts-18/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 1:8

8But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.


I became born again when I was 13 years old.  I had known, walked with and loved the Lord for many years prior, but realized at 13 that I needed to be born again.  I attended a denominational church at that time that focused on salvation and very little else.


I had such a heart for the Lord and yet I still felt like there was something more, something else I was missing.


Then on Thanksgiving night in 1977 a co-worker who had become a friend whom had also began to mentor me spiritually led me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  On that night I received, from true hunger the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  My life was never the same again.


A fire was birthed in me, an undeniable passion for Christ that was insatiable and continues to this very day.


Many years ago while reading in the Amplified Bible I noticed the paragraphs in verse 8.  The word that stood out to me was the word ‘efficiency’.  For many years I had been amazed at just how much more I was able to accomplish than any of my other co-workers.  I did my work, quicker, better and with much more professionalism than anyone else.  


It was so noticeable that I was asked by my manager to speak to the entire department at the national meeting on why I was so successful.  I knew, and told him, that my success was only because of the Lord working in and through me.  But I still had to speak at the national meeting about the steps I took to do my work.


The number one comment I received from everyone was that what I did, was just too much work!  But what they didn’t realize was that I was able to accomplish much more in much less time than they did because of the efficiency of the Holy Spirit in my life.


When I read this scripture and saw the word efficiency I finally had biblical proof that my ability to work efficiently had been totally and completely due to the power that I had received from the Holy Spirit.  


When you say you do not have enough time to do this or that, or to even spend time with the Lord, you are wrong!  Spend time with Him ask for the Holy Spirit power and you will receive the power that gives efficiency.  Your work will become so efficient that it will get done better in a fraction of the time.


Rest in the Spirit.  Don’t work harder, work smarter with the power of the Holy Spirit!


Wednesday Word Study – Episode 4

Originally written August 31, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/31/2200/

Power

Original Word: δύναμις, εως, ἡ
 Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
 Transliteration: dunamis
 Phonetic Spelling: (doo'-nam-is)
 Short Definition: might, power, marvelous works
 Definition: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.

1411 dýnamis (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability" (1411 /dýnamis) is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification). 1411 (dýnamis) is a very important term, used 120 times in the NT.

As a people we are drawn to power or the display of power.  From early childhood we are enamored with super heroes and the great and mighty deeds they did.  We all secretly wished we could do those things too!

We were also taught that those things were fiction.  There isn’t such a thing as a super hero.  People can’t fly.  People can’t stop bullets with their bare hands, people can’t walk through walls.  So we abandoned the thought of being a super hero.

But this word dunamis is just exactly that – supernatural power.  The Holy Spirit came to bring us His power; God’s power and ability into our lives.  We’ve not lived it because we have not believed it.  Believe today that you were meant to receive, posses and use dunamis in your life.

DUNAMIS:   physical power – force – might – ability – efficacy – energy – powerful deeds – deeds showing physical power – marvelous works.

Maybe we really were meant to be super heroes.

Friday Finale – Episode 4

Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/02/but-do-you-believe/

But do you believe?


Mark 11:23

23) “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.


2 Corinthians 12:2

2) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3) And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4) was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.


I Samual 17:49

49) And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.


Joshua 14:6

6) The LORD's Spirit came over him. With his bare hands, he tore the lion apart as if it were a young goat.


Acts 8:39-40

39) When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official ...

]]> What Could You Do If You Really Believed?

Monday Meditations – Episode 4

Originally written August 8, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/29/monday-meditations-acts-18/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 1:8

8But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.


I became born again when I was 13 years old.  I had known, walked with and loved the Lord for many years prior, but realized at 13 that I needed to be born again.  I attended a denominational church at that time that focused on salvation and very little else.


I had such a heart for the Lord and yet I still felt like there was something more, something else I was missing.


Then on Thanksgiving night in 1977 a co-worker who had become a friend whom had also began to mentor me spiritually led me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  On that night I received, from true hunger the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  My life was never the same again.


A fire was birthed in me, an undeniable passion for Christ that was insatiable and continues to this very day.


Many years ago while reading in the Amplified Bible I noticed the paragraphs in verse 8.  The word that stood out to me was the word ‘efficiency’.  For many years I had been amazed at just how much more I was able to accomplish than any of my other co-workers.  I did my work, quicker, better and with much more professionalism than anyone else.  


It was so noticeable that I was asked by my manager to speak to the entire department at the national meeting on why I was so successful.  I knew, and told him, that my success was only because of the Lord working in and through me.  But I still had to speak at the national meeting about the steps I took to do my work.


The number one comment I received from everyone was that what I did, was just too much work!  But what they didn’t realize was that I was able to accomplish much more in much less time than they did because of the efficiency of the Holy Spirit in my life.


When I read this scripture and saw the word efficiency I finally had biblical proof that my ability to work efficiently had been totally and completely due to the power that I had received from the Holy Spirit.  


When you say you do not have enough time to do this or that, or to even spend time with the Lord, you are wrong!  Spend time with Him ask for the Holy Spirit power and you will receive the power that gives efficiency.  Your work will become so efficient that it will get done better in a fraction of the time.


Rest in the Spirit.  Don’t work harder, work smarter with the power of the Holy Spirit!


Wednesday Word Study – Episode 4

Originally written August 31, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/31/2200/

Power

Original Word: δύναμις, εως, ἡ
 Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
 Transliteration: dunamis
 Phonetic Spelling: (doo'-nam-is)
 Short Definition: might, power, marvelous works
 Definition: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.

1411 dýnamis (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability" (1411 /dýnamis) is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification). 1411 (dýnamis) is a very important term, used 120 times in the NT.

As a people we are drawn to power or the display of power.  From early childhood we are enamored with super heroes and the great and mighty deeds they did.  We all secretly wished we could do those things too!

We were also taught that those things were fiction.  There isn’t such a thing as a super hero.  People can’t fly.  People can’t stop bullets with their bare hands, people can’t walk through walls.  So we abandoned the thought of being a super hero.

But this word dunamis is just exactly that – supernatural power.  The Holy Spirit came to bring us His power; God’s power and ability into our lives.  We’ve not lived it because we have not believed it.  Believe today that you were meant to receive, posses and use dunamis in your life.

DUNAMIS:   physical power – force – might – ability – efficacy – energy – powerful deeds – deeds showing physical power – marvelous works.

Maybe we really were meant to be super heroes.

Friday Finale – Episode 4

Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/02/but-do-you-believe/

But do you believe?


Mark 11:23

23) “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.


2 Corinthians 12:2

2) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3) And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4) was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.


I Samual 17:49

49) And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.


Joshua 14:6

6) The LORD's Spirit came over him. With his bare hands, he tore the lion apart as if it were a young goat.


Acts 8:39-40

39) When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official ...

]]> Sat, 27 Jun 2026 01:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 748 What Could You Do If You Really Believed?

Monday Meditations – Episode 4

Originally written August 8, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/29/monday-meditations-acts-18/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Acts 1:8

8But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.


I became born again when I was 13 years old.  I had known, walked with and loved the Lord for many years prior, but realized at 13 that I needed to be born again.  I attended a denominational church at that time that focused on salvation and very little else.


I had such a heart for the Lord and yet I still felt like there was something more, something else I was missing.


Then on Thanksgiving night in 1977 a co-worker who had become a friend whom had also began to mentor me spiritually led me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  On that night I received, from true hunger the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  My life was never the same again.


A fire was birthed in me, an undeniable passion for Christ that was insatiable and continues to this very day.


Many years ago while reading in the Amplified Bible I noticed the paragraphs in verse 8.  The word that stood out to me was the word ‘efficiency’.  For many years I had been amazed at just how much more I was able to accomplish than any of my other co-workers.  I did my work, quicker, better and with much more professionalism than anyone else.  


It was so noticeable that I was asked by my manager to speak to the entire department at the national meeting on why I was so successful.  I knew, and told him, that my success was only because of the Lord working in and through me.  But I still had to speak at the national meeting about the steps I took to do my work.


The number one comment I received from everyone was that what I did, was just too much work!  But what they didn’t realize was that I was able to accomplish much more in much less time than they did because of the efficiency of the Holy Spirit in my life.


When I read this scripture and saw the word efficiency I finally had biblical proof that my ability to work efficiently had been totally and completely due to the power that I had received from the Holy Spirit.  


When you say you do not have enough time to do this or that, or to even spend time with the Lord, you are wrong!  Spend time with Him ask for the Holy Spirit power and you will receive the power that gives efficiency.  Your work will become so efficient that it will get done better in a fraction of the time.


Rest in the Spirit.  Don’t work harder, work smarter with the power of the Holy Spirit!


Wednesday Word Study – Episode 4

Originally written August 31, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/31/2200/

Power

Original Word: δύναμις, εως, ἡ
 Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
 Transliteration: dunamis
 Phonetic Spelling: (doo'-nam-is)
 Short Definition: might, power, marvelous works
 Definition: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.

1411 dýnamis (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability" (1411 /dýnamis) is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification). 1411 (dýnamis) is a very important term, used 120 times in the NT.

As a people we are drawn to power or the display of power.  From early childhood we are enamored with super heroes and the great and mighty deeds they did.  We all secretly wished we could do those things too!

We were also taught that those things were fiction.  There isn’t such a thing as a super hero.  People can’t fly.  People can’t stop bullets with their bare hands, people can’t walk through walls.  So we abandoned the thought of being a super hero.

But this word dunamis is just exactly that – supernatural power.  The Holy Spirit came to bring us His power; God’s power and ability into our lives.  We’ve not lived it because we have not believed it.  Believe today that you were meant to receive, posses and use dunamis in your life.

DUNAMIS:   physical power – force – might – ability – efficacy – energy – powerful deeds – deeds showing physical power – marvelous works.

Maybe we really were meant to be super heroes.

Friday Finale – Episode 4

Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/02/but-do-you-believe/

But do you believe?


Mark 11:23

23) “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.


2 Corinthians 12:2

2) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3) And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4) was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.


I Samual 17:49

49) And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.


Joshua 14:6

6) The LORD's Spirit came over him. With his bare hands, he tore the lion apart as if it were a young goat.


Acts 8:39-40

39) When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official ...

]]> No Friday Finale | But Do You Really Believe? – Episode 4 1 1 4 4 Friday Finale | But Do You Really Believe? – Episode 4 full f3e3306d-e522-4c4b-890f-46c77e6748cf https://www.podpage.com/the-story--more---with-nancy-jackson/  Friday Finale – Episode 4

Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/02/but-do-you-believe/

But do you believe?


Mark 11:23

23) “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.


2 Corinthians 12:2

2) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3) And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4) was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.


I Samual 17:49

49) And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.


Joshua 14:6

6) The LORD's Spirit came over him. With his bare hands, he tore the lion apart as if it were a young goat.


Acts 8:39-40

39) When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn't see Philip again. 40) Philip found himself in the city of Azotus


These men, and many more, experienced dunamis.  The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.  On the Wednesday Word Study this week I wrote about the word dunamis and that the very word describes supernatural power we are meant to receive from the Holy Spirit.  Supernatural powers that remind us of the cartoon super heroes of our youth.  Supernatural strength,  powerful precision, being transported from one place to another, going up into the heavens and seeing supernatural visions, and the ability to move entire mountains with just our faith alone.


I do believe that we were meant to be God’s super heroes!  We were placed in this world to do all that is necessary to rescue others, bring them to Christ and disciple them.  In this world of evil and persecution we have not lived up to this calling.


Do you believe today that you are called to experience the dunamis of the Holy Spirit?  Do you believe today that the people of this world need us to experience the dunamis of the Holy Spirit to be God’s superhero in their life?


If you have been concentrating on growing your faith in the areas of daily provision and health, you are spending time believing for something that God has already promised.  


Luke 12:22-32

22) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat or wear. 23) Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24) Consider the crows. They don't plant or harvest. They don't even have a storeroom or a barn. Yet, God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds. 25) "Can any of you add an hour to your life by worrying? 26) If you can't do a small thing like that, why worry about other things? 27) Consider how the flowers grow. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 28) That's the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it's alive, and tomorrow it's thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith? 29) "Don't concern yourself about what you will eat or drink, and quit worrying about these things. 30) Everyone in the world is concerned about these things, but your Father knows you need them. 31) Rather, be concerned about his kingdom. Then these things will be provided for you. 32) Don't be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.


We need to focus our faith on the distressed on this earth and grow our faith to believe that God will infuse us with Holy Spirit dunamis as needed on a daily basis to be His superheroes in this world.  Seek first the kingdom of God, that is a supernatural kingdom, and all the other provisions will be provided.


My prayer today is not that I’ll have enough money, food or health, but that I will be infused with dunamis in order to help others, be God’s superhero whenever and wherever He needs me.  I believe that we are needed today as much as, if not more than ever before. 


But are you willing? Do you believe?


 

This study is a culmination of this week’s Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]>  Friday Finale – Episode 4

Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/02/but-do-you-believe/

But do you believe?


Mark 11:23

23) “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.


2 Corinthians 12:2

2) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3) And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4) was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.


I Samual 17:49

49) And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.


Joshua 14:6

6) The LORD's Spirit came over him. With his bare hands, he tore the lion apart as if it were a young goat.


Acts 8:39-40

39) When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn't see Philip again. 40) Philip found himself in the city of Azotus


These men, and many more, experienced dunamis.  The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.  On the Wednesday Word Study this week I wrote about the word dunamis and that the very word describes supernatural power we are meant to receive from the Holy Spirit.  Supernatural powers that remind us of the cartoon super heroes of our youth.  Supernatural strength,  powerful precision, being transported from one place to another, going up into the heavens and seeing supernatural visions, and the ability to move entire mountains with just our faith alone.


I do believe that we were meant to be God’s super heroes!  We were placed in this world to do all that is necessary to rescue others, bring them to Christ and disciple them.  In this world of evil and persecution we have not lived up to this calling.


Do you believe today that you are called to experience the dunamis of the Holy Spirit?  Do you believe today that the people of this world need us to experience the dunamis of the Holy Spirit to be God’s superhero in their life?


If you have been concentrating on growing your faith in the areas of daily provision and health, you are spending time believing for something that God has already promised.  


Luke 12:22-32

22) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat or wear. 23) Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24) Consider the crows. They don't plant or harvest. They don't even have a storeroom or a barn. Yet, God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds. 25) "Can any of you add an hour to your life by worrying? 26) If you can't do a small thing like that, why worry about other things? 27) Consider how the flowers grow. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 28) That's the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it's alive, and tomorrow it's thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith? 29) "Don't concern yourself about what you will eat or drink, and quit worrying about these things. 30) Everyone in the world is concerned about these things, but your Father knows you need them. 31) Rather, be concerned about his kingdom. Then these things will be provided for you. 32) Don't be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.


We need to focus our faith on the distressed on this earth and grow our faith to believe that God will infuse us with Holy Spirit dunamis as needed on a daily basis to be His superheroes in this world.  Seek first the kingdom of God, that is a supernatural kingdom, and all the other provisions will be provided.


My prayer today is not that I’ll have enough money, food or health, but that I will be infused with dunamis in order to help others, be God’s superhero whenever and wherever He needs me.  I believe that we are needed today as much as, if not more than ever before. 


But are you willing? Do you believe?


 

This study is a culmination of this week’s Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2026 01:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 443  Friday Finale – Episode 4

Originally written September 2, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/09/02/but-do-you-believe/

But do you believe?


Mark 11:23

23) “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.


2 Corinthians 12:2

2) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3) And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4) was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.


I Samual 17:49

49) And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.


Joshua 14:6

6) The LORD's Spirit came over him. With his bare hands, he tore the lion apart as if it were a young goat.


Acts 8:39-40

39) When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn't see Philip again. 40) Philip found himself in the city of Azotus


These men, and many more, experienced dunamis.  The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.  On the Wednesday Word Study this week I wrote about the word dunamis and that the very word describes supernatural power we are meant to receive from the Holy Spirit.  Supernatural powers that remind us of the cartoon super heroes of our youth.  Supernatural strength,  powerful precision, being transported from one place to another, going up into the heavens and seeing supernatural visions, and the ability to move entire mountains with just our faith alone.


I do believe that we were meant to be God’s super heroes!  We were placed in this world to do all that is necessary to rescue others, bring them to Christ and disciple them.  In this world of evil and persecution we have not lived up to this calling.


Do you believe today that you are called to experience the dunamis of the Holy Spirit?  Do you believe today that the people of this world need us to experience the dunamis of the Holy Spirit to be God’s superhero in their life?


If you have been concentrating on growing your faith in the areas of daily provision and health, you are spending time believing for something that God has already promised.  


Luke 12:22-32

22) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat or wear. 23) Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24) Consider the crows. They don't plant or harvest. They don't even have a storeroom or a barn. Yet, God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds. 25) "Can any of you add an hour to your life by worrying? 26) If you can't do a small thing like that, why worry about other things? 27) Consider how the flowers grow. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 28) That's the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it's alive, and tomorrow it's thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith? 29) "Don't concern yourself about what you will eat or drink, and quit worrying about these things. 30) Everyone in the world is concerned about these things, but your Father knows you need them. 31) Rather, be concerned about his kingdom. Then these things will be provided for you. 32) Don't be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.


We need to focus our faith on the distressed on this earth and grow our faith to believe that God will infuse us with Holy Spirit dunamis as needed on a daily basis to be His superheroes in this world.  Seek first the kingdom of God, that is a supernatural kingdom, and all the other provisions will be provided.


My prayer today is not that I’ll have enough money, food or health, but that I will be infused with dunamis in order to help others, be God’s superhero whenever and wherever He needs me.  I believe that we are needed today as much as, if not more than ever before. 


But are you willing? Do you believe?


 

This study is a culmination of this week’s Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Wednesday Word Study | Power – Episode 4 1 1 4 4 Wednesday Word Study | Power – Episode 4 full 33fe0b26-49d4-4aa3-9291-773432ef356f https://www.podpage.com/the-story--more---with-nancy-jackson/  Wednesday Word Study – Episode 4

Originally written August 31, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/31/2200/

Power

Original Word: δύναμις, εως, ἡ
 Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
 Transliteration: dunamis
 Phonetic Spelling: (doo'-nam-is)
 Short Definition: might, power, marvelous works
 Definition: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.


1411 dýnamis (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability" (1411 /dýnamis) is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification). 1411 (dýnamis) is a very important term, used 120 times in the NT.


As a people we are drawn to power or the display of power.  From early childhood we are enamored with super heroes and the great and mighty deeds they did.  We all secretly wished we could do those things too!

We were also taught that those things were fiction.  There isn’t such a thing as a super hero.  People can’t fly.  People can’t stop bullets with their bare hands, people can’t walk through walls.  So we abandoned the thought of being a super hero.

But this word dunamis is just exactly that – supernatural power.  The Holy Spirit came to bring us His power; God’s power and ability into our lives.  We’ve not lived it because we have not believed it.  Believe today that you were meant to receive, posses and use dunamis in your life.

DUNAMIS:   physical power – force – might – ability – efficacy – energy – powerful deeds – deeds showing physical power – marvelous works.

Maybe we really were meant to be super heroes.

 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]>  Wednesday Word Study – Episode 4

Originally written August 31, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/31/2200/

Power

Original Word: δύναμις, εως, ἡ
 Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
 Transliteration: dunamis
 Phonetic Spelling: (doo'-nam-is)
 Short Definition: might, power, marvelous works
 Definition: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.


1411 dýnamis (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability" (1411 /dýnamis) is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification). 1411 (dýnamis) is a very important term, used 120 times in the NT.


As a people we are drawn to power or the display of power.  From early childhood we are enamored with super heroes and the great and mighty deeds they did.  We all secretly wished we could do those things too!

We were also taught that those things were fiction.  There isn’t such a thing as a super hero.  People can’t fly.  People can’t stop bullets with their bare hands, people can’t walk through walls.  So we abandoned the thought of being a super hero.

But this word dunamis is just exactly that – supernatural power.  The Holy Spirit came to bring us His power; God’s power and ability into our lives.  We’ve not lived it because we have not believed it.  Believe today that you were meant to receive, posses and use dunamis in your life.

DUNAMIS:   physical power – force – might – ability – efficacy – energy – powerful deeds – deeds showing physical power – marvelous works.

Maybe we really were meant to be super heroes.

 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 01:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 175  Wednesday Word Study – Episode 4

Originally written August 31, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/31/2200/

Power

Original Word: δύναμις, εως, ἡ
 Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
 Transliteration: dunamis
 Phonetic Spelling: (doo'-nam-is)
 Short Definition: might, power, marvelous works
 Definition: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.


1411 dýnamis (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability" (1411 /dýnamis) is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification). 1411 (dýnamis) is a very important term, used 120 times in the NT.


As a people we are drawn to power or the display of power.  From early childhood we are enamored with super heroes and the great and mighty deeds they did.  We all secretly wished we could do those things too!

We were also taught that those things were fiction.  There isn’t such a thing as a super hero.  People can’t fly.  People can’t stop bullets with their bare hands, people can’t walk through walls.  So we abandoned the thought of being a super hero.

But this word dunamis is just exactly that – supernatural power.  The Holy Spirit came to bring us His power; God’s power and ability into our lives.  We’ve not lived it because we have not believed it.  Believe today that you were meant to receive, posses and use dunamis in your life.

DUNAMIS:   physical power – force – might – ability – efficacy – energy – powerful deeds – deeds showing physical power – marvelous works.

Maybe we really were meant to be super heroes.

 

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.


 



Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

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]]> No How to Avoid Falling Into Destruction in Your Life 1 1 3 3 How to Avoid Falling Into Destruction in Your Life full 306c273c-4579-434b-99db-c3f252ed818b https://www.podpage.com  How to Avoid Falling Into Destruction in Your Life

Monday Meditations – Episode 3

Originally written August 22, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/22/1962/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Proverbs 16:18
 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

I love reading the Lexicon version of a scripture.  To me it reveals so much.

For instance there is little variation in this scripture from translation to translation.  It pretty much says it like it is and in any language or culture it is pretty much the same.

But just now as I was reading this verse in the Lexcon (the original Greek translation) I saw something that I had to meditate on for a bit.  Then I saw how obvious the original word was to our own modern terminology.

That word is before.  In the Lexicon that word means faces.  We use that word often now.  She is facing an uphill battle. He is facing termination at work. They are facing the playoffs.

We know this word so well.

Let’s look at this week’s scripture again using the original word, facing.

Pride causes you to face destruction, and a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

We know when we face something that it is coming, for sure.  Something that we face is something we know we will have to deal with.

So this week when you meditate on this scripture know that the pride in your life will cause you to face with certainty, destruction and that a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 3

Originally written August 24, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/24/wednesday-word-study-pride/

Pride 

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number 1347a
Transliteration: ga’own
 Phonetic Spelling: (gaw’-ohn)
Definition: arrogancy

When I was studying this word I noticed that there were several Greek variations of this word.  I’ve selected the one used here in this verse.

I was not surprised by the definition.  It is a word we all know well, and use often.

But one thing I did learn when reading all the different words in the definition is the word – exaltation.  I had to stop on that one and think about it.

Isn’t exaltation something that should be reserved for God?  You bet it is!  That is exactly why when we are prideful we are exalting ourselves and God will not, cannot stand for that.  Pride – self exaltation is what got Satan ejected immediately from heaven.  Go directly to earth, do not pass go, do not collect $200!!!

I’ve added a bit of humor to this critically serious topic, but we do tend to snicker when we think about how quickly, with no debate, Satan was ejected from Heaven.  But we must see that this scripture is warning us that should pride, in any form, enter our behavior or attitude, we are certain to face destruction as well.

If that thought makes you shudder the way it did me, then evaluate your life and your attitudes towards others today to see if even the slightest morsel of pride has crept in.  If it has, immediately eradicate it before you too are facing certain destruction.


Friday Finale – Episode 3

Originally written August 26, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/26/the-destruction-of-pride/

This week the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study focused on the word pride.  I myself have been meditating on what I would write for this blog for some time.  There are so many things I could talk about in regards to pride and all would be good, but space is limited and I sincerely want to write about what I believe is on the heart of God for the moment.


As I was re-reading through various scriptures pertaining to the subject, this one stood out to me and in a moment brought into focus what I was to write about today.


Romans 12:3
3) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.


Pride is arrogance and when we are prideful we are puffed up and exalt ourselves over others and God.  Upon hearing the word we all immediately have thoughts of pride where someone is bragging about something they have done, have consistently arrogant behavior and in general, someone who looks down at others with disdain.


We all have someone, maybe more than one person, come to mind when we hear the word.  Prideful people are people we do not like to be around.  We would all generally agree that pride is NOT a Godly attribute and one that those following after Christ should guard against fervently.


But…


I’ve seen more arrogance and pride in the so called body of Christ than in most other places.  And it not only shames me, but sincerely grieves me.


When we become born again and become a true child of God inheriting not only His love but all that the inheritance provides emotionally, physically and materially, we develop a new found sense of status.  We ALL know, or should know that it is not from our works or from what we have done, but simply from the merciful and graciously loving heart of Father God.


Yet just like a child born into a wealthy family, bloated with status and influence, they are born with a sense of position that was not obtained from anything they themselves had done.  But it does not stop the arrogance and sense of pride.


Now let me write a brief disclaimer here.  I know that not all wealthy people are prideful and arrogant.  There are many who are humbled by the very knowledge of their good fortune.


But my point is to paint a picture here.  There is something about becoming a new Christian that makes all the dark clouds roll away and we feel as though we can suddenly see clearly.  There is hope and joy and for a moment it all seems so very simple, life that is.


I can look back as a baby Christian and see all the damage I unknowingly did.  I had all the answers.  It was simple, you just did not sin, you just tithed, you just did what you knew was right to do.  It was just that simple.  And I was arrogant about it.  It all just seemed so easy to me ...

]]>  How to Avoid Falling Into Destruction in Your Life

Monday Meditations – Episode 3

Originally written August 22, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/22/1962/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Proverbs 16:18
 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

I love reading the Lexicon version of a scripture.  To me it reveals so much.

For instance there is little variation in this scripture from translation to translation.  It pretty much says it like it is and in any language or culture it is pretty much the same.

But just now as I was reading this verse in the Lexcon (the original Greek translation) I saw something that I had to meditate on for a bit.  Then I saw how obvious the original word was to our own modern terminology.

That word is before.  In the Lexicon that word means faces.  We use that word often now.  She is facing an uphill battle. He is facing termination at work. They are facing the playoffs.

We know this word so well.

Let’s look at this week’s scripture again using the original word, facing.

Pride causes you to face destruction, and a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

We know when we face something that it is coming, for sure.  Something that we face is something we know we will have to deal with.

So this week when you meditate on this scripture know that the pride in your life will cause you to face with certainty, destruction and that a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 3

Originally written August 24, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/24/wednesday-word-study-pride/

Pride 

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number 1347a
Transliteration: ga’own
 Phonetic Spelling: (gaw’-ohn)
Definition: arrogancy

When I was studying this word I noticed that there were several Greek variations of this word.  I’ve selected the one used here in this verse.

I was not surprised by the definition.  It is a word we all know well, and use often.

But one thing I did learn when reading all the different words in the definition is the word – exaltation.  I had to stop on that one and think about it.

Isn’t exaltation something that should be reserved for God?  You bet it is!  That is exactly why when we are prideful we are exalting ourselves and God will not, cannot stand for that.  Pride – self exaltation is what got Satan ejected immediately from heaven.  Go directly to earth, do not pass go, do not collect $200!!!

I’ve added a bit of humor to this critically serious topic, but we do tend to snicker when we think about how quickly, with no debate, Satan was ejected from Heaven.  But we must see that this scripture is warning us that should pride, in any form, enter our behavior or attitude, we are certain to face destruction as well.

If that thought makes you shudder the way it did me, then evaluate your life and your attitudes towards others today to see if even the slightest morsel of pride has crept in.  If it has, immediately eradicate it before you too are facing certain destruction.


Friday Finale – Episode 3

Originally written August 26, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/26/the-destruction-of-pride/

This week the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study focused on the word pride.  I myself have been meditating on what I would write for this blog for some time.  There are so many things I could talk about in regards to pride and all would be good, but space is limited and I sincerely want to write about what I believe is on the heart of God for the moment.


As I was re-reading through various scriptures pertaining to the subject, this one stood out to me and in a moment brought into focus what I was to write about today.


Romans 12:3
3) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.


Pride is arrogance and when we are prideful we are puffed up and exalt ourselves over others and God.  Upon hearing the word we all immediately have thoughts of pride where someone is bragging about something they have done, have consistently arrogant behavior and in general, someone who looks down at others with disdain.


We all have someone, maybe more than one person, come to mind when we hear the word.  Prideful people are people we do not like to be around.  We would all generally agree that pride is NOT a Godly attribute and one that those following after Christ should guard against fervently.


But…


I’ve seen more arrogance and pride in the so called body of Christ than in most other places.  And it not only shames me, but sincerely grieves me.


When we become born again and become a true child of God inheriting not only His love but all that the inheritance provides emotionally, physically and materially, we develop a new found sense of status.  We ALL know, or should know that it is not from our works or from what we have done, but simply from the merciful and graciously loving heart of Father God.


Yet just like a child born into a wealthy family, bloated with status and influence, they are born with a sense of position that was not obtained from anything they themselves had done.  But it does not stop the arrogance and sense of pride.


Now let me write a brief disclaimer here.  I know that not all wealthy people are prideful and arrogant.  There are many who are humbled by the very knowledge of their good fortune.


But my point is to paint a picture here.  There is something about becoming a new Christian that makes all the dark clouds roll away and we feel as though we can suddenly see clearly.  There is hope and joy and for a moment it all seems so very simple, life that is.


I can look back as a baby Christian and see all the damage I unknowingly did.  I had all the answers.  It was simple, you just did not sin, you just tithed, you just did what you knew was right to do.  It was just that simple.  And I was arrogant about it.  It all just seemed so easy to me ...

]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 902  How to Avoid Falling Into Destruction in Your Life

Monday Meditations – Episode 3

Originally written August 22, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/22/1962/

Today’s Meditation Verse:

Proverbs 16:18
 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

I love reading the Lexicon version of a scripture.  To me it reveals so much.

For instance there is little variation in this scripture from translation to translation.  It pretty much says it like it is and in any language or culture it is pretty much the same.

But just now as I was reading this verse in the Lexcon (the original Greek translation) I saw something that I had to meditate on for a bit.  Then I saw how obvious the original word was to our own modern terminology.

That word is before.  In the Lexicon that word means faces.  We use that word often now.  She is facing an uphill battle. He is facing termination at work. They are facing the playoffs.

We know this word so well.

Let’s look at this week’s scripture again using the original word, facing.

Pride causes you to face destruction, and a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

We know when we face something that it is coming, for sure.  Something that we face is something we know we will have to deal with.

So this week when you meditate on this scripture know that the pride in your life will cause you to face with certainty, destruction and that a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 3

Originally written August 24, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/24/wednesday-word-study-pride/

Pride 

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number 1347a
Transliteration: ga’own
 Phonetic Spelling: (gaw’-ohn)
Definition: arrogancy

When I was studying this word I noticed that there were several Greek variations of this word.  I’ve selected the one used here in this verse.

I was not surprised by the definition.  It is a word we all know well, and use often.

But one thing I did learn when reading all the different words in the definition is the word – exaltation.  I had to stop on that one and think about it.

Isn’t exaltation something that should be reserved for God?  You bet it is!  That is exactly why when we are prideful we are exalting ourselves and God will not, cannot stand for that.  Pride – self exaltation is what got Satan ejected immediately from heaven.  Go directly to earth, do not pass go, do not collect $200!!!

I’ve added a bit of humor to this critically serious topic, but we do tend to snicker when we think about how quickly, with no debate, Satan was ejected from Heaven.  But we must see that this scripture is warning us that should pride, in any form, enter our behavior or attitude, we are certain to face destruction as well.

If that thought makes you shudder the way it did me, then evaluate your life and your attitudes towards others today to see if even the slightest morsel of pride has crept in.  If it has, immediately eradicate it before you too are facing certain destruction.


Friday Finale – Episode 3

Originally written August 26, 2011
 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/26/the-destruction-of-pride/

This week the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study focused on the word pride.  I myself have been meditating on what I would write for this blog for some time.  There are so many things I could talk about in regards to pride and all would be good, but space is limited and I sincerely want to write about what I believe is on the heart of God for the moment.


As I was re-reading through various scriptures pertaining to the subject, this one stood out to me and in a moment brought into focus what I was to write about today.


Romans 12:3
3) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.


Pride is arrogance and when we are prideful we are puffed up and exalt ourselves over others and God.  Upon hearing the word we all immediately have thoughts of pride where someone is bragging about something they have done, have consistently arrogant behavior and in general, someone who looks down at others with disdain.


We all have someone, maybe more than one person, come to mind when we hear the word.  Prideful people are people we do not like to be around.  We would all generally agree that pride is NOT a Godly attribute and one that those following after Christ should guard against fervently.


But…


I’ve seen more arrogance and pride in the so called body of Christ than in most other places.  And it not only shames me, but sincerely grieves me.


When we become born again and become a true child of God inheriting not only His love but all that the inheritance provides emotionally, physically and materially, we develop a new found sense of status.  We ALL know, or should know that it is not from our works or from what we have done, but simply from the merciful and graciously loving heart of Father God.


Yet just like a child born into a wealthy family, bloated with status and influence, they are born with a sense of position that was not obtained from anything they themselves had done.  But it does not stop the arrogance and sense of pride.


Now let me write a brief disclaimer here.  I know that not all wealthy people are prideful and arrogant.  There are many who are humbled by the very knowledge of their good fortune.


But my point is to paint a picture here.  There is something about becoming a new Christian that makes all the dark clouds roll away and we feel as though we can suddenly see clearly.  There is hope and joy and for a moment it all seems so very simple, life that is.


I can look back as a baby Christian and see all the damage I unknowingly did.  I had all the answers.  It was simple, you just did not sin, you just tithed, you just did what you knew was right to do.  It was just that simple.  And I was arrogant about it.  It all just seemed so easy to me ...

]]> No Monday Meditations | Acts 1:8 – Episode 4 1 1 4 4 Monday Meditations | Acts 1:8 – Episode 4 full ab0f17c8-d3bf-477b-b1a7-721a3438861d https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Monday Meditations – Episode 4

Originally written August 8, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/29/monday-meditations-acts-18/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Acts 1:8

8But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

I became born again when I was 13 years old. I had known, walked with and loved the Lord for many years prior, but realized at 13 that I needed to be born again. I attended a denominational church at that time that focused on salvation and very little else.

I had such a heart for the Lord and yet I still felt like there was something more, something else I was missing.

Then on Thanksgiving night in 1977 a co-worker who had become a friend whom had also began to mentor me spiritually led me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. On that night I received, from true hunger the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. My life was never the same again.

A fire was birthed in me, an undeniable passion for Christ that was insatiable and continues to this very day.

Many years ago while reading in the Amplified Bible I noticed the paragraphs in verse 8. The word that stood out to me was the word 'efficiency'. For many years I had been amazed at just how much more I was able to accomplish than any of my other co-workers. I did my work, quicker, better and with much more professionalism than anyone else. 

It was so noticeable that I was asked by my manager to speak to the entire department at the national meeting on why I was so successful. I knew, and told him, that my success was only because of the Lord working in and through me. But I still had to speak at the national meeting about the steps I took to do my work.

The number one comment I received from everyone was that what I did, was just too much work! But what they didn't realize was that I was able to accomplish much more in much less time than they did because of the efficiency of the Holy Spirit in my life.

When I read this scripture and saw the word efficiency I finally had biblical proof that my ability to work efficiently had been totally and completely due to the power that I had received from the Holy Spirit. 

When you say you do not have enough time to do this or that, or to even spend time with the Lord, you are wrong! Spend time with Him ask for the Holy Spirit power and you will receive the power that gives efficiency. Your work will become so efficient that it will get done better in a fraction of the time.

Rest in the Spirit. Don't work harder, work smarter with the power of the Holy Spirit!


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Monday Meditations – Episode 4

Originally written August 8, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/29/monday-meditations-acts-18/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Acts 1:8

8But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

I became born again when I was 13 years old. I had known, walked with and loved the Lord for many years prior, but realized at 13 that I needed to be born again. I attended a denominational church at that time that focused on salvation and very little else.

I had such a heart for the Lord and yet I still felt like there was something more, something else I was missing.

Then on Thanksgiving night in 1977 a co-worker who had become a friend whom had also began to mentor me spiritually led me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. On that night I received, from true hunger the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. My life was never the same again.

A fire was birthed in me, an undeniable passion for Christ that was insatiable and continues to this very day.

Many years ago while reading in the Amplified Bible I noticed the paragraphs in verse 8. The word that stood out to me was the word 'efficiency'. For many years I had been amazed at just how much more I was able to accomplish than any of my other co-workers. I did my work, quicker, better and with much more professionalism than anyone else. 

It was so noticeable that I was asked by my manager to speak to the entire department at the national meeting on why I was so successful. I knew, and told him, that my success was only because of the Lord working in and through me. But I still had to speak at the national meeting about the steps I took to do my work.

The number one comment I received from everyone was that what I did, was just too much work! But what they didn't realize was that I was able to accomplish much more in much less time than they did because of the efficiency of the Holy Spirit in my life.

When I read this scripture and saw the word efficiency I finally had biblical proof that my ability to work efficiently had been totally and completely due to the power that I had received from the Holy Spirit. 

When you say you do not have enough time to do this or that, or to even spend time with the Lord, you are wrong! Spend time with Him ask for the Holy Spirit power and you will receive the power that gives efficiency. Your work will become so efficient that it will get done better in a fraction of the time.

Rest in the Spirit. Don't work harder, work smarter with the power of the Holy Spirit!


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 189 Monday Meditations – Episode 4

Originally written August 8, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/29/monday-meditations-acts-18/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Acts 1:8

8But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

I became born again when I was 13 years old. I had known, walked with and loved the Lord for many years prior, but realized at 13 that I needed to be born again. I attended a denominational church at that time that focused on salvation and very little else.

I had such a heart for the Lord and yet I still felt like there was something more, something else I was missing.

Then on Thanksgiving night in 1977 a co-worker who had become a friend whom had also began to mentor me spiritually led me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. On that night I received, from true hunger the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. My life was never the same again.

A fire was birthed in me, an undeniable passion for Christ that was insatiable and continues to this very day.

Many years ago while reading in the Amplified Bible I noticed the paragraphs in verse 8. The word that stood out to me was the word 'efficiency'. For many years I had been amazed at just how much more I was able to accomplish than any of my other co-workers. I did my work, quicker, better and with much more professionalism than anyone else. 

It was so noticeable that I was asked by my manager to speak to the entire department at the national meeting on why I was so successful. I knew, and told him, that my success was only because of the Lord working in and through me. But I still had to speak at the national meeting about the steps I took to do my work.

The number one comment I received from everyone was that what I did, was just too much work! But what they didn't realize was that I was able to accomplish much more in much less time than they did because of the efficiency of the Holy Spirit in my life.

When I read this scripture and saw the word efficiency I finally had biblical proof that my ability to work efficiently had been totally and completely due to the power that I had received from the Holy Spirit. 

When you say you do not have enough time to do this or that, or to even spend time with the Lord, you are wrong! Spend time with Him ask for the Holy Spirit power and you will receive the power that gives efficiency. Your work will become so efficient that it will get done better in a fraction of the time.

Rest in the Spirit. Don't work harder, work smarter with the power of the Holy Spirit!


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Archive Story | Religion - A Dead Man Walking - Episode 16 1 1 16 16 Archive Story | Religion - A Dead Man Walking - Episode 16 full 17ecf138-ce1f-4b5a-8e62-3aad11ada153 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Archive Story

Episode 16

Originally written March 1, 2023

Religion - A Dead Man Walking

Sometimes I say things that shock people. Saying that religion is still, after thousands of years, standing in the way of God fully doing what he wants to do on this earth may be shocking to many people.

But I am completely honest in making that statement, and it is our fault.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We Alone Are To Blame

Religion is divisive. It puts boundaries around opinions, thoughts, and ideas, of what a group of people determine is right and it excludes everyone else that does not believe exactly that way. Of course, if the 'others' will change to thinking and believing their way, then they will be included.

Once the myriad of boundaries are in place, then the walls are constructed and boom, bob's your uncle, you have what we call a church. And we have literally thousands upon thousands of them across the globe. Each one perpetuating their own brand of religion and they will die defending that they are right, and the only ones that are.

Don't Be Tempted to Discard What I am Saying

Yes, I am on a soapbox. I've felt this way for a very long time and I feel quite at a loss of what to do. It is honestly my number one prayer request. That God would supernaturally destroy those religious walls in a radical explosion of his mighty power. That we would stop with our diehard desire to be right at all costs, and the cost is high.

Being right, if we even are, will not save a person from an eternity away from God. Being right will not help the homeless, feed the hungry, and tend to ANY in need. We would rather choose to die on the hill of our own opinion than venture out from behind those walls and join hands with others who do not agree with us.

Being Right Doesn't Matter

Putting aside our petty differences and joining hands in unity will accomplish what God has ordained for us to do. And the truth is that none of us is completely right. We have all been given, by divine design, a piece of the truth and only by uniting can we have the whole.

But that takes us daring to have an open mind and, at the very least, listen to others in other 'religions'. Listening will not taint your belief system, but the Holy Spirit may take that opportunity to reveal to you another facet of his dimension that you never knew before.

Dare to Listen to Those Who Do Not Agree With You

Many boxed religion buildings, otherwise called churches, do a measure of community outreach and ministry. If it is done with a genuine hunger to love those in need that is great. If you have an ulterior motive such as to 'get them into your tidy little group', then you have already failed. We must eliminate the desire to fill our four walls, increase our bank rolls, and brag about how many 'we' have.

But, these religious walls are concrete obstructive barriers that keep more out than will ever come in. They segregate the kingdom of God and forbid unity.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to" (Matthew 23:13)

We can do quite a bit separated into our small boxed religious buildings, but I have a dream of unity, where we all come together with only one agreement - Jesus is Lord. When I think of the possibility of what we could do and how our world would change, I salivate from eagerness.

The Kingdom of God Will Take Over

Reading and re-reading the bible from front to back, it is clearly evident that God's plan is and always was to get us back to the garden where his glory reigned and there was unity.

His kingdom is meant to unite into one body upon which he is the head. In the last few decades I have seen the ekklesia grow more and more in unity, but there is still too much dissension. Too much jealousy and backbiting.

I Corinthians 3:1-9 1) And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ. 2) I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, 3) for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people? 4) or when one person says, "I am with Paul," and another, "I am with Apollos," are you not ordinary people? 5) What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7) So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8) Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9) For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. NAS

We See Us - God Sees Us in Jesus

However, even with increased unity in many areas, the trend which the hardcore naysayers and criticizers of others in the body, have grown more vicious and rabid in their detrimental hammering of others they deem as heretics.

They are hungry to tear down others in the body at any cost, only because they believe differently than the way they do. And they are angry. They declare them the enemy and that they must be of the devil. To them, that makes what they are saying and doing right. But no one who says Jesus is Lord does so aside from the power of the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. NAS

We Are Not the Holy Spirit

We must stop trying to perfect others that Christ himself sees redeemed in Jesus. We are all on a different journey to our salvation in Christ Jesus. It is dangerous for us to meddle and try to force another journey on others. That is the job of the Holy Spirit.

Phillipians 2:12 & 13 12)So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure. NAS

We label our own selves, which highlights our disunity. I am a ______ (insert any denomination). Since I was young, I always wondered why anyone would define themselves by their segregation within the body rather than defining or labeling themselves simply a Christ follower, or a Christian.

Our Words Should Never Bring Condemnation

Social media, as much as I love it, has given a platform to those who want to rail against others in the kingdom of God. Their excuses are plentiful and meant to justify any criticism they so desire to fling out into the world. But there is nothing Christ-like in these actions. And it pushes more people away from the body of Christ than it will ever pull in.

Matthew 12: 33-37 33)"Either assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 

34) You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. 

35) The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things. 

36) But I te...

]]> Archive Story

Episode 16

Originally written March 1, 2023

Religion - A Dead Man Walking

Sometimes I say things that shock people. Saying that religion is still, after thousands of years, standing in the way of God fully doing what he wants to do on this earth may be shocking to many people.

But I am completely honest in making that statement, and it is our fault.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We Alone Are To Blame

Religion is divisive. It puts boundaries around opinions, thoughts, and ideas, of what a group of people determine is right and it excludes everyone else that does not believe exactly that way. Of course, if the 'others' will change to thinking and believing their way, then they will be included.

Once the myriad of boundaries are in place, then the walls are constructed and boom, bob's your uncle, you have what we call a church. And we have literally thousands upon thousands of them across the globe. Each one perpetuating their own brand of religion and they will die defending that they are right, and the only ones that are.

Don't Be Tempted to Discard What I am Saying

Yes, I am on a soapbox. I've felt this way for a very long time and I feel quite at a loss of what to do. It is honestly my number one prayer request. That God would supernaturally destroy those religious walls in a radical explosion of his mighty power. That we would stop with our diehard desire to be right at all costs, and the cost is high.

Being right, if we even are, will not save a person from an eternity away from God. Being right will not help the homeless, feed the hungry, and tend to ANY in need. We would rather choose to die on the hill of our own opinion than venture out from behind those walls and join hands with others who do not agree with us.

Being Right Doesn't Matter

Putting aside our petty differences and joining hands in unity will accomplish what God has ordained for us to do. And the truth is that none of us is completely right. We have all been given, by divine design, a piece of the truth and only by uniting can we have the whole.

But that takes us daring to have an open mind and, at the very least, listen to others in other 'religions'. Listening will not taint your belief system, but the Holy Spirit may take that opportunity to reveal to you another facet of his dimension that you never knew before.

Dare to Listen to Those Who Do Not Agree With You

Many boxed religion buildings, otherwise called churches, do a measure of community outreach and ministry. If it is done with a genuine hunger to love those in need that is great. If you have an ulterior motive such as to 'get them into your tidy little group', then you have already failed. We must eliminate the desire to fill our four walls, increase our bank rolls, and brag about how many 'we' have.

But, these religious walls are concrete obstructive barriers that keep more out than will ever come in. They segregate the kingdom of God and forbid unity.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to" (Matthew 23:13)

We can do quite a bit separated into our small boxed religious buildings, but I have a dream of unity, where we all come together with only one agreement - Jesus is Lord. When I think of the possibility of what we could do and how our world would change, I salivate from eagerness.

The Kingdom of God Will Take Over

Reading and re-reading the bible from front to back, it is clearly evident that God's plan is and always was to get us back to the garden where his glory reigned and there was unity.

His kingdom is meant to unite into one body upon which he is the head. In the last few decades I have seen the ekklesia grow more and more in unity, but there is still too much dissension. Too much jealousy and backbiting.

I Corinthians 3:1-9 1) And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ. 2) I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, 3) for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people? 4) or when one person says, "I am with Paul," and another, "I am with Apollos," are you not ordinary people? 5) What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7) So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8) Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9) For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. NAS

We See Us - God Sees Us in Jesus

However, even with increased unity in many areas, the trend which the hardcore naysayers and criticizers of others in the body, have grown more vicious and rabid in their detrimental hammering of others they deem as heretics.

They are hungry to tear down others in the body at any cost, only because they believe differently than the way they do. And they are angry. They declare them the enemy and that they must be of the devil. To them, that makes what they are saying and doing right. But no one who says Jesus is Lord does so aside from the power of the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. NAS

We Are Not the Holy Spirit

We must stop trying to perfect others that Christ himself sees redeemed in Jesus. We are all on a different journey to our salvation in Christ Jesus. It is dangerous for us to meddle and try to force another journey on others. That is the job of the Holy Spirit.

Phillipians 2:12 & 13 12)So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure. NAS

We label our own selves, which highlights our disunity. I am a ______ (insert any denomination). Since I was young, I always wondered why anyone would define themselves by their segregation within the body rather than defining or labeling themselves simply a Christ follower, or a Christian.

Our Words Should Never Bring Condemnation

Social media, as much as I love it, has given a platform to those who want to rail against others in the kingdom of God. Their excuses are plentiful and meant to justify any criticism they so desire to fling out into the world. But there is nothing Christ-like in these actions. And it pushes more people away from the body of Christ than it will ever pull in.

Matthew 12: 33-37 33)"Either assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 

34) You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. 

35) The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things. 

36) But I te...

]]> Sun, 21 Jun 2026 22:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 648 Archive Story

Episode 16

Originally written March 1, 2023

Religion - A Dead Man Walking

Sometimes I say things that shock people. Saying that religion is still, after thousands of years, standing in the way of God fully doing what he wants to do on this earth may be shocking to many people.

But I am completely honest in making that statement, and it is our fault.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We Alone Are To Blame

Religion is divisive. It puts boundaries around opinions, thoughts, and ideas, of what a group of people determine is right and it excludes everyone else that does not believe exactly that way. Of course, if the 'others' will change to thinking and believing their way, then they will be included.

Once the myriad of boundaries are in place, then the walls are constructed and boom, bob's your uncle, you have what we call a church. And we have literally thousands upon thousands of them across the globe. Each one perpetuating their own brand of religion and they will die defending that they are right, and the only ones that are.

Don't Be Tempted to Discard What I am Saying

Yes, I am on a soapbox. I've felt this way for a very long time and I feel quite at a loss of what to do. It is honestly my number one prayer request. That God would supernaturally destroy those religious walls in a radical explosion of his mighty power. That we would stop with our diehard desire to be right at all costs, and the cost is high.

Being right, if we even are, will not save a person from an eternity away from God. Being right will not help the homeless, feed the hungry, and tend to ANY in need. We would rather choose to die on the hill of our own opinion than venture out from behind those walls and join hands with others who do not agree with us.

Being Right Doesn't Matter

Putting aside our petty differences and joining hands in unity will accomplish what God has ordained for us to do. And the truth is that none of us is completely right. We have all been given, by divine design, a piece of the truth and only by uniting can we have the whole.

But that takes us daring to have an open mind and, at the very least, listen to others in other 'religions'. Listening will not taint your belief system, but the Holy Spirit may take that opportunity to reveal to you another facet of his dimension that you never knew before.

Dare to Listen to Those Who Do Not Agree With You

Many boxed religion buildings, otherwise called churches, do a measure of community outreach and ministry. If it is done with a genuine hunger to love those in need that is great. If you have an ulterior motive such as to 'get them into your tidy little group', then you have already failed. We must eliminate the desire to fill our four walls, increase our bank rolls, and brag about how many 'we' have.

But, these religious walls are concrete obstructive barriers that keep more out than will ever come in. They segregate the kingdom of God and forbid unity.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to" (Matthew 23:13)

We can do quite a bit separated into our small boxed religious buildings, but I have a dream of unity, where we all come together with only one agreement - Jesus is Lord. When I think of the possibility of what we could do and how our world would change, I salivate from eagerness.

The Kingdom of God Will Take Over

Reading and re-reading the bible from front to back, it is clearly evident that God's plan is and always was to get us back to the garden where his glory reigned and there was unity.

His kingdom is meant to unite into one body upon which he is the head. In the last few decades I have seen the ekklesia grow more and more in unity, but there is still too much dissension. Too much jealousy and backbiting.

I Corinthians 3:1-9 1) And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ. 2) I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, 3) for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people? 4) or when one person says, "I am with Paul," and another, "I am with Apollos," are you not ordinary people? 5) What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7) So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8) Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9) For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. NAS

We See Us - God Sees Us in Jesus

However, even with increased unity in many areas, the trend which the hardcore naysayers and criticizers of others in the body, have grown more vicious and rabid in their detrimental hammering of others they deem as heretics.

They are hungry to tear down others in the body at any cost, only because they believe differently than the way they do. And they are angry. They declare them the enemy and that they must be of the devil. To them, that makes what they are saying and doing right. But no one who says Jesus is Lord does so aside from the power of the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. NAS

We Are Not the Holy Spirit

We must stop trying to perfect others that Christ himself sees redeemed in Jesus. We are all on a different journey to our salvation in Christ Jesus. It is dangerous for us to meddle and try to force another journey on others. That is the job of the Holy Spirit.

Phillipians 2:12 & 13 12)So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure. NAS

We label our own selves, which highlights our disunity. I am a ______ (insert any denomination). Since I was young, I always wondered why anyone would define themselves by their segregation within the body rather than defining or labeling themselves simply a Christ follower, or a Christian.

Our Words Should Never Bring Condemnation

Social media, as much as I love it, has given a platform to those who want to rail against others in the kingdom of God. Their excuses are plentiful and meant to justify any criticism they so desire to fling out into the world. But there is nothing Christ-like in these actions. And it pushes more people away from the body of Christ than it will ever pull in.

Matthew 12: 33-37 33)"Either assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 

34) You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. 

35) The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things. 

36) But I te...

]]> No Miracle Story | A Horrifying Ordeal - Episode 16 1 1 16 16 Miracle Story | A Horrifying Ordeal - Episode 16 full 69f2bc2c-dd84-4d5c-a0f9-a397b5c6894a https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Miracle Story

Episode 16

A Horrifying Ordeal

Sometime around 1984 my dad was having trouble swallowing. They went to many different doctors in an attempt to get a diagnosis. There were some crazy suggestions, none of which were right.

Since my mother's brother was an MD, he did a referral to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX. You couldn't get in without one.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Found It

Within just a few moments with Dr. Gepfort, he found a cancerous tumor in my father's esophagus. All the weeks and months of seeking a diagnosis in Oklahoma had caused them to lose precious time.

My father was admitted to the hospital and they had to removed not only his esophagus but also his voice box. That was devastating news, but at least they had gotten all the cancer.

Slow Recovery

My dad was not quick to recover however, and remained in the ICU for several weeks. About six weeks in, he got pneumonia.

I had remained in Oklahoma. The kids were in school, and I had a small flower shop to operate as well as the family farm. It was summertime, so it was the busy season for the farm. My mom would call with daily updates.

One day while I was working at the flower shop my mom called me. She had called to tell me that the doctors had told her that it didn't look good and that I should fly down to see my father before he passed away.

Come and Say Good-bye

I knew that words were the rudder that navigated our lives, so I simply said. "I'll call you back."

I went to the front of my flower shop and locked the front door so no one would come in. I knew I was going to lay on the floor and deeply intercede for my father's life.

I laid on the floor on my back and looked up at the clock. I had been Spirit filled for about nine years by that time. I had prayed in the Spirit many times over many situations. I had even entered into deep intercession a few times.

I Knew to Pray in The Spirit

This day though, when I began to pray in the Spirit and move into that deep intercession, it was incredibly different. The words were hard to utter and they didn't flow as usual. But, I continued.

As I prayed, I saw my father's ICU room. I had never been there and had no idea what it looked like. But in a vision, as I prayed, I saw it.

There in the room was a black entity hovering over my dad's body. I knew it was the angel or rather demon of death. I continued to pray and saw two large angles grab the demon, one on each side of him. They drug him to the corner of the room and held him there.

The Angel of Death

I continued to pray. I wanted that demon to be removed completely from the room. But, soon I realized that the intercession was over having finished its work. Even though it had only lasted for a few minutes, it was the hardest physical, mental, and spiritual battle I had ever experienced.

I opened my eyes, looked at the time and then drifted off to sleep from exhaustion. I only slept for about twenty minutes. When I woke up I called my mom and simply said, "I'm not coming."

Many times our actions confirm our beliefs. I knew what had been done in the spirit realm. Staying put was a stand that showed I believed in what I had seen and what I knew.

Your Response Reflects Your Faith

This was not something I had to think about and decide to do in order to make a statement. I just knew there was no need for me to come because he would be fine.

I told my mom about my experience praying and that I had prayed until I felt it broken over him. She then asked me what time that was and I told her.

She began to cry. She had been in the room at the time and she said at the exact time I felt the release, my father took a big sigh of relief and let it go. In that room with my father she saw the result of what I had seen and felt in the spirit realm.

And, in just about a week, my father was removed from the ICU for the first time since his surgery several weeks prior. His health continued to improve and came home one month from being released from ICU.

He Healed and Came Home

He did have to make several trips back and forth from Oklahoma to MD Anderson for radiation treatment. But was soon back home where he continued to improve.

I know that many people who are Christians, and who love and serve the Lord, have said that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues passed away with the disciples. There are others who agree it still exists today but, that it isn't for everyone.

Many Christians feel that receiving the Holy Spirit when they became a Christian is good enough and that they don't need all the supernatural what-not.

They Are Missing Out On So Much

This makes me very sad. I know that God designed for us to live fully immersed in the Holy Spirit inside and out, and as Paul said praying in the Spirit at all times.

Why? Well for so many reasons. We often don't know what we should be praying for but the Holy Spirit does, and when you pray in the Spirit which is in tongues, you are praying exactly what needs to be prayed so that the problem will be resolved.

We often don't know what is exactly going on in the spirit realm so our prayers with words of understanding are often not the words we should be praying.

Romans 8:26-27 26) Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27) and He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God

There are times I've felt the urge to pray in the Spirit and had no idea why, but I knew my obedience was needed and prayers would be answered because of it. In fact I know in those times that someone's life may be dependent on it.

Fearing What You Don't Understand

Many Christians shy away from it because it seems too 'mystical' and they fear it. They fear that they can't control it or that they may do embarrassing things like roll on the floor and scream out.

I've never done either of those things. I won't speak about those who do, but for me I've always known that I have complete control over when and where I pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and won't violate the free will that God the Father has given us.

It makes me sad to know that so many people could have helped their loved ones, and even themselves by praying in the Spirit. God does hear our natural prayers and he does answer them, but having a hotline to voice the perfect prayer is priceless.

It Doesn't Make Us Perfect

Does being Baptized in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues make us perfect? No, it does not. What it does, is gives us a tool that gives us an edge over and above to use as we need.

 If I had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and had not learned how to intercede in the Spirit, I believe my father would have never left that ICU which would have had more serious repercussions.

This was just a means to an end that I will write about in a coming blog post. Living a life in the Spirit is multi-faceted and so exciting. I wouldn't want to live any other way.

]]> Miracle Story

Episode 16

A Horrifying Ordeal

Sometime around 1984 my dad was having trouble swallowing. They went to many different doctors in an attempt to get a diagnosis. There were some crazy suggestions, none of which were right.

Since my mother's brother was an MD, he did a referral to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX. You couldn't get in without one.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Found It

Within just a few moments with Dr. Gepfort, he found a cancerous tumor in my father's esophagus. All the weeks and months of seeking a diagnosis in Oklahoma had caused them to lose precious time.

My father was admitted to the hospital and they had to removed not only his esophagus but also his voice box. That was devastating news, but at least they had gotten all the cancer.

Slow Recovery

My dad was not quick to recover however, and remained in the ICU for several weeks. About six weeks in, he got pneumonia.

I had remained in Oklahoma. The kids were in school, and I had a small flower shop to operate as well as the family farm. It was summertime, so it was the busy season for the farm. My mom would call with daily updates.

One day while I was working at the flower shop my mom called me. She had called to tell me that the doctors had told her that it didn't look good and that I should fly down to see my father before he passed away.

Come and Say Good-bye

I knew that words were the rudder that navigated our lives, so I simply said. "I'll call you back."

I went to the front of my flower shop and locked the front door so no one would come in. I knew I was going to lay on the floor and deeply intercede for my father's life.

I laid on the floor on my back and looked up at the clock. I had been Spirit filled for about nine years by that time. I had prayed in the Spirit many times over many situations. I had even entered into deep intercession a few times.

I Knew to Pray in The Spirit

This day though, when I began to pray in the Spirit and move into that deep intercession, it was incredibly different. The words were hard to utter and they didn't flow as usual. But, I continued.

As I prayed, I saw my father's ICU room. I had never been there and had no idea what it looked like. But in a vision, as I prayed, I saw it.

There in the room was a black entity hovering over my dad's body. I knew it was the angel or rather demon of death. I continued to pray and saw two large angles grab the demon, one on each side of him. They drug him to the corner of the room and held him there.

The Angel of Death

I continued to pray. I wanted that demon to be removed completely from the room. But, soon I realized that the intercession was over having finished its work. Even though it had only lasted for a few minutes, it was the hardest physical, mental, and spiritual battle I had ever experienced.

I opened my eyes, looked at the time and then drifted off to sleep from exhaustion. I only slept for about twenty minutes. When I woke up I called my mom and simply said, "I'm not coming."

Many times our actions confirm our beliefs. I knew what had been done in the spirit realm. Staying put was a stand that showed I believed in what I had seen and what I knew.

Your Response Reflects Your Faith

This was not something I had to think about and decide to do in order to make a statement. I just knew there was no need for me to come because he would be fine.

I told my mom about my experience praying and that I had prayed until I felt it broken over him. She then asked me what time that was and I told her.

She began to cry. She had been in the room at the time and she said at the exact time I felt the release, my father took a big sigh of relief and let it go. In that room with my father she saw the result of what I had seen and felt in the spirit realm.

And, in just about a week, my father was removed from the ICU for the first time since his surgery several weeks prior. His health continued to improve and came home one month from being released from ICU.

He Healed and Came Home

He did have to make several trips back and forth from Oklahoma to MD Anderson for radiation treatment. But was soon back home where he continued to improve.

I know that many people who are Christians, and who love and serve the Lord, have said that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues passed away with the disciples. There are others who agree it still exists today but, that it isn't for everyone.

Many Christians feel that receiving the Holy Spirit when they became a Christian is good enough and that they don't need all the supernatural what-not.

They Are Missing Out On So Much

This makes me very sad. I know that God designed for us to live fully immersed in the Holy Spirit inside and out, and as Paul said praying in the Spirit at all times.

Why? Well for so many reasons. We often don't know what we should be praying for but the Holy Spirit does, and when you pray in the Spirit which is in tongues, you are praying exactly what needs to be prayed so that the problem will be resolved.

We often don't know what is exactly going on in the spirit realm so our prayers with words of understanding are often not the words we should be praying.

Romans 8:26-27 26) Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27) and He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God

There are times I've felt the urge to pray in the Spirit and had no idea why, but I knew my obedience was needed and prayers would be answered because of it. In fact I know in those times that someone's life may be dependent on it.

Fearing What You Don't Understand

Many Christians shy away from it because it seems too 'mystical' and they fear it. They fear that they can't control it or that they may do embarrassing things like roll on the floor and scream out.

I've never done either of those things. I won't speak about those who do, but for me I've always known that I have complete control over when and where I pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and won't violate the free will that God the Father has given us.

It makes me sad to know that so many people could have helped their loved ones, and even themselves by praying in the Spirit. God does hear our natural prayers and he does answer them, but having a hotline to voice the perfect prayer is priceless.

It Doesn't Make Us Perfect

Does being Baptized in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues make us perfect? No, it does not. What it does, is gives us a tool that gives us an edge over and above to use as we need.

 If I had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and had not learned how to intercede in the Spirit, I believe my father would have never left that ICU which would have had more serious repercussions.

This was just a means to an end that I will write about in a coming blog post. Living a life in the Spirit is multi-faceted and so exciting. I wouldn't want to live any other way.

]]> Sun, 21 Jun 2026 16:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 517 Miracle Story

Episode 16

A Horrifying Ordeal

Sometime around 1984 my dad was having trouble swallowing. They went to many different doctors in an attempt to get a diagnosis. There were some crazy suggestions, none of which were right.

Since my mother's brother was an MD, he did a referral to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX. You couldn't get in without one.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Found It

Within just a few moments with Dr. Gepfort, he found a cancerous tumor in my father's esophagus. All the weeks and months of seeking a diagnosis in Oklahoma had caused them to lose precious time.

My father was admitted to the hospital and they had to removed not only his esophagus but also his voice box. That was devastating news, but at least they had gotten all the cancer.

Slow Recovery

My dad was not quick to recover however, and remained in the ICU for several weeks. About six weeks in, he got pneumonia.

I had remained in Oklahoma. The kids were in school, and I had a small flower shop to operate as well as the family farm. It was summertime, so it was the busy season for the farm. My mom would call with daily updates.

One day while I was working at the flower shop my mom called me. She had called to tell me that the doctors had told her that it didn't look good and that I should fly down to see my father before he passed away.

Come and Say Good-bye

I knew that words were the rudder that navigated our lives, so I simply said. "I'll call you back."

I went to the front of my flower shop and locked the front door so no one would come in. I knew I was going to lay on the floor and deeply intercede for my father's life.

I laid on the floor on my back and looked up at the clock. I had been Spirit filled for about nine years by that time. I had prayed in the Spirit many times over many situations. I had even entered into deep intercession a few times.

I Knew to Pray in The Spirit

This day though, when I began to pray in the Spirit and move into that deep intercession, it was incredibly different. The words were hard to utter and they didn't flow as usual. But, I continued.

As I prayed, I saw my father's ICU room. I had never been there and had no idea what it looked like. But in a vision, as I prayed, I saw it.

There in the room was a black entity hovering over my dad's body. I knew it was the angel or rather demon of death. I continued to pray and saw two large angles grab the demon, one on each side of him. They drug him to the corner of the room and held him there.

The Angel of Death

I continued to pray. I wanted that demon to be removed completely from the room. But, soon I realized that the intercession was over having finished its work. Even though it had only lasted for a few minutes, it was the hardest physical, mental, and spiritual battle I had ever experienced.

I opened my eyes, looked at the time and then drifted off to sleep from exhaustion. I only slept for about twenty minutes. When I woke up I called my mom and simply said, "I'm not coming."

Many times our actions confirm our beliefs. I knew what had been done in the spirit realm. Staying put was a stand that showed I believed in what I had seen and what I knew.

Your Response Reflects Your Faith

This was not something I had to think about and decide to do in order to make a statement. I just knew there was no need for me to come because he would be fine.

I told my mom about my experience praying and that I had prayed until I felt it broken over him. She then asked me what time that was and I told her.

She began to cry. She had been in the room at the time and she said at the exact time I felt the release, my father took a big sigh of relief and let it go. In that room with my father she saw the result of what I had seen and felt in the spirit realm.

And, in just about a week, my father was removed from the ICU for the first time since his surgery several weeks prior. His health continued to improve and came home one month from being released from ICU.

He Healed and Came Home

He did have to make several trips back and forth from Oklahoma to MD Anderson for radiation treatment. But was soon back home where he continued to improve.

I know that many people who are Christians, and who love and serve the Lord, have said that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues passed away with the disciples. There are others who agree it still exists today but, that it isn't for everyone.

Many Christians feel that receiving the Holy Spirit when they became a Christian is good enough and that they don't need all the supernatural what-not.

They Are Missing Out On So Much

This makes me very sad. I know that God designed for us to live fully immersed in the Holy Spirit inside and out, and as Paul said praying in the Spirit at all times.

Why? Well for so many reasons. We often don't know what we should be praying for but the Holy Spirit does, and when you pray in the Spirit which is in tongues, you are praying exactly what needs to be prayed so that the problem will be resolved.

We often don't know what is exactly going on in the spirit realm so our prayers with words of understanding are often not the words we should be praying.

Romans 8:26-27 26) Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27) and He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God

There are times I've felt the urge to pray in the Spirit and had no idea why, but I knew my obedience was needed and prayers would be answered because of it. In fact I know in those times that someone's life may be dependent on it.

Fearing What You Don't Understand

Many Christians shy away from it because it seems too 'mystical' and they fear it. They fear that they can't control it or that they may do embarrassing things like roll on the floor and scream out.

I've never done either of those things. I won't speak about those who do, but for me I've always known that I have complete control over when and where I pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and won't violate the free will that God the Father has given us.

It makes me sad to know that so many people could have helped their loved ones, and even themselves by praying in the Spirit. God does hear our natural prayers and he does answer them, but having a hotline to voice the perfect prayer is priceless.

It Doesn't Make Us Perfect

Does being Baptized in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues make us perfect? No, it does not. What it does, is gives us a tool that gives us an edge over and above to use as we need.

 If I had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and had not learned how to intercede in the Spirit, I believe my father would have never left that ICU which would have had more serious repercussions.

This was just a means to an end that I will write about in a coming blog post. Living a life in the Spirit is multi-faceted and so exciting. I wouldn't want to live any other way.

]]> No Faith and Belief - Two Completely Different Things 1 1 2 2 Faith and Belief - Two Completely Different Things full 607802c9-d14d-4f91-9e12-58ee7348c63f https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Faith and Belief - Two Completely Different Things

Monday Meditation – Episode 2

Originally written August 15 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/15/monday-meditations-hebrews-111/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Hebrews 11:1 KJ

I Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This verse is the definition of faith! What is faith? Well if you will picture this with me…

You want to build a patio so you get some boards and you begin to build a form with those boards the size of the patio you want to build. You could say that the form is the hope of a patio.

Then you get your concrete and it begins to pour into the form and takes the shape of the form. The concrete is the substance of the patio.

You could take that little analogy and read it into the verse this way:

Now concrete is the substance of the patio hoped for, and the evidence of the patio before it was seen.

What is it today that you hope for? Begin to see what it is and what it will be. That is hope. Then as you walk with God allow Him to 'fill-in' your form of hope until you have what you were seeing as you hoped!

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 2

Originally written August 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/17/wednesday-word-study-faith-2/

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4102 Transliteration: pistisPhonetic Spelling: (pis'-tis)Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

I love the way this verse reads in the Amplified version. Faith is the assurance, the title deed of the things we hope for.

Once you hold the title deed to something, it is yours! No one can take it away unless you give it to them and sign it over to them.

So, if we hope for our children to come to the Lord, or if we hope for the finances to get out of debt, or if we hope for healing for our bodies, do we also have the faith to fill the hope? Do we have divine assurance that this will happen?

You cannot generate hope by yourself. It must come from God. It is a God given gift; a divine gift.

Romans 12:3 Amplified Bible

3) For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

There is a difference between belief and faith. You may say you believe something, but the devil himself believes. Belief is something you choose on your own usually based on previous experience. Faith is a gift. Human belief is merely confidence. Faith is a God given assurance in something. Something that probably hasn't even happened yet. Belief is based in the past. Faith is based in the future.

Ephesians 2:8-9 Amplified Bible

8) For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9) not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

When the world says they have faith that their car won't break down, that is simply belief that their car won't break down. From repeated past experiences they believe it will function properly on that day too, and that it won't break down.

Faith is a gift of the Spirit and is divine assurance. So when a believer says they have faith that their car won't break down, it could very well be that they have divine assurance that their car will not break down. They believe because they have read about and know firsthand about God's divine care and protection over His children. They have received the faith for the promise ahead.

Evaluate your faith today. Do you use the word faith when you really mean you believe? Is your belief based on repeat experience and knowledge, or do you really have faith based on divine assurance?

Receive faith from the Holy Spirit today. The faith that can move mountains.

Friday Finale – Episode 2

Originally written August 19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/19/are-confusing-faith-with-belief/

Are You Confusing Faith With Belief?

Have you ever encountered someone who made a comment similar to: "Their faith was shattered"? Or maybe they said it of themselves, "After that situation, my faith was just shattered".

The problem with these comments is that they are confusing Faith with Belief.

As we learned on Wednesday Word Study – Faith, there is a difference between the two.

Faith is a divine gift from God. It is a DIVINE certainty that something will or will not happen. It is a knowing that cannot be described or touched, but resides deep in our soul, our inner most being. A divine gift from God that cannot be shattered, damaged or destroyed.

 Belief is a confidence that something is a certain way, will or will not happen. It resides in the mind of an individual. It is usually based on previous experiences or training.

 I used to ponder this scripture a lot:

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Having lived a life of faith and faith teaching for almost 40 years this used to stump me. How can hope be deferred if our hope is in Christ and our faith is in Him?

Well while studying faith this week I have come to realize something very important that I believe will help all of us, me included. There isn't a one of us out there who have hoped, prayed and believed for something that didn't happen.

I would say that most of the time we were quick to just say that it must not have been God's will for us. But we know even when we are saying it that it just doesn't ring true in our hearts. But it is the only explanation we have.

We many times are referring to this very scripture below when we come to that conclusion.

1 John 5:14-15 AMP14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

15And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

But we as His children seek to be in His will. I know there are times when a certain job or move is not of Him and when we don't get the job or we make the move and then it doesn't feel right or work out, we kn...

]]> Faith and Belief - Two Completely Different Things

Monday Meditation – Episode 2

Originally written August 15 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/15/monday-meditations-hebrews-111/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Hebrews 11:1 KJ

I Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This verse is the definition of faith! What is faith? Well if you will picture this with me…

You want to build a patio so you get some boards and you begin to build a form with those boards the size of the patio you want to build. You could say that the form is the hope of a patio.

Then you get your concrete and it begins to pour into the form and takes the shape of the form. The concrete is the substance of the patio.

You could take that little analogy and read it into the verse this way:

Now concrete is the substance of the patio hoped for, and the evidence of the patio before it was seen.

What is it today that you hope for? Begin to see what it is and what it will be. That is hope. Then as you walk with God allow Him to 'fill-in' your form of hope until you have what you were seeing as you hoped!

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 2

Originally written August 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/17/wednesday-word-study-faith-2/

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4102 Transliteration: pistisPhonetic Spelling: (pis'-tis)Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

I love the way this verse reads in the Amplified version. Faith is the assurance, the title deed of the things we hope for.

Once you hold the title deed to something, it is yours! No one can take it away unless you give it to them and sign it over to them.

So, if we hope for our children to come to the Lord, or if we hope for the finances to get out of debt, or if we hope for healing for our bodies, do we also have the faith to fill the hope? Do we have divine assurance that this will happen?

You cannot generate hope by yourself. It must come from God. It is a God given gift; a divine gift.

Romans 12:3 Amplified Bible

3) For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

There is a difference between belief and faith. You may say you believe something, but the devil himself believes. Belief is something you choose on your own usually based on previous experience. Faith is a gift. Human belief is merely confidence. Faith is a God given assurance in something. Something that probably hasn't even happened yet. Belief is based in the past. Faith is based in the future.

Ephesians 2:8-9 Amplified Bible

8) For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9) not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

When the world says they have faith that their car won't break down, that is simply belief that their car won't break down. From repeated past experiences they believe it will function properly on that day too, and that it won't break down.

Faith is a gift of the Spirit and is divine assurance. So when a believer says they have faith that their car won't break down, it could very well be that they have divine assurance that their car will not break down. They believe because they have read about and know firsthand about God's divine care and protection over His children. They have received the faith for the promise ahead.

Evaluate your faith today. Do you use the word faith when you really mean you believe? Is your belief based on repeat experience and knowledge, or do you really have faith based on divine assurance?

Receive faith from the Holy Spirit today. The faith that can move mountains.

Friday Finale – Episode 2

Originally written August 19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/19/are-confusing-faith-with-belief/

Are You Confusing Faith With Belief?

Have you ever encountered someone who made a comment similar to: "Their faith was shattered"? Or maybe they said it of themselves, "After that situation, my faith was just shattered".

The problem with these comments is that they are confusing Faith with Belief.

As we learned on Wednesday Word Study – Faith, there is a difference between the two.

Faith is a divine gift from God. It is a DIVINE certainty that something will or will not happen. It is a knowing that cannot be described or touched, but resides deep in our soul, our inner most being. A divine gift from God that cannot be shattered, damaged or destroyed.

 Belief is a confidence that something is a certain way, will or will not happen. It resides in the mind of an individual. It is usually based on previous experiences or training.

 I used to ponder this scripture a lot:

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Having lived a life of faith and faith teaching for almost 40 years this used to stump me. How can hope be deferred if our hope is in Christ and our faith is in Him?

Well while studying faith this week I have come to realize something very important that I believe will help all of us, me included. There isn't a one of us out there who have hoped, prayed and believed for something that didn't happen.

I would say that most of the time we were quick to just say that it must not have been God's will for us. But we know even when we are saying it that it just doesn't ring true in our hearts. But it is the only explanation we have.

We many times are referring to this very scripture below when we come to that conclusion.

1 John 5:14-15 AMP14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

15And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

But we as His children seek to be in His will. I know there are times when a certain job or move is not of Him and when we don't get the job or we make the move and then it doesn't feel right or work out, we kn...

]]> Sun, 21 Jun 2026 14:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1011 Faith and Belief - Two Completely Different Things

Monday Meditation – Episode 2

Originally written August 15 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/15/monday-meditations-hebrews-111/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Hebrews 11:1 KJ

I Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This verse is the definition of faith! What is faith? Well if you will picture this with me…

You want to build a patio so you get some boards and you begin to build a form with those boards the size of the patio you want to build. You could say that the form is the hope of a patio.

Then you get your concrete and it begins to pour into the form and takes the shape of the form. The concrete is the substance of the patio.

You could take that little analogy and read it into the verse this way:

Now concrete is the substance of the patio hoped for, and the evidence of the patio before it was seen.

What is it today that you hope for? Begin to see what it is and what it will be. That is hope. Then as you walk with God allow Him to 'fill-in' your form of hope until you have what you were seeing as you hoped!

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 2

Originally written August 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/17/wednesday-word-study-faith-2/

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4102 Transliteration: pistisPhonetic Spelling: (pis'-tis)Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

I love the way this verse reads in the Amplified version. Faith is the assurance, the title deed of the things we hope for.

Once you hold the title deed to something, it is yours! No one can take it away unless you give it to them and sign it over to them.

So, if we hope for our children to come to the Lord, or if we hope for the finances to get out of debt, or if we hope for healing for our bodies, do we also have the faith to fill the hope? Do we have divine assurance that this will happen?

You cannot generate hope by yourself. It must come from God. It is a God given gift; a divine gift.

Romans 12:3 Amplified Bible

3) For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

There is a difference between belief and faith. You may say you believe something, but the devil himself believes. Belief is something you choose on your own usually based on previous experience. Faith is a gift. Human belief is merely confidence. Faith is a God given assurance in something. Something that probably hasn't even happened yet. Belief is based in the past. Faith is based in the future.

Ephesians 2:8-9 Amplified Bible

8) For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9) not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

When the world says they have faith that their car won't break down, that is simply belief that their car won't break down. From repeated past experiences they believe it will function properly on that day too, and that it won't break down.

Faith is a gift of the Spirit and is divine assurance. So when a believer says they have faith that their car won't break down, it could very well be that they have divine assurance that their car will not break down. They believe because they have read about and know firsthand about God's divine care and protection over His children. They have received the faith for the promise ahead.

Evaluate your faith today. Do you use the word faith when you really mean you believe? Is your belief based on repeat experience and knowledge, or do you really have faith based on divine assurance?

Receive faith from the Holy Spirit today. The faith that can move mountains.

Friday Finale – Episode 2

Originally written August 19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/19/are-confusing-faith-with-belief/

Are You Confusing Faith With Belief?

Have you ever encountered someone who made a comment similar to: "Their faith was shattered"? Or maybe they said it of themselves, "After that situation, my faith was just shattered".

The problem with these comments is that they are confusing Faith with Belief.

As we learned on Wednesday Word Study – Faith, there is a difference between the two.

Faith is a divine gift from God. It is a DIVINE certainty that something will or will not happen. It is a knowing that cannot be described or touched, but resides deep in our soul, our inner most being. A divine gift from God that cannot be shattered, damaged or destroyed.

 Belief is a confidence that something is a certain way, will or will not happen. It resides in the mind of an individual. It is usually based on previous experiences or training.

 I used to ponder this scripture a lot:

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Having lived a life of faith and faith teaching for almost 40 years this used to stump me. How can hope be deferred if our hope is in Christ and our faith is in Him?

Well while studying faith this week I have come to realize something very important that I believe will help all of us, me included. There isn't a one of us out there who have hoped, prayed and believed for something that didn't happen.

I would say that most of the time we were quick to just say that it must not have been God's will for us. But we know even when we are saying it that it just doesn't ring true in our hearts. But it is the only explanation we have.

We many times are referring to this very scripture below when we come to that conclusion.

1 John 5:14-15 AMP14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

15And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

But we as His children seek to be in His will. I know there are times when a certain job or move is not of Him and when we don't get the job or we make the move and then it doesn't feel right or work out, we kn...

]]> No Friday Finale - The Destruction of Pride - Episode 3 1 1 3 3 Friday Finale - The Destruction of Pride - Episode 3 full 88610f86-626f-40d3-b478-2fb5f7266325 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Friday Finale

Episode 3

Friday Finale – Episode 3

Originally written August 26, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/26/the-destruction-of-pride/

This week the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study focused on the word pride. I myself have been meditating on what I would write for this blog for some time. There are so many things I could talk about in regards to pride and all would be good, but space is limited and I sincerely want to write about what I believe is on the heart of God for the moment.

As I was re-reading through various scriptures pertaining to the subject, this one stood out to me and in a moment brought into focus what I was to write about today.

Romans 12:33) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Pride is arrogance and when we are prideful we are puffed up and exalt ourselves over others and God. Upon hearing the word we all immediately have thoughts of pride where someone is bragging about something they have done, have consistently arrogant behavior and in general, someone who looks down at others with disdain.

We all have someone, maybe more than one person, come to mind when we hear the word. Prideful people are people we do not like to be around. We would all generally agree that pride is NOT a Godly attribute and one that those following after Christ should guard against fervently.

But…

I've seen more arrogance and pride in the so called body of Christ than in most other places. And it not only shames me, but sincerely grieves me.

When we become born again and become a true child of God inheriting not only His love but all that the inheritance provides emotionally, physically and materially, we develop a new found sense of status. We ALL know, or should know that it is not from our works or from what we have done, but simply from the merciful and graciously loving heart of Father God.

Yet just like a child born into a wealthy family, bloated with status and influence, they are born with a sense of position that was not obtained from anything they themselves had done. But it does not stop the arrogance and sense of pride.

Now let me write a brief disclaimer here. I know that not all wealthy people are prideful and arrogant. There are many who are humbled by the very knowledge of their good fortune.

But my point is to paint a picture here. There is something about becoming a new Christian that makes all the dark clouds roll away and we feel as though we can suddenly see clearly. There is hope and joy and for a moment it all seems so very simple, life that is.

I can look back as a baby Christian and see all the damage I unknowingly did. I had all the answers. It was simple, you just did not sin, you just tithed, you just did what you knew was right to do. It was just that simple. And I was arrogant about it. It all just seemed so easy to me and I could not understand what the struggle was all about. I loved the Lord with my whole heart and couldn't spend enough time with Him, praying and reading the Word and couldn't understand why others didn't.

Well, I soon found out. The Lord allowed my life to take a dastardly turn. He did not cause it, but I believe he allowed the pride I was dwelling in to have its way with me. Remember our verse this week?

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Remember that when read in the Lexicon it says the word .before' means faces? Well the pride I was exuding caused me to face destruction. A friend of mine and I call those the dark days. It was actually more like a few years.

I never stopped seeking the Lord through that time. In fact in some ways I genuinely sought Him more out of desperation and panic. But He delayed delivering me from the consequences of my own making. I did things during that period of time that I had adamantly spoken against doing just a short time before. I finally understood life from the other side. And I was humbled.

It was during that time that I developed the mantra, 'you can only do what you can do when you can do it.' It seemed no matter what I tried I just could not break free from where I was at. But by God's grace I finally did and once on the other side I was broken, but alive. 

Gone was the arrogance of, 'you just don't sin'. Gone was the non-understanding of why people didn't just stop doing what they were doing and 'turn to God'.

I've been on the watch for that demon pride ever since. If I fail, and I often do in many areas, the one that I know I cannot afford to ever fail at again is in the area of pride.

As a people we do so many things well. We are a well educated and an aggressive society that goes after what we want. If we want to achieve a goal, we have the knowledge, the means and ability to go after it until we achieve it. If we are Christians then we have even more in our favor because we are joined with Christ who never fails.

We work so hard to achieve what we want and when we get there, we are glad. We are so glad that we brag. Then when others become enamored with our results they begin to ask us, what was it we did to achieve success in that area. 

And we are oh so happy to tell them. We believe that if they will do just what we did, the way we did it, they too will succeed. So with exuberance we tell them, we coach them and then when there are too many people to tell, we write a book about it. Then we go on talk shows and tell the world what we did.

This last year God has taken me on a new journey. It is one of rest. He has been teaching me to rest in Him. To rest in God is to give Him full and complete control over everything and just, rest. But we have to work, you say.

We work too hard. We do too much. God genuinely wants to lead us. He wants to make our efforts efficient. When our work is targeted to achieve the maximum impact then we will have to work much less while achieving greater results. But this cannot be done without Christ and resting in Him.

The more we do the more credit we can rightfully take for the results. God wants us to rest in Him and let Him do the work so we have no right to take the credit for the results.

When we follow a plan because the plan has been tried and proven to have worked for at least one person, then we are not following God, but man. And when you have a plan that has worked and you become arrogant and prideful that your plan worked, you are certainly not following God's leading.

Nothing makes me more nauseous than to hear a self appointed expert talk condescendingly to a group of people who have not mastered his plan. It is so simple. You just do it. Awe… reminds me of me in years gone by.

Even as Christians who have inherited the entire world, we have no right to pride! It was not of our own doing, but from the love of the Father. All that we have and all that we ever hope to be is all because of His divine love.

And don't mask your pride with an insincere, 'I couldn't have done it without God' comment. It is like trying to spray sweet perfume to mask the odor of rotten eggs. It just increases the stench.

So, if you are someone who is pushing others to just work harder, try harder, achieve more. You are pushing with guilt and your own pride. If you genuinely care about them, develop a sympathetic ear and love them with the love of Christ. Take their hand and walk the journey together with them on the path that God l...

]]> Friday Finale

Episode 3

Friday Finale – Episode 3

Originally written August 26, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/26/the-destruction-of-pride/

This week the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study focused on the word pride. I myself have been meditating on what I would write for this blog for some time. There are so many things I could talk about in regards to pride and all would be good, but space is limited and I sincerely want to write about what I believe is on the heart of God for the moment.

As I was re-reading through various scriptures pertaining to the subject, this one stood out to me and in a moment brought into focus what I was to write about today.

Romans 12:33) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Pride is arrogance and when we are prideful we are puffed up and exalt ourselves over others and God. Upon hearing the word we all immediately have thoughts of pride where someone is bragging about something they have done, have consistently arrogant behavior and in general, someone who looks down at others with disdain.

We all have someone, maybe more than one person, come to mind when we hear the word. Prideful people are people we do not like to be around. We would all generally agree that pride is NOT a Godly attribute and one that those following after Christ should guard against fervently.

But…

I've seen more arrogance and pride in the so called body of Christ than in most other places. And it not only shames me, but sincerely grieves me.

When we become born again and become a true child of God inheriting not only His love but all that the inheritance provides emotionally, physically and materially, we develop a new found sense of status. We ALL know, or should know that it is not from our works or from what we have done, but simply from the merciful and graciously loving heart of Father God.

Yet just like a child born into a wealthy family, bloated with status and influence, they are born with a sense of position that was not obtained from anything they themselves had done. But it does not stop the arrogance and sense of pride.

Now let me write a brief disclaimer here. I know that not all wealthy people are prideful and arrogant. There are many who are humbled by the very knowledge of their good fortune.

But my point is to paint a picture here. There is something about becoming a new Christian that makes all the dark clouds roll away and we feel as though we can suddenly see clearly. There is hope and joy and for a moment it all seems so very simple, life that is.

I can look back as a baby Christian and see all the damage I unknowingly did. I had all the answers. It was simple, you just did not sin, you just tithed, you just did what you knew was right to do. It was just that simple. And I was arrogant about it. It all just seemed so easy to me and I could not understand what the struggle was all about. I loved the Lord with my whole heart and couldn't spend enough time with Him, praying and reading the Word and couldn't understand why others didn't.

Well, I soon found out. The Lord allowed my life to take a dastardly turn. He did not cause it, but I believe he allowed the pride I was dwelling in to have its way with me. Remember our verse this week?

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Remember that when read in the Lexicon it says the word .before' means faces? Well the pride I was exuding caused me to face destruction. A friend of mine and I call those the dark days. It was actually more like a few years.

I never stopped seeking the Lord through that time. In fact in some ways I genuinely sought Him more out of desperation and panic. But He delayed delivering me from the consequences of my own making. I did things during that period of time that I had adamantly spoken against doing just a short time before. I finally understood life from the other side. And I was humbled.

It was during that time that I developed the mantra, 'you can only do what you can do when you can do it.' It seemed no matter what I tried I just could not break free from where I was at. But by God's grace I finally did and once on the other side I was broken, but alive. 

Gone was the arrogance of, 'you just don't sin'. Gone was the non-understanding of why people didn't just stop doing what they were doing and 'turn to God'.

I've been on the watch for that demon pride ever since. If I fail, and I often do in many areas, the one that I know I cannot afford to ever fail at again is in the area of pride.

As a people we do so many things well. We are a well educated and an aggressive society that goes after what we want. If we want to achieve a goal, we have the knowledge, the means and ability to go after it until we achieve it. If we are Christians then we have even more in our favor because we are joined with Christ who never fails.

We work so hard to achieve what we want and when we get there, we are glad. We are so glad that we brag. Then when others become enamored with our results they begin to ask us, what was it we did to achieve success in that area. 

And we are oh so happy to tell them. We believe that if they will do just what we did, the way we did it, they too will succeed. So with exuberance we tell them, we coach them and then when there are too many people to tell, we write a book about it. Then we go on talk shows and tell the world what we did.

This last year God has taken me on a new journey. It is one of rest. He has been teaching me to rest in Him. To rest in God is to give Him full and complete control over everything and just, rest. But we have to work, you say.

We work too hard. We do too much. God genuinely wants to lead us. He wants to make our efforts efficient. When our work is targeted to achieve the maximum impact then we will have to work much less while achieving greater results. But this cannot be done without Christ and resting in Him.

The more we do the more credit we can rightfully take for the results. God wants us to rest in Him and let Him do the work so we have no right to take the credit for the results.

When we follow a plan because the plan has been tried and proven to have worked for at least one person, then we are not following God, but man. And when you have a plan that has worked and you become arrogant and prideful that your plan worked, you are certainly not following God's leading.

Nothing makes me more nauseous than to hear a self appointed expert talk condescendingly to a group of people who have not mastered his plan. It is so simple. You just do it. Awe… reminds me of me in years gone by.

Even as Christians who have inherited the entire world, we have no right to pride! It was not of our own doing, but from the love of the Father. All that we have and all that we ever hope to be is all because of His divine love.

And don't mask your pride with an insincere, 'I couldn't have done it without God' comment. It is like trying to spray sweet perfume to mask the odor of rotten eggs. It just increases the stench.

So, if you are someone who is pushing others to just work harder, try harder, achieve more. You are pushing with guilt and your own pride. If you genuinely care about them, develop a sympathetic ear and love them with the love of Christ. Take their hand and walk the journey together with them on the path that God l...

]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 659 Friday Finale

Episode 3

Friday Finale – Episode 3

Originally written August 26, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/26/the-destruction-of-pride/

This week the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study focused on the word pride. I myself have been meditating on what I would write for this blog for some time. There are so many things I could talk about in regards to pride and all would be good, but space is limited and I sincerely want to write about what I believe is on the heart of God for the moment.

As I was re-reading through various scriptures pertaining to the subject, this one stood out to me and in a moment brought into focus what I was to write about today.

Romans 12:33) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Pride is arrogance and when we are prideful we are puffed up and exalt ourselves over others and God. Upon hearing the word we all immediately have thoughts of pride where someone is bragging about something they have done, have consistently arrogant behavior and in general, someone who looks down at others with disdain.

We all have someone, maybe more than one person, come to mind when we hear the word. Prideful people are people we do not like to be around. We would all generally agree that pride is NOT a Godly attribute and one that those following after Christ should guard against fervently.

But…

I've seen more arrogance and pride in the so called body of Christ than in most other places. And it not only shames me, but sincerely grieves me.

When we become born again and become a true child of God inheriting not only His love but all that the inheritance provides emotionally, physically and materially, we develop a new found sense of status. We ALL know, or should know that it is not from our works or from what we have done, but simply from the merciful and graciously loving heart of Father God.

Yet just like a child born into a wealthy family, bloated with status and influence, they are born with a sense of position that was not obtained from anything they themselves had done. But it does not stop the arrogance and sense of pride.

Now let me write a brief disclaimer here. I know that not all wealthy people are prideful and arrogant. There are many who are humbled by the very knowledge of their good fortune.

But my point is to paint a picture here. There is something about becoming a new Christian that makes all the dark clouds roll away and we feel as though we can suddenly see clearly. There is hope and joy and for a moment it all seems so very simple, life that is.

I can look back as a baby Christian and see all the damage I unknowingly did. I had all the answers. It was simple, you just did not sin, you just tithed, you just did what you knew was right to do. It was just that simple. And I was arrogant about it. It all just seemed so easy to me and I could not understand what the struggle was all about. I loved the Lord with my whole heart and couldn't spend enough time with Him, praying and reading the Word and couldn't understand why others didn't.

Well, I soon found out. The Lord allowed my life to take a dastardly turn. He did not cause it, but I believe he allowed the pride I was dwelling in to have its way with me. Remember our verse this week?

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Remember that when read in the Lexicon it says the word .before' means faces? Well the pride I was exuding caused me to face destruction. A friend of mine and I call those the dark days. It was actually more like a few years.

I never stopped seeking the Lord through that time. In fact in some ways I genuinely sought Him more out of desperation and panic. But He delayed delivering me from the consequences of my own making. I did things during that period of time that I had adamantly spoken against doing just a short time before. I finally understood life from the other side. And I was humbled.

It was during that time that I developed the mantra, 'you can only do what you can do when you can do it.' It seemed no matter what I tried I just could not break free from where I was at. But by God's grace I finally did and once on the other side I was broken, but alive. 

Gone was the arrogance of, 'you just don't sin'. Gone was the non-understanding of why people didn't just stop doing what they were doing and 'turn to God'.

I've been on the watch for that demon pride ever since. If I fail, and I often do in many areas, the one that I know I cannot afford to ever fail at again is in the area of pride.

As a people we do so many things well. We are a well educated and an aggressive society that goes after what we want. If we want to achieve a goal, we have the knowledge, the means and ability to go after it until we achieve it. If we are Christians then we have even more in our favor because we are joined with Christ who never fails.

We work so hard to achieve what we want and when we get there, we are glad. We are so glad that we brag. Then when others become enamored with our results they begin to ask us, what was it we did to achieve success in that area. 

And we are oh so happy to tell them. We believe that if they will do just what we did, the way we did it, they too will succeed. So with exuberance we tell them, we coach them and then when there are too many people to tell, we write a book about it. Then we go on talk shows and tell the world what we did.

This last year God has taken me on a new journey. It is one of rest. He has been teaching me to rest in Him. To rest in God is to give Him full and complete control over everything and just, rest. But we have to work, you say.

We work too hard. We do too much. God genuinely wants to lead us. He wants to make our efforts efficient. When our work is targeted to achieve the maximum impact then we will have to work much less while achieving greater results. But this cannot be done without Christ and resting in Him.

The more we do the more credit we can rightfully take for the results. God wants us to rest in Him and let Him do the work so we have no right to take the credit for the results.

When we follow a plan because the plan has been tried and proven to have worked for at least one person, then we are not following God, but man. And when you have a plan that has worked and you become arrogant and prideful that your plan worked, you are certainly not following God's leading.

Nothing makes me more nauseous than to hear a self appointed expert talk condescendingly to a group of people who have not mastered his plan. It is so simple. You just do it. Awe… reminds me of me in years gone by.

Even as Christians who have inherited the entire world, we have no right to pride! It was not of our own doing, but from the love of the Father. All that we have and all that we ever hope to be is all because of His divine love.

And don't mask your pride with an insincere, 'I couldn't have done it without God' comment. It is like trying to spray sweet perfume to mask the odor of rotten eggs. It just increases the stench.

So, if you are someone who is pushing others to just work harder, try harder, achieve more. You are pushing with guilt and your own pride. If you genuinely care about them, develop a sympathetic ear and love them with the love of Christ. Take their hand and walk the journey together with them on the path that God l...

]]> No Are You Driven by Guilt or… Led by Conviction? 1 1 1 1 Are You Driven by Guilt or… Led by Conviction? full 16141b73-eef4-4160-99d3-7f7899b9b882 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Are You Driven by Guilt or… Led by Conviction?

Monday Meditations – Episode 1

Originally written August 8, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/08/monday-meditations-2-timothy-316/

Today's Meditation Verse:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This scripture seems like an obvious statement. But there are aspects to this verse that many people disregard. One item is the very first word. It says ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable…

I know that there are many people in many walks of life, in many different churches, who say that only parts of the scriptures are relevant to us today. 

They disregard the history of the Old Testament. The genealogies of Christ and others. They can't understand the book of Revelation so they push it off for later. Of course Numbers and Leviticus is difficult.

But this scripture says ALL scriptures are profitable for teaching, reproof and correction, for training in righteousness. Even the most difficult to read hold nuggets that will help transform your life.

As you meditate on this scripture this week, contemplate what scriptures you have neglected, avoided or ignored and ask the Father to help you read them with understanding and to learn from them.

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 1

Originally written August 10, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/10/wednesday-word-study-conviction/

Conviction

There are two Greeks words for conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use as correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1882 Transliteration: epanorthósis Phonetic Spelling: (ep-an-or'-tho-sis) Definition: correction, reformation, setting straight (right) again.

1882 – used only once in 2 Timothy 3:16

Another usage, full assurance is used in scriptures such as

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I Thessalonians 1:5 NASfor our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4136 Transliteration: plérophoria Phonetic Spelling: (play-rof-or-ee'-ah) Definition: full assurance, conviction, confidence.

But the one thing it is not used for is when thinking or talking about guilt. Many times we have interchanged the word conviction for guilt. Maybe you have not done this knowingly, but I'm sure you have in your mind.

When we have failed in some way, maybe slipped into an old habit or sin and we feel guilty, we interpret that as conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is not!

The word conviction is only used as instruct, only one time and that is when Paul is telling Timothy to use the Word as instruction/conviction to stay on the right path. And it does not mention that the Holy Spirit will convict us in this way, but the Word.

The other times conviction is used is when talking about the full assurance we have of faith. That is how the Holy Spirit will convict us! It is to encourage us that we can draw near to the Father because we are fully assured (convicted) that our hearts are sprinkled and clean from evil.

Today when you use the word convicted, stop and think, are you really referring to feeling guilty? If so, be fully assured (convicted) that you are free from guilt and can draw near to the Father because you are cleansed by the blood and have received the grace provided by Jesus Christ!

Friday Finale – Episode 1

Originally written August 12, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/12/led-or-driven/

RU Being Driven or Led?

Why do you do what you do? Is it a thought or a feeling? Is it a rule or a law?

I've been trying to stress home the idea of living a life of being led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not by any other thought, feeling or idea.

When I was much younger attending church, one of the first theological words I heard was conviction. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something? When you did that wrong thing, did you feel conviction?

But not until the last several years has the Lord begun to specifically define and show me what that word conviction really feels like. And how the Holy Spirit truly leads us in our lives.

One definition of the word conviction is referring to when Paul is preaching and it states that he preached with conviction, or forcefulness. 

There are actually two Greeks words for conviction in the context that I am referring to and not what I expected to find. You may find a full word study on the word conviction on Monday Meditation - Conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Hmmm, the scripture, not the Holy Spirit, is for correction. Just like a textbook not the teacher.

I don't think I would get any argument if I made the statement that this is a harsh world. A world where we are introduced to pain and suffering at a very young age. There are mean people in this world doing mean things.

Even our own parents, as much as they loved us, didn't always discipline and correct us in the way that was appropriate. I know as a parent myself, I can look back and see that sometimes I did whatever it took to get them to do what I wanted or needed them to do.

If I had to spank them, I would. If I had to ground them, I would. If I had to yell and scream, I would. If I had to place guilt on them, I would.

But I'll be the first to admit, I was not a perfect parent. In fact, I was far from it. But our Father God is a perfect parent and doesn't parent at all the way we do. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide here on this earth and a perfect and gentle teacher, always leading us, not pushing us.

But since all that we know is the parenting we have experienced here on this earth we automatically associate it to our Father God.

So when we hear from the pulpit that the Holy Spirit will convict us, our minds go to something difficult and highly unpleasant. We usually associate it with feeling guilty.

As we grow older in the Lord we don't sever that feeling of guilt from true conviction.

Let me give you some examples:

You go to church every Sunday because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You give offerings because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You try to 'be g...

]]> Are You Driven by Guilt or… Led by Conviction?

Monday Meditations – Episode 1

Originally written August 8, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/08/monday-meditations-2-timothy-316/

Today's Meditation Verse:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This scripture seems like an obvious statement. But there are aspects to this verse that many people disregard. One item is the very first word. It says ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable…

I know that there are many people in many walks of life, in many different churches, who say that only parts of the scriptures are relevant to us today. 

They disregard the history of the Old Testament. The genealogies of Christ and others. They can't understand the book of Revelation so they push it off for later. Of course Numbers and Leviticus is difficult.

But this scripture says ALL scriptures are profitable for teaching, reproof and correction, for training in righteousness. Even the most difficult to read hold nuggets that will help transform your life.

As you meditate on this scripture this week, contemplate what scriptures you have neglected, avoided or ignored and ask the Father to help you read them with understanding and to learn from them.

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 1

Originally written August 10, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/10/wednesday-word-study-conviction/

Conviction

There are two Greeks words for conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use as correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1882 Transliteration: epanorthósis Phonetic Spelling: (ep-an-or'-tho-sis) Definition: correction, reformation, setting straight (right) again.

1882 – used only once in 2 Timothy 3:16

Another usage, full assurance is used in scriptures such as

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I Thessalonians 1:5 NASfor our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4136 Transliteration: plérophoria Phonetic Spelling: (play-rof-or-ee'-ah) Definition: full assurance, conviction, confidence.

But the one thing it is not used for is when thinking or talking about guilt. Many times we have interchanged the word conviction for guilt. Maybe you have not done this knowingly, but I'm sure you have in your mind.

When we have failed in some way, maybe slipped into an old habit or sin and we feel guilty, we interpret that as conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is not!

The word conviction is only used as instruct, only one time and that is when Paul is telling Timothy to use the Word as instruction/conviction to stay on the right path. And it does not mention that the Holy Spirit will convict us in this way, but the Word.

The other times conviction is used is when talking about the full assurance we have of faith. That is how the Holy Spirit will convict us! It is to encourage us that we can draw near to the Father because we are fully assured (convicted) that our hearts are sprinkled and clean from evil.

Today when you use the word convicted, stop and think, are you really referring to feeling guilty? If so, be fully assured (convicted) that you are free from guilt and can draw near to the Father because you are cleansed by the blood and have received the grace provided by Jesus Christ!

Friday Finale – Episode 1

Originally written August 12, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/12/led-or-driven/

RU Being Driven or Led?

Why do you do what you do? Is it a thought or a feeling? Is it a rule or a law?

I've been trying to stress home the idea of living a life of being led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not by any other thought, feeling or idea.

When I was much younger attending church, one of the first theological words I heard was conviction. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something? When you did that wrong thing, did you feel conviction?

But not until the last several years has the Lord begun to specifically define and show me what that word conviction really feels like. And how the Holy Spirit truly leads us in our lives.

One definition of the word conviction is referring to when Paul is preaching and it states that he preached with conviction, or forcefulness. 

There are actually two Greeks words for conviction in the context that I am referring to and not what I expected to find. You may find a full word study on the word conviction on Monday Meditation - Conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Hmmm, the scripture, not the Holy Spirit, is for correction. Just like a textbook not the teacher.

I don't think I would get any argument if I made the statement that this is a harsh world. A world where we are introduced to pain and suffering at a very young age. There are mean people in this world doing mean things.

Even our own parents, as much as they loved us, didn't always discipline and correct us in the way that was appropriate. I know as a parent myself, I can look back and see that sometimes I did whatever it took to get them to do what I wanted or needed them to do.

If I had to spank them, I would. If I had to ground them, I would. If I had to yell and scream, I would. If I had to place guilt on them, I would.

But I'll be the first to admit, I was not a perfect parent. In fact, I was far from it. But our Father God is a perfect parent and doesn't parent at all the way we do. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide here on this earth and a perfect and gentle teacher, always leading us, not pushing us.

But since all that we know is the parenting we have experienced here on this earth we automatically associate it to our Father God.

So when we hear from the pulpit that the Holy Spirit will convict us, our minds go to something difficult and highly unpleasant. We usually associate it with feeling guilty.

As we grow older in the Lord we don't sever that feeling of guilt from true conviction.

Let me give you some examples:

You go to church every Sunday because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You give offerings because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You try to 'be g...

]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1084 Are You Driven by Guilt or… Led by Conviction?

Monday Meditations – Episode 1

Originally written August 8, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/08/monday-meditations-2-timothy-316/

Today's Meditation Verse:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This scripture seems like an obvious statement. But there are aspects to this verse that many people disregard. One item is the very first word. It says ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable…

I know that there are many people in many walks of life, in many different churches, who say that only parts of the scriptures are relevant to us today. 

They disregard the history of the Old Testament. The genealogies of Christ and others. They can't understand the book of Revelation so they push it off for later. Of course Numbers and Leviticus is difficult.

But this scripture says ALL scriptures are profitable for teaching, reproof and correction, for training in righteousness. Even the most difficult to read hold nuggets that will help transform your life.

As you meditate on this scripture this week, contemplate what scriptures you have neglected, avoided or ignored and ask the Father to help you read them with understanding and to learn from them.

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 1

Originally written August 10, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/10/wednesday-word-study-conviction/

Conviction

There are two Greeks words for conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use as correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1882 Transliteration: epanorthósis Phonetic Spelling: (ep-an-or'-tho-sis) Definition: correction, reformation, setting straight (right) again.

1882 – used only once in 2 Timothy 3:16

Another usage, full assurance is used in scriptures such as

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I Thessalonians 1:5 NASfor our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4136 Transliteration: plérophoria Phonetic Spelling: (play-rof-or-ee'-ah) Definition: full assurance, conviction, confidence.

But the one thing it is not used for is when thinking or talking about guilt. Many times we have interchanged the word conviction for guilt. Maybe you have not done this knowingly, but I'm sure you have in your mind.

When we have failed in some way, maybe slipped into an old habit or sin and we feel guilty, we interpret that as conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is not!

The word conviction is only used as instruct, only one time and that is when Paul is telling Timothy to use the Word as instruction/conviction to stay on the right path. And it does not mention that the Holy Spirit will convict us in this way, but the Word.

The other times conviction is used is when talking about the full assurance we have of faith. That is how the Holy Spirit will convict us! It is to encourage us that we can draw near to the Father because we are fully assured (convicted) that our hearts are sprinkled and clean from evil.

Today when you use the word convicted, stop and think, are you really referring to feeling guilty? If so, be fully assured (convicted) that you are free from guilt and can draw near to the Father because you are cleansed by the blood and have received the grace provided by Jesus Christ!

Friday Finale – Episode 1

Originally written August 12, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/12/led-or-driven/

RU Being Driven or Led?

Why do you do what you do? Is it a thought or a feeling? Is it a rule or a law?

I've been trying to stress home the idea of living a life of being led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not by any other thought, feeling or idea.

When I was much younger attending church, one of the first theological words I heard was conviction. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something? When you did that wrong thing, did you feel conviction?

But not until the last several years has the Lord begun to specifically define and show me what that word conviction really feels like. And how the Holy Spirit truly leads us in our lives.

One definition of the word conviction is referring to when Paul is preaching and it states that he preached with conviction, or forcefulness. 

There are actually two Greeks words for conviction in the context that I am referring to and not what I expected to find. You may find a full word study on the word conviction on Monday Meditation - Conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Hmmm, the scripture, not the Holy Spirit, is for correction. Just like a textbook not the teacher.

I don't think I would get any argument if I made the statement that this is a harsh world. A world where we are introduced to pain and suffering at a very young age. There are mean people in this world doing mean things.

Even our own parents, as much as they loved us, didn't always discipline and correct us in the way that was appropriate. I know as a parent myself, I can look back and see that sometimes I did whatever it took to get them to do what I wanted or needed them to do.

If I had to spank them, I would. If I had to ground them, I would. If I had to yell and scream, I would. If I had to place guilt on them, I would.

But I'll be the first to admit, I was not a perfect parent. In fact, I was far from it. But our Father God is a perfect parent and doesn't parent at all the way we do. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide here on this earth and a perfect and gentle teacher, always leading us, not pushing us.

But since all that we know is the parenting we have experienced here on this earth we automatically associate it to our Father God.

So when we hear from the pulpit that the Holy Spirit will convict us, our minds go to something difficult and highly unpleasant. We usually associate it with feeling guilty.

As we grow older in the Lord we don't sever that feeling of guilt from true conviction.

Let me give you some examples:

You go to church every Sunday because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You give offerings because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You try to 'be g...

]]> No Wednesday Word Study - Pride - Episode 3 1 1 3 3 Wednesday Word Study - Pride - Episode 3 full 3040e544-6bb5-49bf-a1f8-2a2a6effbdcb https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Wednesday Word Study

Episode 3

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 3

Originally written August 24, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/24/wednesday-word-study-pride/

Pride 

Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1347a Transliteration: ga'own Phonetic Spelling: (gaw'-ohn) Definition: arrogancy

When I was studying this word I noticed that there were several Greek variations of this word. I've selected the one used here in this verse.

I was not surprised by the definition. It is a word we all know well, and use often.

But one thing I did learn when reading all the different words in the definition is the word – exaltation. I had to stop on that one and think about it.

Isn't exaltation something that should be reserved for God? You bet it is! That is exactly why when we are prideful we are exalting ourselves and God will not, cannot stand for that. Pride – self exaltation is what got Satan ejected immediately from heaven. Go directly to earth, do not pass go, do not collect $200!!!

I've added a bit of humor to this critically serious topic, but we do tend to snicker when we think about how quickly, with no debate, Satan was ejected from Heaven. But we must see that this scripture is warning us that should pride, in any form, enter our behavior or attitude, we are certain to face destruction as well.

If that thought makes you shudder the way it did me, then evaluate your life and your attitudes towards others today to see if even the slightest morsel of pride has crept in. If it has, immediately eradicate it before you too are facing certain destruction.

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

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]]> Wednesday Word Study

Episode 3

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 3

Originally written August 24, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/24/wednesday-word-study-pride/

Pride 

Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1347a Transliteration: ga'own Phonetic Spelling: (gaw'-ohn) Definition: arrogancy

When I was studying this word I noticed that there were several Greek variations of this word. I've selected the one used here in this verse.

I was not surprised by the definition. It is a word we all know well, and use often.

But one thing I did learn when reading all the different words in the definition is the word – exaltation. I had to stop on that one and think about it.

Isn't exaltation something that should be reserved for God? You bet it is! That is exactly why when we are prideful we are exalting ourselves and God will not, cannot stand for that. Pride – self exaltation is what got Satan ejected immediately from heaven. Go directly to earth, do not pass go, do not collect $200!!!

I've added a bit of humor to this critically serious topic, but we do tend to snicker when we think about how quickly, with no debate, Satan was ejected from Heaven. But we must see that this scripture is warning us that should pride, in any form, enter our behavior or attitude, we are certain to face destruction as well.

If that thought makes you shudder the way it did me, then evaluate your life and your attitudes towards others today to see if even the slightest morsel of pride has crept in. If it has, immediately eradicate it before you too are facing certain destruction.

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 208 Wednesday Word Study

Episode 3

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 3

Originally written August 24, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/24/wednesday-word-study-pride/

Pride 

Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1347a Transliteration: ga'own Phonetic Spelling: (gaw'-ohn) Definition: arrogancy

When I was studying this word I noticed that there were several Greek variations of this word. I've selected the one used here in this verse.

I was not surprised by the definition. It is a word we all know well, and use often.

But one thing I did learn when reading all the different words in the definition is the word – exaltation. I had to stop on that one and think about it.

Isn't exaltation something that should be reserved for God? You bet it is! That is exactly why when we are prideful we are exalting ourselves and God will not, cannot stand for that. Pride – self exaltation is what got Satan ejected immediately from heaven. Go directly to earth, do not pass go, do not collect $200!!!

I've added a bit of humor to this critically serious topic, but we do tend to snicker when we think about how quickly, with no debate, Satan was ejected from Heaven. But we must see that this scripture is warning us that should pride, in any form, enter our behavior or attitude, we are certain to face destruction as well.

If that thought makes you shudder the way it did me, then evaluate your life and your attitudes towards others today to see if even the slightest morsel of pride has crept in. If it has, immediately eradicate it before you too are facing certain destruction.

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Monday Meditations - Proverbs 16:18 - Episode 3 1 1 3 3 Monday Meditations - Proverbs 16:18 - Episode 3 full 23d04f1a-011f-4eb3-b6de-df29f97377c9 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Monday Meditations

Episode 3

Monday Meditations – Episode 3

Originally written August 22, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/22/1962/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

I love reading the Lexicon version of a scripture. To me it reveals so much.

For instance there is little variation in this scripture from translation to translation. It pretty much says it like it is and in any language or culture it is pretty much the same.

But just now as I was reading this verse in the Lexcon (the original Greek translation) I saw something that I had to meditate on for a bit. Then I saw how obvious the original word was to our own modern terminology.

That word is before. In the Lexicon that word means faces. We use that word often now. She is facing an uphill battle. He is facing termination at work. They are facing the playoffs.

We know this word so well.

Let's look at this week's scripture again using the original word, facing.

Pride causes you to face destruction, and a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

We know when we face something that it is coming, for sure. Something that we face is something we know we will have to deal with.

So this week when you meditate on this scripture know that the pride in your life will cause you to face with certainty, destruction and that a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Monday Meditations

Episode 3

Monday Meditations – Episode 3

Originally written August 22, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/22/1962/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

I love reading the Lexicon version of a scripture. To me it reveals so much.

For instance there is little variation in this scripture from translation to translation. It pretty much says it like it is and in any language or culture it is pretty much the same.

But just now as I was reading this verse in the Lexcon (the original Greek translation) I saw something that I had to meditate on for a bit. Then I saw how obvious the original word was to our own modern terminology.

That word is before. In the Lexicon that word means faces. We use that word often now. She is facing an uphill battle. He is facing termination at work. They are facing the playoffs.

We know this word so well.

Let's look at this week's scripture again using the original word, facing.

Pride causes you to face destruction, and a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

We know when we face something that it is coming, for sure. Something that we face is something we know we will have to deal with.

So this week when you meditate on this scripture know that the pride in your life will cause you to face with certainty, destruction and that a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 189 Monday Meditations

Episode 3

Monday Meditations – Episode 3

Originally written August 22, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/22/1962/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

I love reading the Lexicon version of a scripture. To me it reveals so much.

For instance there is little variation in this scripture from translation to translation. It pretty much says it like it is and in any language or culture it is pretty much the same.

But just now as I was reading this verse in the Lexcon (the original Greek translation) I saw something that I had to meditate on for a bit. Then I saw how obvious the original word was to our own modern terminology.

That word is before. In the Lexicon that word means faces. We use that word often now. She is facing an uphill battle. He is facing termination at work. They are facing the playoffs.

We know this word so well.

Let's look at this week's scripture again using the original word, facing.

Pride causes you to face destruction, and a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

We know when we face something that it is coming, for sure. Something that we face is something we know we will have to deal with.

So this week when you meditate on this scripture know that the pride in your life will cause you to face with certainty, destruction and that a haughty spirit will cause you to face a fall.

Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No The World and The Earth - Not the Same | Archive Story - Episode 15 1 1 15 15 The World and The Earth - Not the Same | Archive Story - Episode 15 full 4bee27dd-e09f-40d3-96c5-34e091808716 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ The World and The Earth - Not the Same

It is common to hear the words earth, and world interchanged. But I believe a closer look at the meaning and proper contextual use is warranted.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Genesis 1:1

  1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  2. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

In these verses, the word earth in Hebrew is erets, which means earth and land. It is a physical thing that can be touched and felt.

Let's consider the word world in Hebrew. It is tebel and means world, but in its usage it lends itself to the inhabitants of the world and their system of living, not the physical earth.

There is another term that is often lumped in with these. That is age, such as the end of the age. Age is referring to a period of time. If someone says the end of the age is soon, you are talking about a period of time ending soon.

Examples for age are, 'The Gilded Age', 'The Dark Ages', 'The Middles Ages'.

Examples for earth are, 'the earth is round', 'the earth is 70% water', 'the earth's core creates a magnetic field'.

Examples for world are, 'the world is growing', 'the world is corrupt', 'the world is unfair'.

What Does It Matter?

Why is this important? Let me explain why I believe it to be important. God created the earth. He created it for a purpose, and that purpose was for us. He created us in the image and likeness of Himself to reflect Him on His created earth. Gen 1:27. But something went awry early in the garden.

Can you see God's original vision? Let's view it as I believe He saw it. An earth filled with many millions of people created in the image of God who are actively reflecting Him in all His glory on the created earth. Can you see His glory covering the earth forever and ever?

Something Went Wrong

Even though something went awry, I do not believe God has changed His purpose or goal. God is never changing, and He is certainly not daunted by a bump in the road. Instead, He just kept making new ways to get to His original goal.

When Adam changed his allegiance from God to Satan. The world, not the earth, changed. The inhabitants of the earth died (the light went out) and no longer reflected the glory of God. God reflected his glory in the garden, giving it life.


The World of Two Lived on the Earth

The world of two, Adam and Eve, were expelled from the garden to live in the earth's remainder. The lack of God's reflection affected the earth. Adam gave over 'ownership' of the world to Satan. Now earth groaned for the world (inhabitants) to once again reflect the glory of God.

Romans 8:

19) The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.

20) for the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope

21) that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22) We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

23) Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

24) For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?

Be Transformed

We are in a process of transformation, of which the ultimate culmination is being once again the complete and perfect reflection of God just as Adam and Eve were. We are to endeavor to become internally more like Christ every day, which in turn is reflected outwardly in our behavior.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

But in the meantime, the earth is only partially covered with incomplete images which reflect His glory only partially. On a good day, we are still a dim light. But we are a light nonetheless, and we are told to shine and not put our light away, but let it shine as boldly as possible in the world, the inhabitants and their system of living on God's created earth.

We Have a Mandate from God

We have a mandate from Jesus to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and to GO and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) . As long as the world still has inhabitants of darkness, we have not completed our assignment and we must all continue with our assignment.

That doesn't necessarily mean become a missionary in a third world country. It can mean, as you go about your daily life, let your light shine to all your meet, sharing and teaching about the Good News.

Love, show, and teach others about Jesus. Help them grow. Making disciples is so much more than just getting someone to say a prayer of allegiance to Jesus. A topic for another day is that even effective in reality.

Increase the Light

As we do make disciples throughout the world, the light of God will shine greater and greater, eventually covering the earth. When we have no more disciples to go make, Jesus will return and our bodies will be transformed, both those dead and those still alive. And then the earth, the physical earth, will no longer be confined and can be the garden fully alive and beautiful the way God first intended.

Jesus is Waiting on Us to Finish Our Job

Jesus will reign in the new Jerusalem, and we will inhabit the garden, which covers the entire earth.

So, when we read the word of God, the Bible, I believe we must know the earth is a created physical object created by God's loving hands for a purpose and the world is its inhabitants and its system of being, working, and governing that those inhabitants perpetuate upon the earth.

Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection did away with the old rickety bandaid covenant, so that now the new perfect covenant (which excluded no man, woman, or race) our sins are forgiven, the enemy Satan was disarmed and made a show of openly (Colossians 2:15). Now we are empowered to grow in Jesus and be increasingly transformed into the image of God.

Go - Make Disciples

The more disciples we make, the less darkness is covering the earth. Current stats show that more and more people are coming to profess Jesus as Lord every day, no matter what we are led to believe by the media. Let's get busy discipling them so God's glory will increase.

If you believe things are getting worse and worse, you are focusing on the darkness and the perpetual toxic propaganda that the enemy pushes through the media. It is all lies and yet so many are addicted to watching it daily.

You Reflect What You Focus On

We are told to focus and think on whatever is true, honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace… think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 amp emphasis mine) The garbage that the media, both via tv and the internet, which is governed by the darkness still left in the world, is not worthy of respect and we are not following what we are told to do by feeding on it.

Ignore the darkness. We reflect on what we feed on. If you feed on the darkness, the light you carry will diminish, reflecting the da...

]]> The World and The Earth - Not the Same

It is common to hear the words earth, and world interchanged. But I believe a closer look at the meaning and proper contextual use is warranted.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Genesis 1:1

  1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  2. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

In these verses, the word earth in Hebrew is erets, which means earth and land. It is a physical thing that can be touched and felt.

Let's consider the word world in Hebrew. It is tebel and means world, but in its usage it lends itself to the inhabitants of the world and their system of living, not the physical earth.

There is another term that is often lumped in with these. That is age, such as the end of the age. Age is referring to a period of time. If someone says the end of the age is soon, you are talking about a period of time ending soon.

Examples for age are, 'The Gilded Age', 'The Dark Ages', 'The Middles Ages'.

Examples for earth are, 'the earth is round', 'the earth is 70% water', 'the earth's core creates a magnetic field'.

Examples for world are, 'the world is growing', 'the world is corrupt', 'the world is unfair'.

What Does It Matter?

Why is this important? Let me explain why I believe it to be important. God created the earth. He created it for a purpose, and that purpose was for us. He created us in the image and likeness of Himself to reflect Him on His created earth. Gen 1:27. But something went awry early in the garden.

Can you see God's original vision? Let's view it as I believe He saw it. An earth filled with many millions of people created in the image of God who are actively reflecting Him in all His glory on the created earth. Can you see His glory covering the earth forever and ever?

Something Went Wrong

Even though something went awry, I do not believe God has changed His purpose or goal. God is never changing, and He is certainly not daunted by a bump in the road. Instead, He just kept making new ways to get to His original goal.

When Adam changed his allegiance from God to Satan. The world, not the earth, changed. The inhabitants of the earth died (the light went out) and no longer reflected the glory of God. God reflected his glory in the garden, giving it life.


The World of Two Lived on the Earth

The world of two, Adam and Eve, were expelled from the garden to live in the earth's remainder. The lack of God's reflection affected the earth. Adam gave over 'ownership' of the world to Satan. Now earth groaned for the world (inhabitants) to once again reflect the glory of God.

Romans 8:

19) The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.

20) for the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope

21) that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22) We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

23) Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

24) For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?

Be Transformed

We are in a process of transformation, of which the ultimate culmination is being once again the complete and perfect reflection of God just as Adam and Eve were. We are to endeavor to become internally more like Christ every day, which in turn is reflected outwardly in our behavior.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

But in the meantime, the earth is only partially covered with incomplete images which reflect His glory only partially. On a good day, we are still a dim light. But we are a light nonetheless, and we are told to shine and not put our light away, but let it shine as boldly as possible in the world, the inhabitants and their system of living on God's created earth.

We Have a Mandate from God

We have a mandate from Jesus to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and to GO and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) . As long as the world still has inhabitants of darkness, we have not completed our assignment and we must all continue with our assignment.

That doesn't necessarily mean become a missionary in a third world country. It can mean, as you go about your daily life, let your light shine to all your meet, sharing and teaching about the Good News.

Love, show, and teach others about Jesus. Help them grow. Making disciples is so much more than just getting someone to say a prayer of allegiance to Jesus. A topic for another day is that even effective in reality.

Increase the Light

As we do make disciples throughout the world, the light of God will shine greater and greater, eventually covering the earth. When we have no more disciples to go make, Jesus will return and our bodies will be transformed, both those dead and those still alive. And then the earth, the physical earth, will no longer be confined and can be the garden fully alive and beautiful the way God first intended.

Jesus is Waiting on Us to Finish Our Job

Jesus will reign in the new Jerusalem, and we will inhabit the garden, which covers the entire earth.

So, when we read the word of God, the Bible, I believe we must know the earth is a created physical object created by God's loving hands for a purpose and the world is its inhabitants and its system of being, working, and governing that those inhabitants perpetuate upon the earth.

Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection did away with the old rickety bandaid covenant, so that now the new perfect covenant (which excluded no man, woman, or race) our sins are forgiven, the enemy Satan was disarmed and made a show of openly (Colossians 2:15). Now we are empowered to grow in Jesus and be increasingly transformed into the image of God.

Go - Make Disciples

The more disciples we make, the less darkness is covering the earth. Current stats show that more and more people are coming to profess Jesus as Lord every day, no matter what we are led to believe by the media. Let's get busy discipling them so God's glory will increase.

If you believe things are getting worse and worse, you are focusing on the darkness and the perpetual toxic propaganda that the enemy pushes through the media. It is all lies and yet so many are addicted to watching it daily.

You Reflect What You Focus On

We are told to focus and think on whatever is true, honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace… think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 amp emphasis mine) The garbage that the media, both via tv and the internet, which is governed by the darkness still left in the world, is not worthy of respect and we are not following what we are told to do by feeding on it.

Ignore the darkness. We reflect on what we feed on. If you feed on the darkness, the light you carry will diminish, reflecting the da...

]]> Sun, 14 Jun 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 693 The World and The Earth - Not the Same

It is common to hear the words earth, and world interchanged. But I believe a closer look at the meaning and proper contextual use is warranted.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Genesis 1:1

  1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  2. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

In these verses, the word earth in Hebrew is erets, which means earth and land. It is a physical thing that can be touched and felt.

Let's consider the word world in Hebrew. It is tebel and means world, but in its usage it lends itself to the inhabitants of the world and their system of living, not the physical earth.

There is another term that is often lumped in with these. That is age, such as the end of the age. Age is referring to a period of time. If someone says the end of the age is soon, you are talking about a period of time ending soon.

Examples for age are, 'The Gilded Age', 'The Dark Ages', 'The Middles Ages'.

Examples for earth are, 'the earth is round', 'the earth is 70% water', 'the earth's core creates a magnetic field'.

Examples for world are, 'the world is growing', 'the world is corrupt', 'the world is unfair'.

What Does It Matter?

Why is this important? Let me explain why I believe it to be important. God created the earth. He created it for a purpose, and that purpose was for us. He created us in the image and likeness of Himself to reflect Him on His created earth. Gen 1:27. But something went awry early in the garden.

Can you see God's original vision? Let's view it as I believe He saw it. An earth filled with many millions of people created in the image of God who are actively reflecting Him in all His glory on the created earth. Can you see His glory covering the earth forever and ever?

Something Went Wrong

Even though something went awry, I do not believe God has changed His purpose or goal. God is never changing, and He is certainly not daunted by a bump in the road. Instead, He just kept making new ways to get to His original goal.

When Adam changed his allegiance from God to Satan. The world, not the earth, changed. The inhabitants of the earth died (the light went out) and no longer reflected the glory of God. God reflected his glory in the garden, giving it life.


The World of Two Lived on the Earth

The world of two, Adam and Eve, were expelled from the garden to live in the earth's remainder. The lack of God's reflection affected the earth. Adam gave over 'ownership' of the world to Satan. Now earth groaned for the world (inhabitants) to once again reflect the glory of God.

Romans 8:

19) The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.

20) for the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope

21) that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22) We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

23) Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

24) For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?

Be Transformed

We are in a process of transformation, of which the ultimate culmination is being once again the complete and perfect reflection of God just as Adam and Eve were. We are to endeavor to become internally more like Christ every day, which in turn is reflected outwardly in our behavior.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

But in the meantime, the earth is only partially covered with incomplete images which reflect His glory only partially. On a good day, we are still a dim light. But we are a light nonetheless, and we are told to shine and not put our light away, but let it shine as boldly as possible in the world, the inhabitants and their system of living on God's created earth.

We Have a Mandate from God

We have a mandate from Jesus to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and to GO and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) . As long as the world still has inhabitants of darkness, we have not completed our assignment and we must all continue with our assignment.

That doesn't necessarily mean become a missionary in a third world country. It can mean, as you go about your daily life, let your light shine to all your meet, sharing and teaching about the Good News.

Love, show, and teach others about Jesus. Help them grow. Making disciples is so much more than just getting someone to say a prayer of allegiance to Jesus. A topic for another day is that even effective in reality.

Increase the Light

As we do make disciples throughout the world, the light of God will shine greater and greater, eventually covering the earth. When we have no more disciples to go make, Jesus will return and our bodies will be transformed, both those dead and those still alive. And then the earth, the physical earth, will no longer be confined and can be the garden fully alive and beautiful the way God first intended.

Jesus is Waiting on Us to Finish Our Job

Jesus will reign in the new Jerusalem, and we will inhabit the garden, which covers the entire earth.

So, when we read the word of God, the Bible, I believe we must know the earth is a created physical object created by God's loving hands for a purpose and the world is its inhabitants and its system of being, working, and governing that those inhabitants perpetuate upon the earth.

Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection did away with the old rickety bandaid covenant, so that now the new perfect covenant (which excluded no man, woman, or race) our sins are forgiven, the enemy Satan was disarmed and made a show of openly (Colossians 2:15). Now we are empowered to grow in Jesus and be increasingly transformed into the image of God.

Go - Make Disciples

The more disciples we make, the less darkness is covering the earth. Current stats show that more and more people are coming to profess Jesus as Lord every day, no matter what we are led to believe by the media. Let's get busy discipling them so God's glory will increase.

If you believe things are getting worse and worse, you are focusing on the darkness and the perpetual toxic propaganda that the enemy pushes through the media. It is all lies and yet so many are addicted to watching it daily.

You Reflect What You Focus On

We are told to focus and think on whatever is true, honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace… think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 amp emphasis mine) The garbage that the media, both via tv and the internet, which is governed by the darkness still left in the world, is not worthy of respect and we are not following what we are told to do by feeding on it.

Ignore the darkness. We reflect on what we feed on. If you feed on the darkness, the light you carry will diminish, reflecting the da...

]]> No God Watches Over Us | Miracle Story - Episode 15 1 1 15 15 God Watches Over Us | Miracle Story - Episode 15 full 486acfa9-2b49-444a-b9fa-3ce44e211410 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b4fb47df God Watches Over Us

Living in the country in western Oklahoma we were surrounded by all types of insects and snakes. They were a constant and you just learned to watch out when you could and be cautious.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Living In The Country

We lived on a dirt road and it came to a dead end just a few hundred feet from our house. At that dead end lived a family who had a son just a bit older than my oldest son so they spent quite a bit of time playing together.

My youngest son Kendon is four years younger than his older brother. One day when his brother Ben was down playing with the neighbor, Kendon was begging to go. He was about four years old at the time.

Since we were out in the country and on a rarely traveled dead end road, which the kids were all used to, I made arrangements for him to walk to the neighbors.

I Knew He Was Safe

The road was packed red dirt that was lower than the banks on either side due to having been graded for so many years. On those banks were weeds and brush as well as tons of cedar trees and old pine oaks.

I called down to the neighbors house and told Ben that Kendon was coming down the road and to please watch for him and meet him on the road. He did and they played until it was time to come home.

A Shocking Discovery

It was Wednesday night. We ate dinner, I had my other two get cleaned up to go to church, and I bathed Kendon. As I was bathing him I noticed two puncture marks on the back of his upper arm. It would have greatly alarmed me but there was no abnormal redness or swelling.

Since he was my baby, I had allowed him to stay a baby for probably way too long. He baby talked until he was in kindergarten. Since I spent every day with him I fully understood everything he said.

He Was Completely Unaware

When I saw the two punctures I asked him, "What bit you?" To which he replied, "Dog". Obviously it was not a dog. So I inquired further and received no additional information other than 'dog'.

At church that night I looked for a friend of mine who was a licensed EMT. I thought I knew what those punctures were but wanted confirmation.

When I found him, I showed him Kendon's arm and asked him what he thought those were. He looked and then looked up at me in shock. He said, "That is a snake bite and those punctures indicate it was a poisonous snake."

I Trusted God To Watch Over My Children

We both knew it was a miracle. Kendon never had any adverse reaction and finally the punctures healed and faded away.

This is an instance where I didn't even know I needed to pray for a miracle and one just came. However, I always knew, really and firmly knew, that God was watching over me and my children.

God Had Exchange Fear for Courage Years Earlier

When God delivered me from fear, he replaced it with courage and a certain understanding that he was watching over us. So, trusting him to do that very thing, I never ever worried over my children. It never occurred to me to worry about them. I was that certain over God's care and watchful eye.

This isn't something I forced myself to do. This isn't something I worked up on my own. When I prayed for and received deliverance from fear God had to replace the void it left, and he did. He replaced it with courage and that revelation knowledge of his watchful caring eye on my family.

As I have said many times, he is no respecter of persons. He can and will do that for you as well. Ask him, pray about it earnestly. He will show you the way. It may be the same way as he brought deliverance to me through saying a specific scripture over and over at bedtime or he may show you a different way. But, believe it, ask for it, and receive it.

Originally published by me here: https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/blog/godwatchesoverus/

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> God Watches Over Us

Living in the country in western Oklahoma we were surrounded by all types of insects and snakes. They were a constant and you just learned to watch out when you could and be cautious.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Living In The Country

We lived on a dirt road and it came to a dead end just a few hundred feet from our house. At that dead end lived a family who had a son just a bit older than my oldest son so they spent quite a bit of time playing together.

My youngest son Kendon is four years younger than his older brother. One day when his brother Ben was down playing with the neighbor, Kendon was begging to go. He was about four years old at the time.

Since we were out in the country and on a rarely traveled dead end road, which the kids were all used to, I made arrangements for him to walk to the neighbors.

I Knew He Was Safe

The road was packed red dirt that was lower than the banks on either side due to having been graded for so many years. On those banks were weeds and brush as well as tons of cedar trees and old pine oaks.

I called down to the neighbors house and told Ben that Kendon was coming down the road and to please watch for him and meet him on the road. He did and they played until it was time to come home.

A Shocking Discovery

It was Wednesday night. We ate dinner, I had my other two get cleaned up to go to church, and I bathed Kendon. As I was bathing him I noticed two puncture marks on the back of his upper arm. It would have greatly alarmed me but there was no abnormal redness or swelling.

Since he was my baby, I had allowed him to stay a baby for probably way too long. He baby talked until he was in kindergarten. Since I spent every day with him I fully understood everything he said.

He Was Completely Unaware

When I saw the two punctures I asked him, "What bit you?" To which he replied, "Dog". Obviously it was not a dog. So I inquired further and received no additional information other than 'dog'.

At church that night I looked for a friend of mine who was a licensed EMT. I thought I knew what those punctures were but wanted confirmation.

When I found him, I showed him Kendon's arm and asked him what he thought those were. He looked and then looked up at me in shock. He said, "That is a snake bite and those punctures indicate it was a poisonous snake."

I Trusted God To Watch Over My Children

We both knew it was a miracle. Kendon never had any adverse reaction and finally the punctures healed and faded away.

This is an instance where I didn't even know I needed to pray for a miracle and one just came. However, I always knew, really and firmly knew, that God was watching over me and my children.

God Had Exchange Fear for Courage Years Earlier

When God delivered me from fear, he replaced it with courage and a certain understanding that he was watching over us. So, trusting him to do that very thing, I never ever worried over my children. It never occurred to me to worry about them. I was that certain over God's care and watchful eye.

This isn't something I forced myself to do. This isn't something I worked up on my own. When I prayed for and received deliverance from fear God had to replace the void it left, and he did. He replaced it with courage and that revelation knowledge of his watchful caring eye on my family.

As I have said many times, he is no respecter of persons. He can and will do that for you as well. Ask him, pray about it earnestly. He will show you the way. It may be the same way as he brought deliverance to me through saying a specific scripture over and over at bedtime or he may show you a different way. But, believe it, ask for it, and receive it.

Originally published by me here: https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/blog/godwatchesoverus/

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Sun, 14 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 282 God Watches Over Us

Living in the country in western Oklahoma we were surrounded by all types of insects and snakes. They were a constant and you just learned to watch out when you could and be cautious.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Living In The Country

We lived on a dirt road and it came to a dead end just a few hundred feet from our house. At that dead end lived a family who had a son just a bit older than my oldest son so they spent quite a bit of time playing together.

My youngest son Kendon is four years younger than his older brother. One day when his brother Ben was down playing with the neighbor, Kendon was begging to go. He was about four years old at the time.

Since we were out in the country and on a rarely traveled dead end road, which the kids were all used to, I made arrangements for him to walk to the neighbors.

I Knew He Was Safe

The road was packed red dirt that was lower than the banks on either side due to having been graded for so many years. On those banks were weeds and brush as well as tons of cedar trees and old pine oaks.

I called down to the neighbors house and told Ben that Kendon was coming down the road and to please watch for him and meet him on the road. He did and they played until it was time to come home.

A Shocking Discovery

It was Wednesday night. We ate dinner, I had my other two get cleaned up to go to church, and I bathed Kendon. As I was bathing him I noticed two puncture marks on the back of his upper arm. It would have greatly alarmed me but there was no abnormal redness or swelling.

Since he was my baby, I had allowed him to stay a baby for probably way too long. He baby talked until he was in kindergarten. Since I spent every day with him I fully understood everything he said.

He Was Completely Unaware

When I saw the two punctures I asked him, "What bit you?" To which he replied, "Dog". Obviously it was not a dog. So I inquired further and received no additional information other than 'dog'.

At church that night I looked for a friend of mine who was a licensed EMT. I thought I knew what those punctures were but wanted confirmation.

When I found him, I showed him Kendon's arm and asked him what he thought those were. He looked and then looked up at me in shock. He said, "That is a snake bite and those punctures indicate it was a poisonous snake."

I Trusted God To Watch Over My Children

We both knew it was a miracle. Kendon never had any adverse reaction and finally the punctures healed and faded away.

This is an instance where I didn't even know I needed to pray for a miracle and one just came. However, I always knew, really and firmly knew, that God was watching over me and my children.

God Had Exchange Fear for Courage Years Earlier

When God delivered me from fear, he replaced it with courage and a certain understanding that he was watching over us. So, trusting him to do that very thing, I never ever worried over my children. It never occurred to me to worry about them. I was that certain over God's care and watchful eye.

This isn't something I forced myself to do. This isn't something I worked up on my own. When I prayed for and received deliverance from fear God had to replace the void it left, and he did. He replaced it with courage and that revelation knowledge of his watchful caring eye on my family.

As I have said many times, he is no respecter of persons. He can and will do that for you as well. Ask him, pray about it earnestly. He will show you the way. It may be the same way as he brought deliverance to me through saying a specific scripture over and over at bedtime or he may show you a different way. But, believe it, ask for it, and receive it.

Originally published by me here: https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/blog/godwatchesoverus/

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Friday Finale - Are You Confusing Faith with Belief? - Episode 2 1 1 2 2 Friday Finale - Are You Confusing Faith with Belief? - Episode 2 full 091e5aa5-143e-4e3b-8b9a-de848258f629 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Friday Finale

Episode 2

Friday Finale – Episode 2

Originally written August 19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/19/are-confusing-faith-with-belief/

Are You Confusing Faith With Belief?

Have you ever encountered someone who made a comment similar to: "Their faith was shattered"? Or maybe they said it of themselves, "After that situation, my faith was just shattered".

The problem with these comments is that they are confusing Faith with Belief.

As we learned on Wednesday Word Study – Faith, there is a difference between the two.

Faith is a divine gift from God. It is a DIVINE certainty that something will or will not happen. It is a knowing that cannot be described or touched, but resides deep in our soul, our inner most being. A divine gift from God that cannot be shattered, damaged or destroyed.

 Belief is a confidence that something is a certain way, will or will not happen. It resides in the mind of an individual. It is usually based on previous experiences or training.

 I used to ponder this scripture a lot:


Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Having lived a life of faith and faith teaching for almost 40 years this used to stump me. How can hope be deferred if our hope is in Christ and our faith is in Him?

Well while studying faith this week I have come to realize something very important that I believe will help all of us, me included. There isn't a one of us out there who have hoped, prayed and believed for something that didn't happen.

I would say that most of the time we were quick to just say that it must not have been God's will for us. But we know even when we are saying it that it just doesn't ring true in our hearts. But it is the only explanation we have.

We many times are referring to this very scripture below when we come to that conclusion.

1 John 5:14-15 AMP14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

15And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

But we as His children seek to be in His will. I know there are times when a certain job or move is not of Him and when we don't get the job or we make the move and then it doesn't feel right or work out, we know that it was not His will.

But there are so many things in our lives that we can have certainty are His will and when we hope towards them and then they don't happened we are shaken.

We know that on the trip to Calvary Jesus took 39 stripes for our healing. He bought and paid for it there so we would never have to be sick again. Yet here we are struggling with this very thing.

He also became poor and weak so we did not have to be poor and weak. He became sin and took the penalty once and for all for our sin so we would never have to suffer the punishment of sin.

There are certainties in the bible that we know are God's will and yet when we pray, hope and believe, they do not come to pass. We believe that because we did not receive our healing that God did not mean for us to be healed. Or maybe that our healing was not bought and paid for by Christ and that healing is not for everyone, but for God to choose on a case by case basis.

But we must know that is not true. God is no respecter of persons. He loves us equally and would never withhold one universal gift from one of His children while giving it to another.

We have often chalked it up to 'not enough faith'. We've come up with a multitude of reasons and excuses because we refuse to believe that the scriptures we read and studied about faith are wrong.

So where is the disconnect?

I have come to believe that the disconnect is in our concept of faith. I have come to believe that what we many times refer to as faith is really just a belief that something will happen.

Remember as we talked about on Wednesday, faith is a divine gift from God. It is not something we can generate or create on our own. It resides in our inner most being and is just something we know without any definitions or explanations, we just know!

I think what we do so many times is that we build a form of hope for something we want or need to happen, but instead of pouring faith into the form, we pour our own belief into the form.

Hebrews 11:1 KJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

We must pour the supernatural gift of faith into our hope to manifest or materialize what we hope for. If we pour our own mental belief into our hope mistaking it for faith, our hope will be deferred! Our heart will be made sick!

So what must we do then? We must spend time with the Holy Spirit, requesting and receiving His gifts from Him. We must read the Word and allow the Spirit to teach us and bring revelation knowledge to us. We must listen to faith based teaching by credible pastors and teachers. We must share testimonies of faith with our friends, family and co-workers. This is how we grow that seed of divine faith given to us!

And even past experiences can produce faith when you tell them to yourself and to others again and again! When you recite to yourself all that God has done and you 'hear' it again, it builds your faith. Faith comes from the Holy Spirit BY hearing! Our faith will arise in our spirit man in the pit of our soul and that faith will not be denied!

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Once again we need to rethink what we know about this word, this concept. Are you filling your form of hope today with true Holy Spirit faith or are you filling it with your own mental belief?

God has given His only son not only for our spiritual salvation, but for all the gifts a child of God is entitled to. He has even provided the gift of faith to pour into our hope to materialize those gifts here on this earth. But YOU must be the one to engage in a relationship with the Holy Spirit to receive those gifts. 

Luke 11:13 AMP13If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts [a]that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and [b]continue to ask Him!

Invite the Holy Spirit into your life today to teach you, comfort you and grant you His gifts.


This study is a culmination of this week's Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.





Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: Na...

]]> Friday Finale

Episode 2

Friday Finale – Episode 2

Originally written August 19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/19/are-confusing-faith-with-belief/

Are You Confusing Faith With Belief?

Have you ever encountered someone who made a comment similar to: "Their faith was shattered"? Or maybe they said it of themselves, "After that situation, my faith was just shattered".

The problem with these comments is that they are confusing Faith with Belief.

As we learned on Wednesday Word Study – Faith, there is a difference between the two.

Faith is a divine gift from God. It is a DIVINE certainty that something will or will not happen. It is a knowing that cannot be described or touched, but resides deep in our soul, our inner most being. A divine gift from God that cannot be shattered, damaged or destroyed.

 Belief is a confidence that something is a certain way, will or will not happen. It resides in the mind of an individual. It is usually based on previous experiences or training.

 I used to ponder this scripture a lot:


Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Having lived a life of faith and faith teaching for almost 40 years this used to stump me. How can hope be deferred if our hope is in Christ and our faith is in Him?

Well while studying faith this week I have come to realize something very important that I believe will help all of us, me included. There isn't a one of us out there who have hoped, prayed and believed for something that didn't happen.

I would say that most of the time we were quick to just say that it must not have been God's will for us. But we know even when we are saying it that it just doesn't ring true in our hearts. But it is the only explanation we have.

We many times are referring to this very scripture below when we come to that conclusion.

1 John 5:14-15 AMP14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

15And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

But we as His children seek to be in His will. I know there are times when a certain job or move is not of Him and when we don't get the job or we make the move and then it doesn't feel right or work out, we know that it was not His will.

But there are so many things in our lives that we can have certainty are His will and when we hope towards them and then they don't happened we are shaken.

We know that on the trip to Calvary Jesus took 39 stripes for our healing. He bought and paid for it there so we would never have to be sick again. Yet here we are struggling with this very thing.

He also became poor and weak so we did not have to be poor and weak. He became sin and took the penalty once and for all for our sin so we would never have to suffer the punishment of sin.

There are certainties in the bible that we know are God's will and yet when we pray, hope and believe, they do not come to pass. We believe that because we did not receive our healing that God did not mean for us to be healed. Or maybe that our healing was not bought and paid for by Christ and that healing is not for everyone, but for God to choose on a case by case basis.

But we must know that is not true. God is no respecter of persons. He loves us equally and would never withhold one universal gift from one of His children while giving it to another.

We have often chalked it up to 'not enough faith'. We've come up with a multitude of reasons and excuses because we refuse to believe that the scriptures we read and studied about faith are wrong.

So where is the disconnect?

I have come to believe that the disconnect is in our concept of faith. I have come to believe that what we many times refer to as faith is really just a belief that something will happen.

Remember as we talked about on Wednesday, faith is a divine gift from God. It is not something we can generate or create on our own. It resides in our inner most being and is just something we know without any definitions or explanations, we just know!

I think what we do so many times is that we build a form of hope for something we want or need to happen, but instead of pouring faith into the form, we pour our own belief into the form.

Hebrews 11:1 KJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

We must pour the supernatural gift of faith into our hope to manifest or materialize what we hope for. If we pour our own mental belief into our hope mistaking it for faith, our hope will be deferred! Our heart will be made sick!

So what must we do then? We must spend time with the Holy Spirit, requesting and receiving His gifts from Him. We must read the Word and allow the Spirit to teach us and bring revelation knowledge to us. We must listen to faith based teaching by credible pastors and teachers. We must share testimonies of faith with our friends, family and co-workers. This is how we grow that seed of divine faith given to us!

And even past experiences can produce faith when you tell them to yourself and to others again and again! When you recite to yourself all that God has done and you 'hear' it again, it builds your faith. Faith comes from the Holy Spirit BY hearing! Our faith will arise in our spirit man in the pit of our soul and that faith will not be denied!

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Once again we need to rethink what we know about this word, this concept. Are you filling your form of hope today with true Holy Spirit faith or are you filling it with your own mental belief?

God has given His only son not only for our spiritual salvation, but for all the gifts a child of God is entitled to. He has even provided the gift of faith to pour into our hope to materialize those gifts here on this earth. But YOU must be the one to engage in a relationship with the Holy Spirit to receive those gifts. 

Luke 11:13 AMP13If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts [a]that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and [b]continue to ask Him!

Invite the Holy Spirit into your life today to teach you, comfort you and grant you His gifts.


This study is a culmination of this week's Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.





Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: Na...

]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 647 Friday Finale

Episode 2

Friday Finale – Episode 2

Originally written August 19, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/19/are-confusing-faith-with-belief/

Are You Confusing Faith With Belief?

Have you ever encountered someone who made a comment similar to: "Their faith was shattered"? Or maybe they said it of themselves, "After that situation, my faith was just shattered".

The problem with these comments is that they are confusing Faith with Belief.

As we learned on Wednesday Word Study – Faith, there is a difference between the two.

Faith is a divine gift from God. It is a DIVINE certainty that something will or will not happen. It is a knowing that cannot be described or touched, but resides deep in our soul, our inner most being. A divine gift from God that cannot be shattered, damaged or destroyed.

 Belief is a confidence that something is a certain way, will or will not happen. It resides in the mind of an individual. It is usually based on previous experiences or training.

 I used to ponder this scripture a lot:


Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Having lived a life of faith and faith teaching for almost 40 years this used to stump me. How can hope be deferred if our hope is in Christ and our faith is in Him?

Well while studying faith this week I have come to realize something very important that I believe will help all of us, me included. There isn't a one of us out there who have hoped, prayed and believed for something that didn't happen.

I would say that most of the time we were quick to just say that it must not have been God's will for us. But we know even when we are saying it that it just doesn't ring true in our hearts. But it is the only explanation we have.

We many times are referring to this very scripture below when we come to that conclusion.

1 John 5:14-15 AMP14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

15And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

But we as His children seek to be in His will. I know there are times when a certain job or move is not of Him and when we don't get the job or we make the move and then it doesn't feel right or work out, we know that it was not His will.

But there are so many things in our lives that we can have certainty are His will and when we hope towards them and then they don't happened we are shaken.

We know that on the trip to Calvary Jesus took 39 stripes for our healing. He bought and paid for it there so we would never have to be sick again. Yet here we are struggling with this very thing.

He also became poor and weak so we did not have to be poor and weak. He became sin and took the penalty once and for all for our sin so we would never have to suffer the punishment of sin.

There are certainties in the bible that we know are God's will and yet when we pray, hope and believe, they do not come to pass. We believe that because we did not receive our healing that God did not mean for us to be healed. Or maybe that our healing was not bought and paid for by Christ and that healing is not for everyone, but for God to choose on a case by case basis.

But we must know that is not true. God is no respecter of persons. He loves us equally and would never withhold one universal gift from one of His children while giving it to another.

We have often chalked it up to 'not enough faith'. We've come up with a multitude of reasons and excuses because we refuse to believe that the scriptures we read and studied about faith are wrong.

So where is the disconnect?

I have come to believe that the disconnect is in our concept of faith. I have come to believe that what we many times refer to as faith is really just a belief that something will happen.

Remember as we talked about on Wednesday, faith is a divine gift from God. It is not something we can generate or create on our own. It resides in our inner most being and is just something we know without any definitions or explanations, we just know!

I think what we do so many times is that we build a form of hope for something we want or need to happen, but instead of pouring faith into the form, we pour our own belief into the form.

Hebrews 11:1 KJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

We must pour the supernatural gift of faith into our hope to manifest or materialize what we hope for. If we pour our own mental belief into our hope mistaking it for faith, our hope will be deferred! Our heart will be made sick!

So what must we do then? We must spend time with the Holy Spirit, requesting and receiving His gifts from Him. We must read the Word and allow the Spirit to teach us and bring revelation knowledge to us. We must listen to faith based teaching by credible pastors and teachers. We must share testimonies of faith with our friends, family and co-workers. This is how we grow that seed of divine faith given to us!

And even past experiences can produce faith when you tell them to yourself and to others again and again! When you recite to yourself all that God has done and you 'hear' it again, it builds your faith. Faith comes from the Holy Spirit BY hearing! Our faith will arise in our spirit man in the pit of our soul and that faith will not be denied!

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Once again we need to rethink what we know about this word, this concept. Are you filling your form of hope today with true Holy Spirit faith or are you filling it with your own mental belief?

God has given His only son not only for our spiritual salvation, but for all the gifts a child of God is entitled to. He has even provided the gift of faith to pour into our hope to materialize those gifts here on this earth. But YOU must be the one to engage in a relationship with the Holy Spirit to receive those gifts. 

Luke 11:13 AMP13If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts [a]that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and [b]continue to ask Him!

Invite the Holy Spirit into your life today to teach you, comfort you and grant you His gifts.


This study is a culmination of this week's Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.





Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: Na...

]]> No Wednesday Word Study - Faith - Episode 2 1 1 2 2 Wednesday Word Study - Faith - Episode 2 full 15586e24-895e-46b6-9b4e-42d13e76727b https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Wednesday Word Study

Episode 2

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 2

Originally written August 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/17/wednesday-word-study-faith-2/

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].


This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4102 Transliteration: pistisPhonetic Spelling: (pis'-tis)Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.


I love the way this verse reads in the Amplified version. Faith is the assurance, the title deed of the things we hope for.


Once you hold the title deed to something, it is yours! No one can take it away unless you give it to them and sign it over to them.


So, if we hope for our children to come to the Lord, or if we hope for the finances to get out of debt, or if we hope for healing for our bodies, do we also have the faith to fill the hope? Do we have divine assurance that this will happen?


You cannot generate hope by yourself. It must come from God. It is a God given gift; a divine gift.


Romans 12:3 Amplified Bible

3) For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].


There is a difference between belief and faith. You may say you believe something, but the devil himself believes. Belief is something you choose on your own usually based on previous experience. Faith is a gift. Human belief is merely confidence. Faith is a God given assurance in something. Something that probably hasn't even happened yet. Belief is based in the past. Faith is based in the future.


Ephesians 2:8-9 Amplified Bible

8) For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9) not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

When the world says they have faith that their car won't break down, that is simply belief that their car won't break down. From repeated past experiences they believe it will function properly on that day too, and that it won't break down.


Faith is a gift of the Spirit and is divine assurance. So when a believer says they have faith that their car won't break down, it could very well be that they have divine assurance that their car will not break down. They believe because they have read about and know firsthand about God's divine care and protection over His children. They have received the faith for the promise ahead.


Evaluate your faith today. Do you use the word faith when you really mean you believe? Is your belief based on repeat experience and knowledge, or do you really have faith based on divine assurance?


Receive faith from the Holy Spirit today. The faith that can move mountains.



Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.





Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wednesday Word Study

Episode 2

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 2

Originally written August 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/17/wednesday-word-study-faith-2/

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].


This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4102 Transliteration: pistisPhonetic Spelling: (pis'-tis)Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.


I love the way this verse reads in the Amplified version. Faith is the assurance, the title deed of the things we hope for.


Once you hold the title deed to something, it is yours! No one can take it away unless you give it to them and sign it over to them.


So, if we hope for our children to come to the Lord, or if we hope for the finances to get out of debt, or if we hope for healing for our bodies, do we also have the faith to fill the hope? Do we have divine assurance that this will happen?


You cannot generate hope by yourself. It must come from God. It is a God given gift; a divine gift.


Romans 12:3 Amplified Bible

3) For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].


There is a difference between belief and faith. You may say you believe something, but the devil himself believes. Belief is something you choose on your own usually based on previous experience. Faith is a gift. Human belief is merely confidence. Faith is a God given assurance in something. Something that probably hasn't even happened yet. Belief is based in the past. Faith is based in the future.


Ephesians 2:8-9 Amplified Bible

8) For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9) not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

When the world says they have faith that their car won't break down, that is simply belief that their car won't break down. From repeated past experiences they believe it will function properly on that day too, and that it won't break down.


Faith is a gift of the Spirit and is divine assurance. So when a believer says they have faith that their car won't break down, it could very well be that they have divine assurance that their car will not break down. They believe because they have read about and know firsthand about God's divine care and protection over His children. They have received the faith for the promise ahead.


Evaluate your faith today. Do you use the word faith when you really mean you believe? Is your belief based on repeat experience and knowledge, or do you really have faith based on divine assurance?


Receive faith from the Holy Spirit today. The faith that can move mountains.



Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.





Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 352 Wednesday Word Study

Episode 2

Wednesday Word Study – Episode 2

Originally written August 17, 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/17/wednesday-word-study-faith-2/

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].


This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4102 Transliteration: pistisPhonetic Spelling: (pis'-tis)Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.


I love the way this verse reads in the Amplified version. Faith is the assurance, the title deed of the things we hope for.


Once you hold the title deed to something, it is yours! No one can take it away unless you give it to them and sign it over to them.


So, if we hope for our children to come to the Lord, or if we hope for the finances to get out of debt, or if we hope for healing for our bodies, do we also have the faith to fill the hope? Do we have divine assurance that this will happen?


You cannot generate hope by yourself. It must come from God. It is a God given gift; a divine gift.


Romans 12:3 Amplified Bible

3) For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].


There is a difference between belief and faith. You may say you believe something, but the devil himself believes. Belief is something you choose on your own usually based on previous experience. Faith is a gift. Human belief is merely confidence. Faith is a God given assurance in something. Something that probably hasn't even happened yet. Belief is based in the past. Faith is based in the future.


Ephesians 2:8-9 Amplified Bible

8) For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9) not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

When the world says they have faith that their car won't break down, that is simply belief that their car won't break down. From repeated past experiences they believe it will function properly on that day too, and that it won't break down.


Faith is a gift of the Spirit and is divine assurance. So when a believer says they have faith that their car won't break down, it could very well be that they have divine assurance that their car will not break down. They believe because they have read about and know firsthand about God's divine care and protection over His children. They have received the faith for the promise ahead.


Evaluate your faith today. Do you use the word faith when you really mean you believe? Is your belief based on repeat experience and knowledge, or do you really have faith based on divine assurance?


Receive faith from the Holy Spirit today. The faith that can move mountains.



Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.





Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Monday Meditation - Hebrews 11:1 - Episode 2 1 1 2 2 Monday Meditation - Hebrews 11:1 - Episode 2 full c38d33b1-badb-4fbc-8fc3-85a986e756fe https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Monday Meditations

Episode 2

Originally written August 15, 2011

Monday Meditation – Episode 2

Originally written August 15 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/15/monday-meditations-hebrews-111/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Hebrews 11:1 KJ

I Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This verse is the definition of faith! What is faith? Well if you will picture this with me…

You want to build a patio so you get some boards and you begin to build a form with those boards the size of the patio you want to build. You could say that the form is the hope of a patio.

Then you get your concrete and it begins to pour into the form and takes the shape of the form. The concrete is the substance of the patio.

You could take that little analogy and read it into the verse this way:

Now concrete is the substance of the patio hoped for, and the evidence of the patio before it was seen.

What is it today that you hope for? Begin to see what it is and what it will be. That is hope. Then as you walk with God allow Him to 'fill-in' your form of hope until you have what you were seeing as you hoped!


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!




Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Monday Meditations

Episode 2

Originally written August 15, 2011

Monday Meditation – Episode 2

Originally written August 15 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/15/monday-meditations-hebrews-111/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Hebrews 11:1 KJ

I Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This verse is the definition of faith! What is faith? Well if you will picture this with me…

You want to build a patio so you get some boards and you begin to build a form with those boards the size of the patio you want to build. You could say that the form is the hope of a patio.

Then you get your concrete and it begins to pour into the form and takes the shape of the form. The concrete is the substance of the patio.

You could take that little analogy and read it into the verse this way:

Now concrete is the substance of the patio hoped for, and the evidence of the patio before it was seen.

What is it today that you hope for? Begin to see what it is and what it will be. That is hope. Then as you walk with God allow Him to 'fill-in' your form of hope until you have what you were seeing as you hoped!


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!




Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Mon, 08 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 168 Monday Meditations

Episode 2

Originally written August 15, 2011

Monday Meditation – Episode 2

Originally written August 15 2011 posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/08/15/monday-meditations-hebrews-111/

Today's Meditation Verse:

Hebrews 11:1 KJ

I Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This verse is the definition of faith! What is faith? Well if you will picture this with me…

You want to build a patio so you get some boards and you begin to build a form with those boards the size of the patio you want to build. You could say that the form is the hope of a patio.

Then you get your concrete and it begins to pour into the form and takes the shape of the form. The concrete is the substance of the patio.

You could take that little analogy and read it into the verse this way:

Now concrete is the substance of the patio hoped for, and the evidence of the patio before it was seen.

What is it today that you hope for? Begin to see what it is and what it will be. That is hope. Then as you walk with God allow Him to 'fill-in' your form of hope until you have what you were seeing as you hoped!


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!




Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Deception Can Keep You Stuck | Archive Story - Episode 14 1 1 14 14 Deception Can Keep You Stuck | Archive Story - Episode 14 full a56d7ef2-5de9-4147-a09e-89d2460313de https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Deception Can Keep You Stuck

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Deception, by its very nature, operates undetected until it has done so much damage that it is difficult to break free from. By the time deception is uncovered, it has changed a life to become so dependent on the lie that the spirit of pride will hold the person solidly bound to the deception.

It creeps in like a tiny water leak in a home. A small bit of water constantly dripping or pooling can cause catastrophic damage that is not noticeable until the damage is done and massive repairs are required.

If you had the thought bubble up inside of you just now, "Thank goodness I'm not deceived." or the thought that, "This article on deception is for someone else, not me." then you are exactly who I am writing this article for.

Humility

There is only one way to ward off deception, and that is a constant push toward humility - daily - even hourly. Then, having the courage to admit when you've been wrong.

Having the strength and courage to admit when you are wrong is a character strength at the top of the maturity spectrum. Closing yourself off to learning because it might reveal that you were wrong in an area is one of the most dangerous things a person can do.

If deception is so hard to reveal, how does one self evaluate? And let me clarify here, I believe a person can be fully in love with the Lord and still have pockets of deception in their lives and belief systems. If you believe something and later realize that it was a wrong idea or thought, you were deceived into believing for a time that it was right. These few ideas may help you to self evaluate.

Criticism

Criticism is a key indicator that a person is suffering from deception. If you experience a hot button or a trigger that sends you into rabid critic mode internally or externally, there may be deception there. Ask yourself, why does a particular topic set me off? Why does it anger me so?

I'm not saying we should never be angry. But, we should be angry less than we are. Get angry over injustices done to others. Get angry over hurting and helpless people. Get angry over a lack of love. Get angry over outright evil.

Don't get angry over someone believing something different than you. Don't get angry over a simple irritation someone has caused you. Don't get angry over an idiotic action someone does.


God Gave Us All a Free Will

God himself has given us all a free will. It is so sacred to him that even he won't violate it. Yet we feel we have the right to govern what others think, feel, do, and say.

Anger which sparks criticism, solves nothing. It has sparked wars, hurt, and pain to others. But a clear head with an honest conversation can build bridges. We might even learn something from it.

Ask yourself why do you get so angry when someone posts a comment or says something different from what you believe? Can you not reason that maybe they just do not know the truth and give them some grace and compassion? Can you not reach out to them in an effort to begin a calm conversation that may build a bridge where you can eventually share why you believe the way you do?

What Is Your Trigger?

If you have a trigger when a certain topic is raised, my guess is that there is a lack of security there regarding what you believe, and you do not have a calm confidence about it.

Why does it make you so angry that a person does not believe the way you do? Jesus loved us all while we were so wrong and so deceived. Yet we cannot stay calm and do the same.

If you build a calm bridge where the person with the different beliefs feels safe to have a dialog, you have cultivated soil where seeds of faith can be subtly planted. And you might learn something if you can open your mind and ask the Lord to teach you as well.

Do Not Fear Different Ideas

Fear of different ideas is another one. If you are confident in what you believe, then there is no harm in hearing an opposing side or a new idea. If that idea is wrong, the Lord will confirm that in you. But, if you honestly want to learn, he may show you that some of this new information is, in fact, true. Keep an open mind in Christ.

If we close off our minds and hearts to learning about other thoughts, and ideas, then we may just have closed ourselves off to information that will make us more full in our understanding of kingdom things.

For decades I have consumed so much information regarding the bible, the kingdom of God, spiritual and natural things that I think sometimes my head will pop. I am a compulsive knowledge gatherer.

Ask The Lord For More

Often in my life I have reached spiritual plateaus and after a while I felt discontent. Always, I seek the Lord to show me more, teach me more. He has never failed to do that after my persistent asking. However, the avenue was not always what I expected.

A book or writing will cross my path from someone I've never heard of or is completely out of the realm of doctrinal belief I adhered to. If I felt intrigued, I would pursue it by asking the Lord to show me and teach me. What, if anything, do I keep, and what do I discard?

Expand Your Horizons

God's wealth of knowledge is not strictly contained in one denomination or doctrinal belief. There are gems and treasures sometimes amid the thorns. Have an open mind and trust the Lord to help you gather the good while discarding the rest.

We cannot do this though if we are fearful of any thought outside of those that have been selectively spoon-fed to us daily.

I Don't Like Spiritual Labels or Categories

I supposed you could dump me in the category of being a Charismatic or non-denominational. But, I don't like that and I don't really identify with that. We should not label ourselves with denominational tags. And yes, non-denominational is a tag. We are all called to be in the unified body of Christ if we call Jesus Lord.

Because I have had such a heart to learn more from God, I've discovered teachers and writers in some denominations that I would have never considered viable. Yet, when listening to them or reading from their texts, the Lord would show me something new that the narrow world I had been in had excluded.

Do You Feel Stuck?

Being stuck. We've all been stuck in our lives. Sometimes we are stuck because deception, or believing a lie, has painted us into a corner. Our prideful refusal to admit we believed a lie keeps us stuck.

This can happen in all areas of our lives, not just in things of the kingdom of God. It can happen in our families, our jobs, our emotions, and actually every area of our lives.

This being stuck in a spiritual sense reeks of unanswered prayers, irritability with other Christians, discontent with church, lack of desire to read the bible, just to name a few.

Don't Stay Stuck

If you are feeling stuck spiritually and have experienced even one of these symptoms, ask God sincerely to show you the lie you believed or the deception that has crept up on you. Then courageously take steps to learn the truth.

You should ask God to show you. Ask him to send people into your life who know the truth in that area. Ask him to bring books, videos, podcasts, and essays across your path and for him to show you the gems midst the thorns.

Don't Fear Further Deception

Don't fear they will further deceive you. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. You can trust him if you are determined to listen closely to him.

I don't know it all and suspect I ne...

]]> Deception Can Keep You Stuck

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Deception, by its very nature, operates undetected until it has done so much damage that it is difficult to break free from. By the time deception is uncovered, it has changed a life to become so dependent on the lie that the spirit of pride will hold the person solidly bound to the deception.

It creeps in like a tiny water leak in a home. A small bit of water constantly dripping or pooling can cause catastrophic damage that is not noticeable until the damage is done and massive repairs are required.

If you had the thought bubble up inside of you just now, "Thank goodness I'm not deceived." or the thought that, "This article on deception is for someone else, not me." then you are exactly who I am writing this article for.

Humility

There is only one way to ward off deception, and that is a constant push toward humility - daily - even hourly. Then, having the courage to admit when you've been wrong.

Having the strength and courage to admit when you are wrong is a character strength at the top of the maturity spectrum. Closing yourself off to learning because it might reveal that you were wrong in an area is one of the most dangerous things a person can do.

If deception is so hard to reveal, how does one self evaluate? And let me clarify here, I believe a person can be fully in love with the Lord and still have pockets of deception in their lives and belief systems. If you believe something and later realize that it was a wrong idea or thought, you were deceived into believing for a time that it was right. These few ideas may help you to self evaluate.

Criticism

Criticism is a key indicator that a person is suffering from deception. If you experience a hot button or a trigger that sends you into rabid critic mode internally or externally, there may be deception there. Ask yourself, why does a particular topic set me off? Why does it anger me so?

I'm not saying we should never be angry. But, we should be angry less than we are. Get angry over injustices done to others. Get angry over hurting and helpless people. Get angry over a lack of love. Get angry over outright evil.

Don't get angry over someone believing something different than you. Don't get angry over a simple irritation someone has caused you. Don't get angry over an idiotic action someone does.


God Gave Us All a Free Will

God himself has given us all a free will. It is so sacred to him that even he won't violate it. Yet we feel we have the right to govern what others think, feel, do, and say.

Anger which sparks criticism, solves nothing. It has sparked wars, hurt, and pain to others. But a clear head with an honest conversation can build bridges. We might even learn something from it.

Ask yourself why do you get so angry when someone posts a comment or says something different from what you believe? Can you not reason that maybe they just do not know the truth and give them some grace and compassion? Can you not reach out to them in an effort to begin a calm conversation that may build a bridge where you can eventually share why you believe the way you do?

What Is Your Trigger?

If you have a trigger when a certain topic is raised, my guess is that there is a lack of security there regarding what you believe, and you do not have a calm confidence about it.

Why does it make you so angry that a person does not believe the way you do? Jesus loved us all while we were so wrong and so deceived. Yet we cannot stay calm and do the same.

If you build a calm bridge where the person with the different beliefs feels safe to have a dialog, you have cultivated soil where seeds of faith can be subtly planted. And you might learn something if you can open your mind and ask the Lord to teach you as well.

Do Not Fear Different Ideas

Fear of different ideas is another one. If you are confident in what you believe, then there is no harm in hearing an opposing side or a new idea. If that idea is wrong, the Lord will confirm that in you. But, if you honestly want to learn, he may show you that some of this new information is, in fact, true. Keep an open mind in Christ.

If we close off our minds and hearts to learning about other thoughts, and ideas, then we may just have closed ourselves off to information that will make us more full in our understanding of kingdom things.

For decades I have consumed so much information regarding the bible, the kingdom of God, spiritual and natural things that I think sometimes my head will pop. I am a compulsive knowledge gatherer.

Ask The Lord For More

Often in my life I have reached spiritual plateaus and after a while I felt discontent. Always, I seek the Lord to show me more, teach me more. He has never failed to do that after my persistent asking. However, the avenue was not always what I expected.

A book or writing will cross my path from someone I've never heard of or is completely out of the realm of doctrinal belief I adhered to. If I felt intrigued, I would pursue it by asking the Lord to show me and teach me. What, if anything, do I keep, and what do I discard?

Expand Your Horizons

God's wealth of knowledge is not strictly contained in one denomination or doctrinal belief. There are gems and treasures sometimes amid the thorns. Have an open mind and trust the Lord to help you gather the good while discarding the rest.

We cannot do this though if we are fearful of any thought outside of those that have been selectively spoon-fed to us daily.

I Don't Like Spiritual Labels or Categories

I supposed you could dump me in the category of being a Charismatic or non-denominational. But, I don't like that and I don't really identify with that. We should not label ourselves with denominational tags. And yes, non-denominational is a tag. We are all called to be in the unified body of Christ if we call Jesus Lord.

Because I have had such a heart to learn more from God, I've discovered teachers and writers in some denominations that I would have never considered viable. Yet, when listening to them or reading from their texts, the Lord would show me something new that the narrow world I had been in had excluded.

Do You Feel Stuck?

Being stuck. We've all been stuck in our lives. Sometimes we are stuck because deception, or believing a lie, has painted us into a corner. Our prideful refusal to admit we believed a lie keeps us stuck.

This can happen in all areas of our lives, not just in things of the kingdom of God. It can happen in our families, our jobs, our emotions, and actually every area of our lives.

This being stuck in a spiritual sense reeks of unanswered prayers, irritability with other Christians, discontent with church, lack of desire to read the bible, just to name a few.

Don't Stay Stuck

If you are feeling stuck spiritually and have experienced even one of these symptoms, ask God sincerely to show you the lie you believed or the deception that has crept up on you. Then courageously take steps to learn the truth.

You should ask God to show you. Ask him to send people into your life who know the truth in that area. Ask him to bring books, videos, podcasts, and essays across your path and for him to show you the gems midst the thorns.

Don't Fear Further Deception

Don't fear they will further deceive you. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. You can trust him if you are determined to listen closely to him.

I don't know it all and suspect I ne...

]]> Sun, 07 Jun 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 731 Deception Can Keep You Stuck

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Deception, by its very nature, operates undetected until it has done so much damage that it is difficult to break free from. By the time deception is uncovered, it has changed a life to become so dependent on the lie that the spirit of pride will hold the person solidly bound to the deception.

It creeps in like a tiny water leak in a home. A small bit of water constantly dripping or pooling can cause catastrophic damage that is not noticeable until the damage is done and massive repairs are required.

If you had the thought bubble up inside of you just now, "Thank goodness I'm not deceived." or the thought that, "This article on deception is for someone else, not me." then you are exactly who I am writing this article for.

Humility

There is only one way to ward off deception, and that is a constant push toward humility - daily - even hourly. Then, having the courage to admit when you've been wrong.

Having the strength and courage to admit when you are wrong is a character strength at the top of the maturity spectrum. Closing yourself off to learning because it might reveal that you were wrong in an area is one of the most dangerous things a person can do.

If deception is so hard to reveal, how does one self evaluate? And let me clarify here, I believe a person can be fully in love with the Lord and still have pockets of deception in their lives and belief systems. If you believe something and later realize that it was a wrong idea or thought, you were deceived into believing for a time that it was right. These few ideas may help you to self evaluate.

Criticism

Criticism is a key indicator that a person is suffering from deception. If you experience a hot button or a trigger that sends you into rabid critic mode internally or externally, there may be deception there. Ask yourself, why does a particular topic set me off? Why does it anger me so?

I'm not saying we should never be angry. But, we should be angry less than we are. Get angry over injustices done to others. Get angry over hurting and helpless people. Get angry over a lack of love. Get angry over outright evil.

Don't get angry over someone believing something different than you. Don't get angry over a simple irritation someone has caused you. Don't get angry over an idiotic action someone does.


God Gave Us All a Free Will

God himself has given us all a free will. It is so sacred to him that even he won't violate it. Yet we feel we have the right to govern what others think, feel, do, and say.

Anger which sparks criticism, solves nothing. It has sparked wars, hurt, and pain to others. But a clear head with an honest conversation can build bridges. We might even learn something from it.

Ask yourself why do you get so angry when someone posts a comment or says something different from what you believe? Can you not reason that maybe they just do not know the truth and give them some grace and compassion? Can you not reach out to them in an effort to begin a calm conversation that may build a bridge where you can eventually share why you believe the way you do?

What Is Your Trigger?

If you have a trigger when a certain topic is raised, my guess is that there is a lack of security there regarding what you believe, and you do not have a calm confidence about it.

Why does it make you so angry that a person does not believe the way you do? Jesus loved us all while we were so wrong and so deceived. Yet we cannot stay calm and do the same.

If you build a calm bridge where the person with the different beliefs feels safe to have a dialog, you have cultivated soil where seeds of faith can be subtly planted. And you might learn something if you can open your mind and ask the Lord to teach you as well.

Do Not Fear Different Ideas

Fear of different ideas is another one. If you are confident in what you believe, then there is no harm in hearing an opposing side or a new idea. If that idea is wrong, the Lord will confirm that in you. But, if you honestly want to learn, he may show you that some of this new information is, in fact, true. Keep an open mind in Christ.

If we close off our minds and hearts to learning about other thoughts, and ideas, then we may just have closed ourselves off to information that will make us more full in our understanding of kingdom things.

For decades I have consumed so much information regarding the bible, the kingdom of God, spiritual and natural things that I think sometimes my head will pop. I am a compulsive knowledge gatherer.

Ask The Lord For More

Often in my life I have reached spiritual plateaus and after a while I felt discontent. Always, I seek the Lord to show me more, teach me more. He has never failed to do that after my persistent asking. However, the avenue was not always what I expected.

A book or writing will cross my path from someone I've never heard of or is completely out of the realm of doctrinal belief I adhered to. If I felt intrigued, I would pursue it by asking the Lord to show me and teach me. What, if anything, do I keep, and what do I discard?

Expand Your Horizons

God's wealth of knowledge is not strictly contained in one denomination or doctrinal belief. There are gems and treasures sometimes amid the thorns. Have an open mind and trust the Lord to help you gather the good while discarding the rest.

We cannot do this though if we are fearful of any thought outside of those that have been selectively spoon-fed to us daily.

I Don't Like Spiritual Labels or Categories

I supposed you could dump me in the category of being a Charismatic or non-denominational. But, I don't like that and I don't really identify with that. We should not label ourselves with denominational tags. And yes, non-denominational is a tag. We are all called to be in the unified body of Christ if we call Jesus Lord.

Because I have had such a heart to learn more from God, I've discovered teachers and writers in some denominations that I would have never considered viable. Yet, when listening to them or reading from their texts, the Lord would show me something new that the narrow world I had been in had excluded.

Do You Feel Stuck?

Being stuck. We've all been stuck in our lives. Sometimes we are stuck because deception, or believing a lie, has painted us into a corner. Our prideful refusal to admit we believed a lie keeps us stuck.

This can happen in all areas of our lives, not just in things of the kingdom of God. It can happen in our families, our jobs, our emotions, and actually every area of our lives.

This being stuck in a spiritual sense reeks of unanswered prayers, irritability with other Christians, discontent with church, lack of desire to read the bible, just to name a few.

Don't Stay Stuck

If you are feeling stuck spiritually and have experienced even one of these symptoms, ask God sincerely to show you the lie you believed or the deception that has crept up on you. Then courageously take steps to learn the truth.

You should ask God to show you. Ask him to send people into your life who know the truth in that area. Ask him to bring books, videos, podcasts, and essays across your path and for him to show you the gems midst the thorns.

Don't Fear Further Deception

Don't fear they will further deceive you. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. You can trust him if you are determined to listen closely to him.

I don't know it all and suspect I ne...

]]> No Another Daddy Miracle | Miracle Story - Episode 14 1 1 14 14 Another Daddy Miracle | Miracle Story - Episode 14 full d7427377-e310-4c2e-8b5e-dcc1b740ff1b https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Another Daddy Miracle

One of the most profound miracles I've ever experienced is once again about my dad. Actually, there are several miracles that I will write about. This one has to do with his heart.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Bad News

The actual dates of some of these early miracles are not recorded and I am placing them in time, regarding what was going on in my life at the time, where I lived and how old my children were.

When we still lived in Binger and my children were small, I got a call one night from my mom. She was very upset. She and my dad had gone to the doctor for him to have a checkup. The heart doctor, Dr. Jean Pitt, who was a world renown heart surgeon at the time, had my father do a treadmill test. Almost as soon as the test began, Dr. Pitt urgently had the treadmill stop. The test was indicating critical issues.

An Opportunity for a Miracle

From there, they took him to the imaging lab to get pictures of what they assumed were blockages. Sure enough, he had one severe blockage that was nearly a complete blockage, which would require open heart surgery.

Even though I don't remember the exact date, I know it was in the early 1980s. Medicine has come a long way from where it was forty years ago. Dad went immediately into the hospital and Dr. Pitt scheduled surgery for first thing the next morning. The need for surgery was so dire for my father that she pushed all others to get him in.

Went For Prayer

My mom was scared and very upset. It just so happened it was on a Wednesday night. At the time both mom and I were attending a small spirit-filled church in Lookeba. But, on Wednesday nights at the time, we met in Binger for a bible study and prayer time. She was going to go to the bible study that night and ask for prayer. I couldn't go that night, but agreed to stay home and pray.

The next morning around mid-morning. My mother called me to relay an incredible miracle to me.

Sometimes We Don't Know Why

Early that morning, Dr. Pitt had walked into my father's room. She said she didn't know why, but she felt an overwhelming urge to take him back into imaging and take more pics of his heart. This was something she never did, especially once a person was scheduled and ready for surgery. However, she just couldn't shake the feeling that she really needed to do this.

So, my father was taken back to imaging and they put him through once more. The images on the screen shocked Dr. Pitt. Where the huge blockage had been in my father's artery, there was a new artery that started before the blockage and went around and connected back after the blockage.


Proof Before Her Eyes

She had both images side by side and just couldn't believe what she was seeing, but the proof was in the images. It was such an incredible miracle that she wrote the entire case up and published it in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Instead of doing surgery, she sent my father home.

God is so amazing and creative and we rarely know why he does what he does in the way he does it. He could have dissolved the blockage, but he chose to create an entirely new artery around the blockage.

What If

What if we had not prayed? What if we had not believed for a miracle? The scripture comes to mind…

James 4:2-3

2.You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

You do not have because you do not ask. How often could we have had a miracle, but we did not ask because we did not believe?

Ask In Faith Believing

Have there been times I believed for a miracle and asked yet did not receive? Yes, just as all of us have. But, I would rather believe and ask, hoping I would receive one than to not ask and never get one.

I take a chance every single time that I will ask and receive because I know that if I do not ask at all, then the miracle may not come.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/miracle


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here


Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Another Daddy Miracle

One of the most profound miracles I've ever experienced is once again about my dad. Actually, there are several miracles that I will write about. This one has to do with his heart.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Bad News

The actual dates of some of these early miracles are not recorded and I am placing them in time, regarding what was going on in my life at the time, where I lived and how old my children were.

When we still lived in Binger and my children were small, I got a call one night from my mom. She was very upset. She and my dad had gone to the doctor for him to have a checkup. The heart doctor, Dr. Jean Pitt, who was a world renown heart surgeon at the time, had my father do a treadmill test. Almost as soon as the test began, Dr. Pitt urgently had the treadmill stop. The test was indicating critical issues.

An Opportunity for a Miracle

From there, they took him to the imaging lab to get pictures of what they assumed were blockages. Sure enough, he had one severe blockage that was nearly a complete blockage, which would require open heart surgery.

Even though I don't remember the exact date, I know it was in the early 1980s. Medicine has come a long way from where it was forty years ago. Dad went immediately into the hospital and Dr. Pitt scheduled surgery for first thing the next morning. The need for surgery was so dire for my father that she pushed all others to get him in.

Went For Prayer

My mom was scared and very upset. It just so happened it was on a Wednesday night. At the time both mom and I were attending a small spirit-filled church in Lookeba. But, on Wednesday nights at the time, we met in Binger for a bible study and prayer time. She was going to go to the bible study that night and ask for prayer. I couldn't go that night, but agreed to stay home and pray.

The next morning around mid-morning. My mother called me to relay an incredible miracle to me.

Sometimes We Don't Know Why

Early that morning, Dr. Pitt had walked into my father's room. She said she didn't know why, but she felt an overwhelming urge to take him back into imaging and take more pics of his heart. This was something she never did, especially once a person was scheduled and ready for surgery. However, she just couldn't shake the feeling that she really needed to do this.

So, my father was taken back to imaging and they put him through once more. The images on the screen shocked Dr. Pitt. Where the huge blockage had been in my father's artery, there was a new artery that started before the blockage and went around and connected back after the blockage.


Proof Before Her Eyes

She had both images side by side and just couldn't believe what she was seeing, but the proof was in the images. It was such an incredible miracle that she wrote the entire case up and published it in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Instead of doing surgery, she sent my father home.

God is so amazing and creative and we rarely know why he does what he does in the way he does it. He could have dissolved the blockage, but he chose to create an entirely new artery around the blockage.

What If

What if we had not prayed? What if we had not believed for a miracle? The scripture comes to mind…

James 4:2-3

2.You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

You do not have because you do not ask. How often could we have had a miracle, but we did not ask because we did not believe?

Ask In Faith Believing

Have there been times I believed for a miracle and asked yet did not receive? Yes, just as all of us have. But, I would rather believe and ask, hoping I would receive one than to not ask and never get one.

I take a chance every single time that I will ask and receive because I know that if I do not ask at all, then the miracle may not come.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/miracle


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here


Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 307 Another Daddy Miracle

One of the most profound miracles I've ever experienced is once again about my dad. Actually, there are several miracles that I will write about. This one has to do with his heart.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Bad News

The actual dates of some of these early miracles are not recorded and I am placing them in time, regarding what was going on in my life at the time, where I lived and how old my children were.

When we still lived in Binger and my children were small, I got a call one night from my mom. She was very upset. She and my dad had gone to the doctor for him to have a checkup. The heart doctor, Dr. Jean Pitt, who was a world renown heart surgeon at the time, had my father do a treadmill test. Almost as soon as the test began, Dr. Pitt urgently had the treadmill stop. The test was indicating critical issues.

An Opportunity for a Miracle

From there, they took him to the imaging lab to get pictures of what they assumed were blockages. Sure enough, he had one severe blockage that was nearly a complete blockage, which would require open heart surgery.

Even though I don't remember the exact date, I know it was in the early 1980s. Medicine has come a long way from where it was forty years ago. Dad went immediately into the hospital and Dr. Pitt scheduled surgery for first thing the next morning. The need for surgery was so dire for my father that she pushed all others to get him in.

Went For Prayer

My mom was scared and very upset. It just so happened it was on a Wednesday night. At the time both mom and I were attending a small spirit-filled church in Lookeba. But, on Wednesday nights at the time, we met in Binger for a bible study and prayer time. She was going to go to the bible study that night and ask for prayer. I couldn't go that night, but agreed to stay home and pray.

The next morning around mid-morning. My mother called me to relay an incredible miracle to me.

Sometimes We Don't Know Why

Early that morning, Dr. Pitt had walked into my father's room. She said she didn't know why, but she felt an overwhelming urge to take him back into imaging and take more pics of his heart. This was something she never did, especially once a person was scheduled and ready for surgery. However, she just couldn't shake the feeling that she really needed to do this.

So, my father was taken back to imaging and they put him through once more. The images on the screen shocked Dr. Pitt. Where the huge blockage had been in my father's artery, there was a new artery that started before the blockage and went around and connected back after the blockage.


Proof Before Her Eyes

She had both images side by side and just couldn't believe what she was seeing, but the proof was in the images. It was such an incredible miracle that she wrote the entire case up and published it in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Instead of doing surgery, she sent my father home.

God is so amazing and creative and we rarely know why he does what he does in the way he does it. He could have dissolved the blockage, but he chose to create an entirely new artery around the blockage.

What If

What if we had not prayed? What if we had not believed for a miracle? The scripture comes to mind…

James 4:2-3

2.You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

You do not have because you do not ask. How often could we have had a miracle, but we did not ask because we did not believe?

Ask In Faith Believing

Have there been times I believed for a miracle and asked yet did not receive? Yes, just as all of us have. But, I would rather believe and ask, hoping I would receive one than to not ask and never get one.

I take a chance every single time that I will ask and receive because I know that if I do not ask at all, then the miracle may not come.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/miracle


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here


Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

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]]> No Friday Finale - RU Being Driven or Led? - Episode 1 1 1 1 1 Friday Finale - RU Being Driven or Led? - Episode 1 full 49b953e0-cca3-481d-88af-a1ff411abe58 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Are You Driven or Led?

Friday Finally - Episode 1

Why do you do what you do? Is it a thought or a feeling? Is it a rule or a law?

I've been trying to stress home the idea of living a life of being led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not by any other thought, feeling or idea.

When I was much younger attending church, one of the first theological words I heard was conviction. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something? When you did that wrong thing, did you feel conviction?

But not until the last several years has the Lord begun to specifically define and show me what that word conviction really feels like. And how the Holy Spirit truly leads us in our lives.

One definition of the word conviction is referring to when Paul is preaching and it states that he preached with conviction, or forcefulness. 

There are actually two Greeks words for conviction in the context that I am referring to and not what I expected to find. You may find a full word study on the word conviction on Monday Meditation - Conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Hmmm, the scripture, not the Holy Spirit, is for correction. Just like a textbook not the teacher.

I don't think I would get any argument if I made the statement that this is a harsh world. A world where we are introduced to pain and suffering at a very young age. There are mean people in this world doing mean things.

Even our own parents, as much as they loved us, didn't always discipline and correct us in the way that was appropriate. I know as a parent myself, I can look back and see that sometimes I did whatever it took to get them to do what I wanted or needed them to do.

If I had to spank them, I would. If I had to ground them, I would. If I had to yell and scream, I would. If I had to place guilt on them, I would.

But I'll be the first to admit, I was not a perfect parent. In fact, I was far from it. But our Father God is a perfect parent and doesn't parent at all the way we do. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide here on this earth and a perfect and gentle teacher, always leading us, not pushing us.

But since all that we know is the parenting we have experienced here on this earth we automatically associate it to our Father God.

So when we hear from the pulpit that the Holy Spirit will convict us, our minds go to something difficult and highly unpleasant. We usually associate it with feeling guilty.

As we grow older in the Lord we don't sever that feeling of guilt from true conviction.

Let me give you some examples:

You go to church every Sunday because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You give offerings because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You try to 'be good' because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

Are you starting to think now? Look back at the feelings that you have and the thoughts that you have had in these instances.

As I began to ponder this myself, I really wanted to know what it was that was motivating me to do the things I did. I wanted a clean heart and a clear conscience and I wanted to do things from the leading of the Holy Spirit and for no other reason.

Then the Lord began to teach me about conviction versus guilt. Guilt and condemnation come from the enemy. So Father God would never use the emotion of guilt to correct us or to move us. So the very first thing I had to do was to learn to resist guilt. The moment a thought or feeling of guilt would enter my mind, I would take it captive and reject it. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,

So then what and how does the Holy Spirit lead? Picture these two examples:

In one you are held at knife point and are poked and prodded to move forward against your will while feeling dread and remorse. But you move because the sharp point of the guilt-knife hurts!

In the second, you are a sweet young puppy and you have a safe and comfortable harness on. You have a leash attached to the chest portion of the harness. You feel a slight tug from the leash, just below the center of your chest. It is a gentle tug, one that could easily be missed if you weren't paying attention and there is a gentle loving voice urging you to come. But when you do recognize it, you get up and move forward, at your own pace being led in the correct direction.

We must practice to learn to silence guilt from the enemy and listen with a slightly turned ear to the voice of Holy Spirit, to learn to feel that tug in the center of our being.

Psalms 46:10 AMP "Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth."

You have also read the version where it says, Be still and know that I am God. I love this because sometimes we are striving to obey the voice of guilt in our lives so much that we cannot hear God and know His true heart for us.

How does the enemy feed guilt into our lives? By thoughts and words. They may enter our minds through the words of other people telling us that we have not done enough or are not good enough or are failing in some way.

In an another post I wrote called Christian Clones, I spoke about self-help books that take the plan God gave individuals for their life, and decided it was the plan for everyone. That is another way that guilt enters our minds. 

We try to follow a diet or weight loss plan and it doesn't work for us. We try to manage our money the way the book says to do and we can't do it that way. So we feel guilty that we were not able to be successful at this and are then overridden with guilt and condemnation.

If we do something we perceive as wrong we feel guilt. That is not from the Holy Spirit. We as a people are conditioned to respond to guilt, especially when we've been taught that it is conviction from the Holy Spirit.

Also, when we do read the Word for true instruction, if we read about things we have done wrong in the past or are still struggling with, the enemy is quick to bring guilt! He will tell you what a bad person or Christian you are and that God will abandon you and not love you anymore because you've not done what He asked of you in the Word. And we interpret this as conviction from the Holy Spirit!

But we must, absolutely must read the Word as much as we can. It is the Word that convicts us while we are reading it. When we see something in there that corrects us, we should then make a point of changing our behavior to make that correction. If we do not spend time in the Word, we will not be able to know what Holy Spirit wants us to change.

Therefore when we are going through our daily lives the Word isn't abiding in us and it is more difficult to discern the Holy Spirt leading us. The Word is the plan, the road map that Holy Spirit uses to lead and guide us. It is imperative that we have read it and have it in us.

Remember, that feeling of guilt is of the enemy! The Holy Spirit is a loving and leading entity not a pushing and prodding entity. Immediately reject the guilt, be still and listen for the soothing loving voice of the Father to lead you forward in the right d...

]]> Are You Driven or Led?

Friday Finally - Episode 1

Why do you do what you do? Is it a thought or a feeling? Is it a rule or a law?

I've been trying to stress home the idea of living a life of being led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not by any other thought, feeling or idea.

When I was much younger attending church, one of the first theological words I heard was conviction. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something? When you did that wrong thing, did you feel conviction?

But not until the last several years has the Lord begun to specifically define and show me what that word conviction really feels like. And how the Holy Spirit truly leads us in our lives.

One definition of the word conviction is referring to when Paul is preaching and it states that he preached with conviction, or forcefulness. 

There are actually two Greeks words for conviction in the context that I am referring to and not what I expected to find. You may find a full word study on the word conviction on Monday Meditation - Conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Hmmm, the scripture, not the Holy Spirit, is for correction. Just like a textbook not the teacher.

I don't think I would get any argument if I made the statement that this is a harsh world. A world where we are introduced to pain and suffering at a very young age. There are mean people in this world doing mean things.

Even our own parents, as much as they loved us, didn't always discipline and correct us in the way that was appropriate. I know as a parent myself, I can look back and see that sometimes I did whatever it took to get them to do what I wanted or needed them to do.

If I had to spank them, I would. If I had to ground them, I would. If I had to yell and scream, I would. If I had to place guilt on them, I would.

But I'll be the first to admit, I was not a perfect parent. In fact, I was far from it. But our Father God is a perfect parent and doesn't parent at all the way we do. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide here on this earth and a perfect and gentle teacher, always leading us, not pushing us.

But since all that we know is the parenting we have experienced here on this earth we automatically associate it to our Father God.

So when we hear from the pulpit that the Holy Spirit will convict us, our minds go to something difficult and highly unpleasant. We usually associate it with feeling guilty.

As we grow older in the Lord we don't sever that feeling of guilt from true conviction.

Let me give you some examples:

You go to church every Sunday because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You give offerings because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You try to 'be good' because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

Are you starting to think now? Look back at the feelings that you have and the thoughts that you have had in these instances.

As I began to ponder this myself, I really wanted to know what it was that was motivating me to do the things I did. I wanted a clean heart and a clear conscience and I wanted to do things from the leading of the Holy Spirit and for no other reason.

Then the Lord began to teach me about conviction versus guilt. Guilt and condemnation come from the enemy. So Father God would never use the emotion of guilt to correct us or to move us. So the very first thing I had to do was to learn to resist guilt. The moment a thought or feeling of guilt would enter my mind, I would take it captive and reject it. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,

So then what and how does the Holy Spirit lead? Picture these two examples:

In one you are held at knife point and are poked and prodded to move forward against your will while feeling dread and remorse. But you move because the sharp point of the guilt-knife hurts!

In the second, you are a sweet young puppy and you have a safe and comfortable harness on. You have a leash attached to the chest portion of the harness. You feel a slight tug from the leash, just below the center of your chest. It is a gentle tug, one that could easily be missed if you weren't paying attention and there is a gentle loving voice urging you to come. But when you do recognize it, you get up and move forward, at your own pace being led in the correct direction.

We must practice to learn to silence guilt from the enemy and listen with a slightly turned ear to the voice of Holy Spirit, to learn to feel that tug in the center of our being.

Psalms 46:10 AMP "Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth."

You have also read the version where it says, Be still and know that I am God. I love this because sometimes we are striving to obey the voice of guilt in our lives so much that we cannot hear God and know His true heart for us.

How does the enemy feed guilt into our lives? By thoughts and words. They may enter our minds through the words of other people telling us that we have not done enough or are not good enough or are failing in some way.

In an another post I wrote called Christian Clones, I spoke about self-help books that take the plan God gave individuals for their life, and decided it was the plan for everyone. That is another way that guilt enters our minds. 

We try to follow a diet or weight loss plan and it doesn't work for us. We try to manage our money the way the book says to do and we can't do it that way. So we feel guilty that we were not able to be successful at this and are then overridden with guilt and condemnation.

If we do something we perceive as wrong we feel guilt. That is not from the Holy Spirit. We as a people are conditioned to respond to guilt, especially when we've been taught that it is conviction from the Holy Spirit.

Also, when we do read the Word for true instruction, if we read about things we have done wrong in the past or are still struggling with, the enemy is quick to bring guilt! He will tell you what a bad person or Christian you are and that God will abandon you and not love you anymore because you've not done what He asked of you in the Word. And we interpret this as conviction from the Holy Spirit!

But we must, absolutely must read the Word as much as we can. It is the Word that convicts us while we are reading it. When we see something in there that corrects us, we should then make a point of changing our behavior to make that correction. If we do not spend time in the Word, we will not be able to know what Holy Spirit wants us to change.

Therefore when we are going through our daily lives the Word isn't abiding in us and it is more difficult to discern the Holy Spirt leading us. The Word is the plan, the road map that Holy Spirit uses to lead and guide us. It is imperative that we have read it and have it in us.

Remember, that feeling of guilt is of the enemy! The Holy Spirit is a loving and leading entity not a pushing and prodding entity. Immediately reject the guilt, be still and listen for the soothing loving voice of the Father to lead you forward in the right d...

]]> Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 784 Are You Driven or Led?

Friday Finally - Episode 1

Why do you do what you do? Is it a thought or a feeling? Is it a rule or a law?

I've been trying to stress home the idea of living a life of being led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not by any other thought, feeling or idea.

When I was much younger attending church, one of the first theological words I heard was conviction. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something? When you did that wrong thing, did you feel conviction?

But not until the last several years has the Lord begun to specifically define and show me what that word conviction really feels like. And how the Holy Spirit truly leads us in our lives.

One definition of the word conviction is referring to when Paul is preaching and it states that he preached with conviction, or forcefulness. 

There are actually two Greeks words for conviction in the context that I am referring to and not what I expected to find. You may find a full word study on the word conviction on Monday Meditation - Conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Hmmm, the scripture, not the Holy Spirit, is for correction. Just like a textbook not the teacher.

I don't think I would get any argument if I made the statement that this is a harsh world. A world where we are introduced to pain and suffering at a very young age. There are mean people in this world doing mean things.

Even our own parents, as much as they loved us, didn't always discipline and correct us in the way that was appropriate. I know as a parent myself, I can look back and see that sometimes I did whatever it took to get them to do what I wanted or needed them to do.

If I had to spank them, I would. If I had to ground them, I would. If I had to yell and scream, I would. If I had to place guilt on them, I would.

But I'll be the first to admit, I was not a perfect parent. In fact, I was far from it. But our Father God is a perfect parent and doesn't parent at all the way we do. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide here on this earth and a perfect and gentle teacher, always leading us, not pushing us.

But since all that we know is the parenting we have experienced here on this earth we automatically associate it to our Father God.

So when we hear from the pulpit that the Holy Spirit will convict us, our minds go to something difficult and highly unpleasant. We usually associate it with feeling guilty.

As we grow older in the Lord we don't sever that feeling of guilt from true conviction.

Let me give you some examples:

You go to church every Sunday because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You give offerings because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

You try to 'be good' because you feel convicted if you don't, or is it guilt?

Are you starting to think now? Look back at the feelings that you have and the thoughts that you have had in these instances.

As I began to ponder this myself, I really wanted to know what it was that was motivating me to do the things I did. I wanted a clean heart and a clear conscience and I wanted to do things from the leading of the Holy Spirit and for no other reason.

Then the Lord began to teach me about conviction versus guilt. Guilt and condemnation come from the enemy. So Father God would never use the emotion of guilt to correct us or to move us. So the very first thing I had to do was to learn to resist guilt. The moment a thought or feeling of guilt would enter my mind, I would take it captive and reject it. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,

So then what and how does the Holy Spirit lead? Picture these two examples:

In one you are held at knife point and are poked and prodded to move forward against your will while feeling dread and remorse. But you move because the sharp point of the guilt-knife hurts!

In the second, you are a sweet young puppy and you have a safe and comfortable harness on. You have a leash attached to the chest portion of the harness. You feel a slight tug from the leash, just below the center of your chest. It is a gentle tug, one that could easily be missed if you weren't paying attention and there is a gentle loving voice urging you to come. But when you do recognize it, you get up and move forward, at your own pace being led in the correct direction.

We must practice to learn to silence guilt from the enemy and listen with a slightly turned ear to the voice of Holy Spirit, to learn to feel that tug in the center of our being.

Psalms 46:10 AMP "Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth."

You have also read the version where it says, Be still and know that I am God. I love this because sometimes we are striving to obey the voice of guilt in our lives so much that we cannot hear God and know His true heart for us.

How does the enemy feed guilt into our lives? By thoughts and words. They may enter our minds through the words of other people telling us that we have not done enough or are not good enough or are failing in some way.

In an another post I wrote called Christian Clones, I spoke about self-help books that take the plan God gave individuals for their life, and decided it was the plan for everyone. That is another way that guilt enters our minds. 

We try to follow a diet or weight loss plan and it doesn't work for us. We try to manage our money the way the book says to do and we can't do it that way. So we feel guilty that we were not able to be successful at this and are then overridden with guilt and condemnation.

If we do something we perceive as wrong we feel guilt. That is not from the Holy Spirit. We as a people are conditioned to respond to guilt, especially when we've been taught that it is conviction from the Holy Spirit.

Also, when we do read the Word for true instruction, if we read about things we have done wrong in the past or are still struggling with, the enemy is quick to bring guilt! He will tell you what a bad person or Christian you are and that God will abandon you and not love you anymore because you've not done what He asked of you in the Word. And we interpret this as conviction from the Holy Spirit!

But we must, absolutely must read the Word as much as we can. It is the Word that convicts us while we are reading it. When we see something in there that corrects us, we should then make a point of changing our behavior to make that correction. If we do not spend time in the Word, we will not be able to know what Holy Spirit wants us to change.

Therefore when we are going through our daily lives the Word isn't abiding in us and it is more difficult to discern the Holy Spirt leading us. The Word is the plan, the road map that Holy Spirit uses to lead and guide us. It is imperative that we have read it and have it in us.

Remember, that feeling of guilt is of the enemy! The Holy Spirit is a loving and leading entity not a pushing and prodding entity. Immediately reject the guilt, be still and listen for the soothing loving voice of the Father to lead you forward in the right d...

]]> No Wednesday Word Study - Conviction - Episode 1 1 1 1 1 Wednesday Word Study - Conviction - Episode 1 full fe275773-befd-492c-bba8-454ff174a7da https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Conviction

There are two Greeks words for conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use as correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1882 Transliteration: epanorthósisPhonetic Spelling: (ep-an-or'-tho-sis)Definition: correction, reformation, setting straight (right) again.

1882 – used only once in 2 Timothy 3:16

Another usage, full assurance is used in scriptures such as

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I Thessalonians 1:5 NASfor our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4136 Transliteration: plérophoriaPhonetic Spelling: (play-rof-or-ee'-ah)Definition: full assurance, conviction, confidence.

But the one thing it is not used for is when thinking or talking about guilt. Many times we have interchanged the word conviction for guilt. Maybe you have not done this knowingly, but I'm sure you have in your mind.

When we have failed in some way, maybe slipped into an old habit or sin and we feel guilty, we interpret that as conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is not!

The word conviction is only used as instruct, only one time and that is when Paul is telling Timothy to use the Word as instruction/conviction to stay on the right path. And it does not mention that the Holy Spirit will convict us in this way, but the Word.

The other times conviction is used is when talking about the full assurance we have of faith. That is how the Holy Spirit will convict us! It is to encourage us that we can draw near to the Father because we are fully assured (convicted) that our hearts are sprinkled and clean from evil.

Today when you use the word convicted, stop and think, are you really referring to feeling guilty? If so, be fully assured (convicted) that you are free from guilt and can draw near to the Father because you are cleansed by the blood and have received the grace provided by Jesus Christ!

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

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]]> Conviction

There are two Greeks words for conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use as correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1882 Transliteration: epanorthósisPhonetic Spelling: (ep-an-or'-tho-sis)Definition: correction, reformation, setting straight (right) again.

1882 – used only once in 2 Timothy 3:16

Another usage, full assurance is used in scriptures such as

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I Thessalonians 1:5 NASfor our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4136 Transliteration: plérophoriaPhonetic Spelling: (play-rof-or-ee'-ah)Definition: full assurance, conviction, confidence.

But the one thing it is not used for is when thinking or talking about guilt. Many times we have interchanged the word conviction for guilt. Maybe you have not done this knowingly, but I'm sure you have in your mind.

When we have failed in some way, maybe slipped into an old habit or sin and we feel guilty, we interpret that as conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is not!

The word conviction is only used as instruct, only one time and that is when Paul is telling Timothy to use the Word as instruction/conviction to stay on the right path. And it does not mention that the Holy Spirit will convict us in this way, but the Word.

The other times conviction is used is when talking about the full assurance we have of faith. That is how the Holy Spirit will convict us! It is to encourage us that we can draw near to the Father because we are fully assured (convicted) that our hearts are sprinkled and clean from evil.

Today when you use the word convicted, stop and think, are you really referring to feeling guilty? If so, be fully assured (convicted) that you are free from guilt and can draw near to the Father because you are cleansed by the blood and have received the grace provided by Jesus Christ!

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 377 Conviction

There are two Greeks words for conviction.

The first meaning is 'full assurance' and the other is 'correction'. The use as correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 1882 Transliteration: epanorthósisPhonetic Spelling: (ep-an-or'-tho-sis)Definition: correction, reformation, setting straight (right) again.

1882 – used only once in 2 Timothy 3:16

Another usage, full assurance is used in scriptures such as

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I Thessalonians 1:5 NASfor our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is the Strong's Greek Concordance Number 4136 Transliteration: plérophoriaPhonetic Spelling: (play-rof-or-ee'-ah)Definition: full assurance, conviction, confidence.

But the one thing it is not used for is when thinking or talking about guilt. Many times we have interchanged the word conviction for guilt. Maybe you have not done this knowingly, but I'm sure you have in your mind.

When we have failed in some way, maybe slipped into an old habit or sin and we feel guilty, we interpret that as conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is not!

The word conviction is only used as instruct, only one time and that is when Paul is telling Timothy to use the Word as instruction/conviction to stay on the right path. And it does not mention that the Holy Spirit will convict us in this way, but the Word.

The other times conviction is used is when talking about the full assurance we have of faith. That is how the Holy Spirit will convict us! It is to encourage us that we can draw near to the Father because we are fully assured (convicted) that our hearts are sprinkled and clean from evil.

Today when you use the word convicted, stop and think, are you really referring to feeling guilty? If so, be fully assured (convicted) that you are free from guilt and can draw near to the Father because you are cleansed by the blood and have received the grace provided by Jesus Christ!

Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday's Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> No Monday Meditations- 2 Timothy 3:16 - Episode 1 1 1 1 1 Monday Meditations- 2 Timothy 3:16 - Episode 1 full 8beda1af-f821-43a6-846a-b9d6a11c4ea6 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Monday Meditations – Episode 1

Today's Meditation Verse:


2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;


This scripture seems like an obvious statement. But there are aspects to this verse that many people disregard. One item is the very first word. It says ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable…


I know that there are many people in many walks of life, in many different churches, who say that only parts of the scriptures are relevant to us today. 


They disregard the history of the Old Testament. The genealogies of Christ and others. They can't understand the book of Revelation so they push it off for later. Of course Numbers and Leviticus is difficult.


But this scripture says ALL scriptures are profitable for teaching, reproof and correction, for training in righteousness. Even the most difficult to read hold nuggets that will help transform your life.


As you meditate on this scripture this week, contemplate what scriptures you have neglected, avoided or ignored and ask the Father to help you read them with understanding and to learn from them.


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Monday Meditations – Episode 1

Today's Meditation Verse:


2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;


This scripture seems like an obvious statement. But there are aspects to this verse that many people disregard. One item is the very first word. It says ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable…


I know that there are many people in many walks of life, in many different churches, who say that only parts of the scriptures are relevant to us today. 


They disregard the history of the Old Testament. The genealogies of Christ and others. They can't understand the book of Revelation so they push it off for later. Of course Numbers and Leviticus is difficult.


But this scripture says ALL scriptures are profitable for teaching, reproof and correction, for training in righteousness. Even the most difficult to read hold nuggets that will help transform your life.


As you meditate on this scripture this week, contemplate what scriptures you have neglected, avoided or ignored and ask the Father to help you read them with understanding and to learn from them.


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 164 Monday Meditations – Episode 1

Today's Meditation Verse:


2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;


This scripture seems like an obvious statement. But there are aspects to this verse that many people disregard. One item is the very first word. It says ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable…


I know that there are many people in many walks of life, in many different churches, who say that only parts of the scriptures are relevant to us today. 


They disregard the history of the Old Testament. The genealogies of Christ and others. They can't understand the book of Revelation so they push it off for later. Of course Numbers and Leviticus is difficult.


But this scripture says ALL scriptures are profitable for teaching, reproof and correction, for training in righteousness. Even the most difficult to read hold nuggets that will help transform your life.


As you meditate on this scripture this week, contemplate what scriptures you have neglected, avoided or ignored and ask the Father to help you read them with understanding and to learn from them.


Each Monday I am going to be having 'Monday Meditations'. I hope to bring to you each Monday a verse to mediate on for the week. This is not for memorization, but to think about and to dwell on. The word meditate, in the bible, means to mutter. So this week as you go about your life, think about and mutter to yourself the verse for the week and think about how it applies to your life. Meditating on a verse will bind it to your spirit and it will become part of you! The more of the Word you meditate on, the more it will transform you into the image of Christ!

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> No Honest Motivation | Archive Story - Episode 13 1 1 13 13 Honest Motivation | Archive Story - Episode 13 full 5bf1cbce-bc5a-4c63-a945-34ce2130e91c https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Honest Motivation

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Why Are You Writing Those Blogs?

A friend asked me earlier this week why I was writing the blogs I've been writing. It seemed like an odd question to me. Wasn't the 'why' obvious to this friend of mine?

We proceeded to have a discussion regarding my 'why'. I was able to articulate exactly my 'why' for each of the three blogs that I write weekly. But, her asking gave me a reason to verbalize a concise reason for my motivation.

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Sometimes, we don't know why we do what we do, we just do them. We get into routines of work and home and rarely think about why we are doing what we are doing.

I believe that motivation is an issue rarely delved into, but something that should be examined often. We have no trouble stating what we believe to be someone else's motive. I'm not talking about that. I am talking about us each day evaluating openly before God, our own personal motivations.

Be Brave - Ask Yourself Why

Dare I say that if we were to humbly take a look at them and allow God to show us the truth of the matter, we would not be as bold and brash to ascribe blame to someone else and why they do something.

Two of the most simple and prominent motivators are money and pleasure. It is often just that simple.

We work for money and we play for pleasure. If we reduce our motivations down to these two motivators, we will find our lives empty and hollow. Even if we find great pleasure in our work, that too will soon become empty.

Are You Dragging Through Life?

The world is filled with so many people dragging themselves to their workplace every single day. They do it to get paid. If they don't go, they don't get paid. Then, they don't have a roof over their head and food to eat.

I see another generation of people who have witnessed their parents and grandparent engaging in this daily drudgery for their entire lives, only to die at the end unfulfilled and they are asking themselves, do I want to live this life of drudgery too?


Seeking Pleasurable Experiences

Instead, they seek an experiential lifestyle that will bring them pleasure. They reduce the need for a roof to the smallest and simplest they can. They live a small footprint on the earth so that the money they do have can be spent on gaining pleasure, which they are convinced is not in things.

But the pursuit of experiences for pleasure's sake will also grow hollow. It will not sustain the necessary motivation for the long term.

When the money and pleasure no longer satisfy, it is often hard to admit. Disappointment usually sets in, then discouragement, depression, and then despondency.

How Long Can You Force It?

Depending on your type of personality and upbringing, this may happen quickly or take several years to surface and is challenging to recover from.

There was once a person who had it all. He had all the money a person could want. He had all the pleasure a person could hope for. The euphoria of having it all did not last, and it did not sustain because he had lost the one and only life giving motivator and could not get it back.

Ecclesiastes 1:3 What advantage does man have in all his work

Which he does under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:8 All things are wearisome;

Man is not able to tell it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

Ramblings of a Near Madman

These are just a select few ramblings of a man who had everything but had left his first love and source of joy, King Solomon.

He had it all. God gave him wealth to have it all because he had desired wisdom. But, in the end, he had grown far away from Jehovah God, dabbled in idol worship, did as he pleased when he pleased, and disappointment, discouragement, depression, and then despondency set in.

The words in Ecclesiastes are the ramblings of a man in the throes of despondency. And yet both the motivational factors of money and pleasure he had experienced to the full.

If Not Money or Pleasure, Then What?

What are we to conclude, then? That neither money nor pleasure for motivation will ever fulfill you. But you already knew that. And yet… we are still driven by them both.

And so was I for most of my life. That was until I too began to see the lack of fulfillment there. The growing realization that to be genuinely fulfilled with an internal joy that God gives, we need, we must follow the path that he lays out for us.

Most people are afraid to ask God what his plan is for them. They are convinced that his plan will provide very little money and no pleasure. We believe he will stick us in some obscure place as a missionary or something that in our mind is hard, boring and unfulfilling.

God needs you in the profession where your heart will sing and you will flourish. Because he loves you. Because he has designed you with the gifts and talents that are needed in this world we live in. If you are a round peg trying to fit into a square hole because of money or pleasure, ask God where your place is.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

He does want you to have money and pleasure, but if we seek those things without his guidance, we will never be truly fulfilled by them.

Money is Only a Medium of Exchange

We cannot be driven or motivated by money. Money is just a medium of exchange. It cannot bring internal satisfaction. Pleasure is so fleeting and fickle that sustainability is not obtainable.

I've had many shifts in my career through the years. Most have been wildly profitable. Some were very fulfilling for a while.

Recently, over the past couple of years. God has been leading me down a path of writing. I wrote four novels in one year with his help.

Disappointment Comes When You Least Expect It

Everyone showered me with great reviews and comments. It thrilled me because this validation was sure to lead to financial profit. But it did not.

I am just being real here. The royalties on books is so very slim it is shocking. Multiplied, it adds up, but when you are a new author, climbing the mountain to being 'known' is daunting.

After writing those four novels and reeling from all the hard work that it had been, I was ready to rest. Particularly since the motivation of money was not there. Neither was the motivator of pleasure.

Process vs. Reward

Yes, it was pleasurable, but not in balance to the degree of hard work that it required. One did not justify the other. Pleasure should not be that hard to obtain.

Then, a little over a year ago, God pushed me to define the call he had placed on my life and to streamline my focus to what he wanted me to do.

It has been a journey of prayer and faith. He has called me to write. He has given me many books to write. There are a few other sidebars on that call, but for now, I am focusing on writing.

Will You do it For The Lord When There is no Other Motivator?

In the meantime, until it is profitable, he has graciously given me a career that is profitable and one where I am also helping people.

...

]]> Honest Motivation

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Why Are You Writing Those Blogs?

A friend asked me earlier this week why I was writing the blogs I've been writing. It seemed like an odd question to me. Wasn't the 'why' obvious to this friend of mine?

We proceeded to have a discussion regarding my 'why'. I was able to articulate exactly my 'why' for each of the three blogs that I write weekly. But, her asking gave me a reason to verbalize a concise reason for my motivation.

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Sometimes, we don't know why we do what we do, we just do them. We get into routines of work and home and rarely think about why we are doing what we are doing.

I believe that motivation is an issue rarely delved into, but something that should be examined often. We have no trouble stating what we believe to be someone else's motive. I'm not talking about that. I am talking about us each day evaluating openly before God, our own personal motivations.

Be Brave - Ask Yourself Why

Dare I say that if we were to humbly take a look at them and allow God to show us the truth of the matter, we would not be as bold and brash to ascribe blame to someone else and why they do something.

Two of the most simple and prominent motivators are money and pleasure. It is often just that simple.

We work for money and we play for pleasure. If we reduce our motivations down to these two motivators, we will find our lives empty and hollow. Even if we find great pleasure in our work, that too will soon become empty.

Are You Dragging Through Life?

The world is filled with so many people dragging themselves to their workplace every single day. They do it to get paid. If they don't go, they don't get paid. Then, they don't have a roof over their head and food to eat.

I see another generation of people who have witnessed their parents and grandparent engaging in this daily drudgery for their entire lives, only to die at the end unfulfilled and they are asking themselves, do I want to live this life of drudgery too?


Seeking Pleasurable Experiences

Instead, they seek an experiential lifestyle that will bring them pleasure. They reduce the need for a roof to the smallest and simplest they can. They live a small footprint on the earth so that the money they do have can be spent on gaining pleasure, which they are convinced is not in things.

But the pursuit of experiences for pleasure's sake will also grow hollow. It will not sustain the necessary motivation for the long term.

When the money and pleasure no longer satisfy, it is often hard to admit. Disappointment usually sets in, then discouragement, depression, and then despondency.

How Long Can You Force It?

Depending on your type of personality and upbringing, this may happen quickly or take several years to surface and is challenging to recover from.

There was once a person who had it all. He had all the money a person could want. He had all the pleasure a person could hope for. The euphoria of having it all did not last, and it did not sustain because he had lost the one and only life giving motivator and could not get it back.

Ecclesiastes 1:3 What advantage does man have in all his work

Which he does under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:8 All things are wearisome;

Man is not able to tell it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

Ramblings of a Near Madman

These are just a select few ramblings of a man who had everything but had left his first love and source of joy, King Solomon.

He had it all. God gave him wealth to have it all because he had desired wisdom. But, in the end, he had grown far away from Jehovah God, dabbled in idol worship, did as he pleased when he pleased, and disappointment, discouragement, depression, and then despondency set in.

The words in Ecclesiastes are the ramblings of a man in the throes of despondency. And yet both the motivational factors of money and pleasure he had experienced to the full.

If Not Money or Pleasure, Then What?

What are we to conclude, then? That neither money nor pleasure for motivation will ever fulfill you. But you already knew that. And yet… we are still driven by them both.

And so was I for most of my life. That was until I too began to see the lack of fulfillment there. The growing realization that to be genuinely fulfilled with an internal joy that God gives, we need, we must follow the path that he lays out for us.

Most people are afraid to ask God what his plan is for them. They are convinced that his plan will provide very little money and no pleasure. We believe he will stick us in some obscure place as a missionary or something that in our mind is hard, boring and unfulfilling.

God needs you in the profession where your heart will sing and you will flourish. Because he loves you. Because he has designed you with the gifts and talents that are needed in this world we live in. If you are a round peg trying to fit into a square hole because of money or pleasure, ask God where your place is.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

He does want you to have money and pleasure, but if we seek those things without his guidance, we will never be truly fulfilled by them.

Money is Only a Medium of Exchange

We cannot be driven or motivated by money. Money is just a medium of exchange. It cannot bring internal satisfaction. Pleasure is so fleeting and fickle that sustainability is not obtainable.

I've had many shifts in my career through the years. Most have been wildly profitable. Some were very fulfilling for a while.

Recently, over the past couple of years. God has been leading me down a path of writing. I wrote four novels in one year with his help.

Disappointment Comes When You Least Expect It

Everyone showered me with great reviews and comments. It thrilled me because this validation was sure to lead to financial profit. But it did not.

I am just being real here. The royalties on books is so very slim it is shocking. Multiplied, it adds up, but when you are a new author, climbing the mountain to being 'known' is daunting.

After writing those four novels and reeling from all the hard work that it had been, I was ready to rest. Particularly since the motivation of money was not there. Neither was the motivator of pleasure.

Process vs. Reward

Yes, it was pleasurable, but not in balance to the degree of hard work that it required. One did not justify the other. Pleasure should not be that hard to obtain.

Then, a little over a year ago, God pushed me to define the call he had placed on my life and to streamline my focus to what he wanted me to do.

It has been a journey of prayer and faith. He has called me to write. He has given me many books to write. There are a few other sidebars on that call, but for now, I am focusing on writing.

Will You do it For The Lord When There is no Other Motivator?

In the meantime, until it is profitable, he has graciously given me a career that is profitable and one where I am also helping people.

...

]]> Sun, 31 May 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 736 Honest Motivation

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Why Are You Writing Those Blogs?

A friend asked me earlier this week why I was writing the blogs I've been writing. It seemed like an odd question to me. Wasn't the 'why' obvious to this friend of mine?

We proceeded to have a discussion regarding my 'why'. I was able to articulate exactly my 'why' for each of the three blogs that I write weekly. But, her asking gave me a reason to verbalize a concise reason for my motivation.

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Sometimes, we don't know why we do what we do, we just do them. We get into routines of work and home and rarely think about why we are doing what we are doing.

I believe that motivation is an issue rarely delved into, but something that should be examined often. We have no trouble stating what we believe to be someone else's motive. I'm not talking about that. I am talking about us each day evaluating openly before God, our own personal motivations.

Be Brave - Ask Yourself Why

Dare I say that if we were to humbly take a look at them and allow God to show us the truth of the matter, we would not be as bold and brash to ascribe blame to someone else and why they do something.

Two of the most simple and prominent motivators are money and pleasure. It is often just that simple.

We work for money and we play for pleasure. If we reduce our motivations down to these two motivators, we will find our lives empty and hollow. Even if we find great pleasure in our work, that too will soon become empty.

Are You Dragging Through Life?

The world is filled with so many people dragging themselves to their workplace every single day. They do it to get paid. If they don't go, they don't get paid. Then, they don't have a roof over their head and food to eat.

I see another generation of people who have witnessed their parents and grandparent engaging in this daily drudgery for their entire lives, only to die at the end unfulfilled and they are asking themselves, do I want to live this life of drudgery too?


Seeking Pleasurable Experiences

Instead, they seek an experiential lifestyle that will bring them pleasure. They reduce the need for a roof to the smallest and simplest they can. They live a small footprint on the earth so that the money they do have can be spent on gaining pleasure, which they are convinced is not in things.

But the pursuit of experiences for pleasure's sake will also grow hollow. It will not sustain the necessary motivation for the long term.

When the money and pleasure no longer satisfy, it is often hard to admit. Disappointment usually sets in, then discouragement, depression, and then despondency.

How Long Can You Force It?

Depending on your type of personality and upbringing, this may happen quickly or take several years to surface and is challenging to recover from.

There was once a person who had it all. He had all the money a person could want. He had all the pleasure a person could hope for. The euphoria of having it all did not last, and it did not sustain because he had lost the one and only life giving motivator and could not get it back.

Ecclesiastes 1:3 What advantage does man have in all his work

Which he does under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:8 All things are wearisome;

Man is not able to tell it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

Ramblings of a Near Madman

These are just a select few ramblings of a man who had everything but had left his first love and source of joy, King Solomon.

He had it all. God gave him wealth to have it all because he had desired wisdom. But, in the end, he had grown far away from Jehovah God, dabbled in idol worship, did as he pleased when he pleased, and disappointment, discouragement, depression, and then despondency set in.

The words in Ecclesiastes are the ramblings of a man in the throes of despondency. And yet both the motivational factors of money and pleasure he had experienced to the full.

If Not Money or Pleasure, Then What?

What are we to conclude, then? That neither money nor pleasure for motivation will ever fulfill you. But you already knew that. And yet… we are still driven by them both.

And so was I for most of my life. That was until I too began to see the lack of fulfillment there. The growing realization that to be genuinely fulfilled with an internal joy that God gives, we need, we must follow the path that he lays out for us.

Most people are afraid to ask God what his plan is for them. They are convinced that his plan will provide very little money and no pleasure. We believe he will stick us in some obscure place as a missionary or something that in our mind is hard, boring and unfulfilling.

God needs you in the profession where your heart will sing and you will flourish. Because he loves you. Because he has designed you with the gifts and talents that are needed in this world we live in. If you are a round peg trying to fit into a square hole because of money or pleasure, ask God where your place is.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

He does want you to have money and pleasure, but if we seek those things without his guidance, we will never be truly fulfilled by them.

Money is Only a Medium of Exchange

We cannot be driven or motivated by money. Money is just a medium of exchange. It cannot bring internal satisfaction. Pleasure is so fleeting and fickle that sustainability is not obtainable.

I've had many shifts in my career through the years. Most have been wildly profitable. Some were very fulfilling for a while.

Recently, over the past couple of years. God has been leading me down a path of writing. I wrote four novels in one year with his help.

Disappointment Comes When You Least Expect It

Everyone showered me with great reviews and comments. It thrilled me because this validation was sure to lead to financial profit. But it did not.

I am just being real here. The royalties on books is so very slim it is shocking. Multiplied, it adds up, but when you are a new author, climbing the mountain to being 'known' is daunting.

After writing those four novels and reeling from all the hard work that it had been, I was ready to rest. Particularly since the motivation of money was not there. Neither was the motivator of pleasure.

Process vs. Reward

Yes, it was pleasurable, but not in balance to the degree of hard work that it required. One did not justify the other. Pleasure should not be that hard to obtain.

Then, a little over a year ago, God pushed me to define the call he had placed on my life and to streamline my focus to what he wanted me to do.

It has been a journey of prayer and faith. He has called me to write. He has given me many books to write. There are a few other sidebars on that call, but for now, I am focusing on writing.

Will You do it For The Lord When There is no Other Motivator?

In the meantime, until it is profitable, he has graciously given me a career that is profitable and one where I am also helping people.

...

]]> No Deliverance From a Spirit of Rejection | Miracle Story - Episode 13 1 1 13 13 Deliverance From a Spirit of Rejection | Miracle Story - Episode 13 full ef6ea677-7c58-473a-829c-74db7f7a3eba https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Deliverance From a Spirit of Rejection

I am adopted. I found out in the third grade. The way I found out was in a very cruel way. It was spat at me by a classmate, as if he were trying to find the worst word he could think of to sling at me. He said, "You're adopted!"

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Adoption Argument

An argument ensued from whatever we had been arguing about to whether or not I was adopted. Our teacher must have been close because she came running back into our room and stopped the argument.

I told her what he had said, wanting her to correct him. I wanted her to tell him I was not adopted. You see, my mother was the fifth grade teacher in that same very small school. My teacher and my mother knew each other well.

Sad and Confused

But, rather than correct him, she diverted us to our desks and back to our classwork. Honestly, this was frustrating for me and left me a little confused.

The following Sunday, my mother and father and I were driving to Oklahoma City to go see my grandmother, my father's mother. I was in the backseat, sitting in the middle, but scooted up and resting on the front seat. We did not wear seatbelts then.

I blurted out, "That Fake Name said I was adopted!"

Caught Red Handed

My parents' heads swiveled around to look at each other instantly. I claimed I was not and how horrible he was for saying such a terrible thing to me. I didn't know that it was horrible, but in the context he had used it, I assumed it had to be a horrible thing.

So, then they stumbled all over themselves explaining that yes I was, but that it was good and why it was good, and all the reasons why it was good, and why my poor biological mother couldn't keep me.

I can feel myself frowning now, just as I did then. Something about it all didn't ring completely true, but at a third-grade level, I had no idea what it was. I was not happy with them. If it was indeed a good thing, then why hadn't they told me?

This Made Me Different

One thing was certain, I was different from everyone else, and that also meant Fake Name was right. Which also meant that he had known before I had known. That is a tough pill to swallow.

But, I owned it. The next day I stood in front of the class and told them all that yes, I was adopted and it was a good thing. And life went on.

A Seed of Rejection

But a seed of something that had been planted in me germinated that day. It was a seed of rejection.

I can write volumes on this topic and what and how to help someone who may be challenged with this, but this is not what this particular article is about.

What I want to write about is the miracle of God's deliverance from the spirit of rejection that had attached itself to my life.

God's Miracle

One day I was meeting a friend at the little church we attended for a Saturday children's group we led. When I walked in, she made a comment that caught me off guard. I'll admit, I don't remember what she said. It was something that alluded to me being free from something.

Since I was so caught off guard and did not know what she was talking about, I insisted she tell me. So, she told me about the spirit of rejection she had seen on me and how it was affecting my life. She said when I had walked in that day she thought for a moment that I had been delivered from it.


I Went to God About It

Not sure what to do with this new information, and with the kids arriving, I tabled it. You can be sure though that I went to Father God about it asap when I was alone.

I realized that because I was adopted, the enemy had used that as a legal open door to attach a spirit of rejection to me. It was the same as when he had attached a spirit of fear to me through something someone had said. I didn't know then to resist or it would have never gained a foothold.

The spirit of rejection came so early. Dare I say at the moment my biological mother separated from me? It came from no fault of my own. It came in spite of these people's love for me and desire to do the right thing for me. It was a legal doorway that the enemy used.

The Truth Revealed

As I prayed and sought the Lord, he showed me all of this and also that I was NOT rejected. It was all a lie that the enemy perpetrated. The lie told me I was rejected, so I felt rejected, so others rejected me. God confirmed to me he loved and accepted me and that the truth was that I was not rejected by the God who created the universe, therefore any other rejection I saw or felt was in direct violation of God's word.

Okay, but what was I to do about it?

His instructions were simple. He first brought to my mind the scripture…

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ,

My assignment was to renew my mind by confirming to myself that I was not rejected, but accepted by the one who mattered most. Then when that thought that I was rejected would come, I was to take that thought captive as it says in verse five, and reject it as a thought that was contrary to the knowledge of God.

I felt delivered the moment that God said he accepted me and that I was not rejected, but that didn't mean that the enemy wouldn't try to reclaim and hold his ground.

You Have to Do the Do

I was persistently obedient about this. I meditated on the words I had heard when God said he had accepted me and that I was loved by him. Then, when the thoughts would come of rejection, I would just literally say, "No, I'm not." Then I would go about whatever I was doing.

This was an ongoing thing for a while. At first, it seemed like I was doing it a lot, but soon those thoughts of rejection came less and less and I felt freer and freer. The enemy cannot stand up to God's word, whether it be his logos, written word, or his rhema, spoken word.

John 8:31-32

31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

God showed me how once again in a completely unique situation, how to fight spiritual warfare with his word. The truth, his truth, was that I was not rejected. That truth once revealed to me set me free. But I had to maintain my freedom. I did that by renewing my mind and taking every contrary thought captive.

Still Today

I still practice it today. I've spent a lifetime feeding myself on the written word of God. It is in me. It has renewed my mind. So, when a thought comes that I know is contrary to the word of God, I just say, "No. I don't receive that." I know I can't afford to let it take root in my mind.

I am still learning and growing in God and having his truth grow more solidified in me each day. And, each day that I do, it becomes clearer and clearer what thoughts are injected from the enemy in an effort to derail my life.

Do You Want to See Change in Your Life?

If you truly want your life to be changed. If you want to be free, then you too can be. Read God's word. Let it soak into you. Then when thoughts come to you that you know are not in alignment with God's word, just say, "NO!" You do not have to suffer from adoption rejection.

Originally p...

]]> Deliverance From a Spirit of Rejection

I am adopted. I found out in the third grade. The way I found out was in a very cruel way. It was spat at me by a classmate, as if he were trying to find the worst word he could think of to sling at me. He said, "You're adopted!"

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Adoption Argument

An argument ensued from whatever we had been arguing about to whether or not I was adopted. Our teacher must have been close because she came running back into our room and stopped the argument.

I told her what he had said, wanting her to correct him. I wanted her to tell him I was not adopted. You see, my mother was the fifth grade teacher in that same very small school. My teacher and my mother knew each other well.

Sad and Confused

But, rather than correct him, she diverted us to our desks and back to our classwork. Honestly, this was frustrating for me and left me a little confused.

The following Sunday, my mother and father and I were driving to Oklahoma City to go see my grandmother, my father's mother. I was in the backseat, sitting in the middle, but scooted up and resting on the front seat. We did not wear seatbelts then.

I blurted out, "That Fake Name said I was adopted!"

Caught Red Handed

My parents' heads swiveled around to look at each other instantly. I claimed I was not and how horrible he was for saying such a terrible thing to me. I didn't know that it was horrible, but in the context he had used it, I assumed it had to be a horrible thing.

So, then they stumbled all over themselves explaining that yes I was, but that it was good and why it was good, and all the reasons why it was good, and why my poor biological mother couldn't keep me.

I can feel myself frowning now, just as I did then. Something about it all didn't ring completely true, but at a third-grade level, I had no idea what it was. I was not happy with them. If it was indeed a good thing, then why hadn't they told me?

This Made Me Different

One thing was certain, I was different from everyone else, and that also meant Fake Name was right. Which also meant that he had known before I had known. That is a tough pill to swallow.

But, I owned it. The next day I stood in front of the class and told them all that yes, I was adopted and it was a good thing. And life went on.

A Seed of Rejection

But a seed of something that had been planted in me germinated that day. It was a seed of rejection.

I can write volumes on this topic and what and how to help someone who may be challenged with this, but this is not what this particular article is about.

What I want to write about is the miracle of God's deliverance from the spirit of rejection that had attached itself to my life.

God's Miracle

One day I was meeting a friend at the little church we attended for a Saturday children's group we led. When I walked in, she made a comment that caught me off guard. I'll admit, I don't remember what she said. It was something that alluded to me being free from something.

Since I was so caught off guard and did not know what she was talking about, I insisted she tell me. So, she told me about the spirit of rejection she had seen on me and how it was affecting my life. She said when I had walked in that day she thought for a moment that I had been delivered from it.


I Went to God About It

Not sure what to do with this new information, and with the kids arriving, I tabled it. You can be sure though that I went to Father God about it asap when I was alone.

I realized that because I was adopted, the enemy had used that as a legal open door to attach a spirit of rejection to me. It was the same as when he had attached a spirit of fear to me through something someone had said. I didn't know then to resist or it would have never gained a foothold.

The spirit of rejection came so early. Dare I say at the moment my biological mother separated from me? It came from no fault of my own. It came in spite of these people's love for me and desire to do the right thing for me. It was a legal doorway that the enemy used.

The Truth Revealed

As I prayed and sought the Lord, he showed me all of this and also that I was NOT rejected. It was all a lie that the enemy perpetrated. The lie told me I was rejected, so I felt rejected, so others rejected me. God confirmed to me he loved and accepted me and that the truth was that I was not rejected by the God who created the universe, therefore any other rejection I saw or felt was in direct violation of God's word.

Okay, but what was I to do about it?

His instructions were simple. He first brought to my mind the scripture…

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ,

My assignment was to renew my mind by confirming to myself that I was not rejected, but accepted by the one who mattered most. Then when that thought that I was rejected would come, I was to take that thought captive as it says in verse five, and reject it as a thought that was contrary to the knowledge of God.

I felt delivered the moment that God said he accepted me and that I was not rejected, but that didn't mean that the enemy wouldn't try to reclaim and hold his ground.

You Have to Do the Do

I was persistently obedient about this. I meditated on the words I had heard when God said he had accepted me and that I was loved by him. Then, when the thoughts would come of rejection, I would just literally say, "No, I'm not." Then I would go about whatever I was doing.

This was an ongoing thing for a while. At first, it seemed like I was doing it a lot, but soon those thoughts of rejection came less and less and I felt freer and freer. The enemy cannot stand up to God's word, whether it be his logos, written word, or his rhema, spoken word.

John 8:31-32

31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

God showed me how once again in a completely unique situation, how to fight spiritual warfare with his word. The truth, his truth, was that I was not rejected. That truth once revealed to me set me free. But I had to maintain my freedom. I did that by renewing my mind and taking every contrary thought captive.

Still Today

I still practice it today. I've spent a lifetime feeding myself on the written word of God. It is in me. It has renewed my mind. So, when a thought comes that I know is contrary to the word of God, I just say, "No. I don't receive that." I know I can't afford to let it take root in my mind.

I am still learning and growing in God and having his truth grow more solidified in me each day. And, each day that I do, it becomes clearer and clearer what thoughts are injected from the enemy in an effort to derail my life.

Do You Want to See Change in Your Life?

If you truly want your life to be changed. If you want to be free, then you too can be. Read God's word. Let it soak into you. Then when thoughts come to you that you know are not in alignment with God's word, just say, "NO!" You do not have to suffer from adoption rejection.

Originally p...

]]> Sun, 31 May 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 558 Deliverance From a Spirit of Rejection

I am adopted. I found out in the third grade. The way I found out was in a very cruel way. It was spat at me by a classmate, as if he were trying to find the worst word he could think of to sling at me. He said, "You're adopted!"

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Adoption Argument

An argument ensued from whatever we had been arguing about to whether or not I was adopted. Our teacher must have been close because she came running back into our room and stopped the argument.

I told her what he had said, wanting her to correct him. I wanted her to tell him I was not adopted. You see, my mother was the fifth grade teacher in that same very small school. My teacher and my mother knew each other well.

Sad and Confused

But, rather than correct him, she diverted us to our desks and back to our classwork. Honestly, this was frustrating for me and left me a little confused.

The following Sunday, my mother and father and I were driving to Oklahoma City to go see my grandmother, my father's mother. I was in the backseat, sitting in the middle, but scooted up and resting on the front seat. We did not wear seatbelts then.

I blurted out, "That Fake Name said I was adopted!"

Caught Red Handed

My parents' heads swiveled around to look at each other instantly. I claimed I was not and how horrible he was for saying such a terrible thing to me. I didn't know that it was horrible, but in the context he had used it, I assumed it had to be a horrible thing.

So, then they stumbled all over themselves explaining that yes I was, but that it was good and why it was good, and all the reasons why it was good, and why my poor biological mother couldn't keep me.

I can feel myself frowning now, just as I did then. Something about it all didn't ring completely true, but at a third-grade level, I had no idea what it was. I was not happy with them. If it was indeed a good thing, then why hadn't they told me?

This Made Me Different

One thing was certain, I was different from everyone else, and that also meant Fake Name was right. Which also meant that he had known before I had known. That is a tough pill to swallow.

But, I owned it. The next day I stood in front of the class and told them all that yes, I was adopted and it was a good thing. And life went on.

A Seed of Rejection

But a seed of something that had been planted in me germinated that day. It was a seed of rejection.

I can write volumes on this topic and what and how to help someone who may be challenged with this, but this is not what this particular article is about.

What I want to write about is the miracle of God's deliverance from the spirit of rejection that had attached itself to my life.

God's Miracle

One day I was meeting a friend at the little church we attended for a Saturday children's group we led. When I walked in, she made a comment that caught me off guard. I'll admit, I don't remember what she said. It was something that alluded to me being free from something.

Since I was so caught off guard and did not know what she was talking about, I insisted she tell me. So, she told me about the spirit of rejection she had seen on me and how it was affecting my life. She said when I had walked in that day she thought for a moment that I had been delivered from it.


I Went to God About It

Not sure what to do with this new information, and with the kids arriving, I tabled it. You can be sure though that I went to Father God about it asap when I was alone.

I realized that because I was adopted, the enemy had used that as a legal open door to attach a spirit of rejection to me. It was the same as when he had attached a spirit of fear to me through something someone had said. I didn't know then to resist or it would have never gained a foothold.

The spirit of rejection came so early. Dare I say at the moment my biological mother separated from me? It came from no fault of my own. It came in spite of these people's love for me and desire to do the right thing for me. It was a legal doorway that the enemy used.

The Truth Revealed

As I prayed and sought the Lord, he showed me all of this and also that I was NOT rejected. It was all a lie that the enemy perpetrated. The lie told me I was rejected, so I felt rejected, so others rejected me. God confirmed to me he loved and accepted me and that the truth was that I was not rejected by the God who created the universe, therefore any other rejection I saw or felt was in direct violation of God's word.

Okay, but what was I to do about it?

His instructions were simple. He first brought to my mind the scripture…

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ,

My assignment was to renew my mind by confirming to myself that I was not rejected, but accepted by the one who mattered most. Then when that thought that I was rejected would come, I was to take that thought captive as it says in verse five, and reject it as a thought that was contrary to the knowledge of God.

I felt delivered the moment that God said he accepted me and that I was not rejected, but that didn't mean that the enemy wouldn't try to reclaim and hold his ground.

You Have to Do the Do

I was persistently obedient about this. I meditated on the words I had heard when God said he had accepted me and that I was loved by him. Then, when the thoughts would come of rejection, I would just literally say, "No, I'm not." Then I would go about whatever I was doing.

This was an ongoing thing for a while. At first, it seemed like I was doing it a lot, but soon those thoughts of rejection came less and less and I felt freer and freer. The enemy cannot stand up to God's word, whether it be his logos, written word, or his rhema, spoken word.

John 8:31-32

31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

God showed me how once again in a completely unique situation, how to fight spiritual warfare with his word. The truth, his truth, was that I was not rejected. That truth once revealed to me set me free. But I had to maintain my freedom. I did that by renewing my mind and taking every contrary thought captive.

Still Today

I still practice it today. I've spent a lifetime feeding myself on the written word of God. It is in me. It has renewed my mind. So, when a thought comes that I know is contrary to the word of God, I just say, "No. I don't receive that." I know I can't afford to let it take root in my mind.

I am still learning and growing in God and having his truth grow more solidified in me each day. And, each day that I do, it becomes clearer and clearer what thoughts are injected from the enemy in an effort to derail my life.

Do You Want to See Change in Your Life?

If you truly want your life to be changed. If you want to be free, then you too can be. Read God's word. Let it soak into you. Then when thoughts come to you that you know are not in alignment with God's word, just say, "NO!" You do not have to suffer from adoption rejection.

Originally p...

]]> No What Soil Are You Planted In? | Archive Story - Episode 12 1 1 12 12 What Soil Are You Planted In? | Archive Story - Episode 12 full 71b518e8-87af-4ea5-b036-58cc6eeadf88 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ What Soil Are You Planted In?

Some of you may know that I love to garden. I also love house plants. Over the past few years I have been trying to systematically replace all my old fake plants with real live plants.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I knew in order to do it well, on a budget, and in a way to be able to keep up with them, I had to do it one or two at a time.

Gardening is My Hobby

I often post about my plants on FB and word has gotten around that many of my plants have been given to me by friends who know I love them. Often they are plants they no longer want and are ready to give away.

The more I am gifted and post about it, the more I am given. It is wonderful!

Plant Propagation

Also, I propagate many of my plants. Of course the philodendrons are an easy vine to propagate. I have several vines I've had success with. There are a few other plants as well that I have tried and it has worked for me.

Part of my success is that I have and continue, to watch some very successful and knowledgeable gardeners on YouTube. Even though opinions often vary widely, they all agree on one thing, the soil is a critical key in the survival and growth of the plant.

Learn From The Best

Through the years companies who sell various soil to the consumer have tested their soil and modified it to create the best environment for plants. You can find a wealth of different types of packaged soil to buy for your particular need.

If you want success in growing plants you must not dismiss the importance of soil.

The bible talks about planting and soil often. We know that to have faith we need good soil and we must cultivate that seed of faith that we have been given.

There is other soil though that I want to talk about today.

We Choose Our Soil

This is the everyday soil that we all surround ourselves with. Last week I wrote about the most toxic contagion. With our words we spread massive amounts of contagion every single day. We have a choice about what we say and how we say it to spread positive and beneficial contagions or destructive and demoralizing ones.

It is our choice what we spread. But, there is a key element that will either keep us from being able to choose the right thing, or will keep us mired in toxin.

That is the soil we are planted in.

Our Soil Determines our Contagion

There is an old saying that seemed novel back when I was a computer science major in college. That saying was true then and it is still true today.

Garbage In Garbage Out

Whatever is fed into or programed into a computer will determine what will come out. The same is true for us. What are we watching on TV? Who are we spending time with? What are we discussing with our friends? What thoughts are we allowing our minds to dwell on? What are we reading?


Excuses Don't Fix the Problem

Any source that inputs data into us is soil we are growing in.

Let's look again with that fresh insight at the Parable of the Sower in the book of Mark.

Mark 4:14-20 14 "The sower sows the word. 15 "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

I've included the portion where Jesus is explaining this to the disciples rather than the verses before where he was actually giving the parable.

You Can't Change the Rules of Nature

This is all about seeds, plants, growth, and roots. In my experience it is so much easier to repot a thriving plant, or to take a cutting off of a healthy plant and encourage it to grow roots. The hardest thing for me is to take a simple seed and grow it. Mature plants, like mature Christians, are much sturdier to the elements of nature.

With seeds it may all start out fine in a tiny calculated environment. With the right soil and light I can get a seed to germinate and grow. But, I will be honest with you, I have never successfully been able to take that small seedling and transplant it out into my garden.

It Takes Patience to Make it Work

It can be and is done all the time. Those gardeners have patience and the skill to nurture and train that seedling to withstand the harshness of the world outside. I haven't as of yet.

If a seed is sown directly outside, the birds often come and pluck it right up for food and it never even gets a chance. That could be like verse 14 where the enemy soon plucks away the seed.

Then we may get a seedling to germinate. But, if we attempt to put it out into the world too soon, it will be only temporary and will immediately die when affliction or persecution comes its way.

Getting that seedling to the right strong stage indoors can be challenging. It can only flourish so long in that small container with limited food content and environmental conditions. At some point it will have to be replanted.

What is Your Purpose

If it is intended to be a houseplant, then the environment may change very little, but the food source, the soil will grow and hopefully contain room and food for the roots to grow large and strong.

If that same seedling is to be planted outside, then it must be conditioned to handle the hardships it will face.

Exposure to Difficulties Over Time

The right way to do this is to expose the seedling to its final environment a little at a time. It must be allowed to experience the wind, the heat, the sun, and the critters, that it will eventually grow in and amongst.

By conditioning the plant a little at a time, the roots grow strong. The stems grow strong. Little by little they become so strong that they can fully withstand what their environment will bring.

Just Like Us

Seeds cannot be planted in poor soil with other plants that will be aggressive and overpower them. In verse 18 it talks about seeds being sown in thorny ground. This refers to aggressive weeds that push in and overpower. Only strong mature plants can hold their own against them.

Verse 19 refers to a seed that does take root, but is unfruitful because of the 'cares of this life'. No matter the plant, it must be fed, cared for, and maintained. Even weeds will die in the harshest of climates.

You Can Tell a Persons Soil by the Contagion They Spread

I referred to the previous blog The Most Toxic Contagion earlier. As I said, we have a choice what contagion we spread. We can spread good and encouraging words, or not. But it will simply be a force of will that is only sporadically successful if we are not rooted in good soil and routinely fed and nurtured.

To make that shift from spreading toxic ...

]]> What Soil Are You Planted In?

Some of you may know that I love to garden. I also love house plants. Over the past few years I have been trying to systematically replace all my old fake plants with real live plants.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I knew in order to do it well, on a budget, and in a way to be able to keep up with them, I had to do it one or two at a time.

Gardening is My Hobby

I often post about my plants on FB and word has gotten around that many of my plants have been given to me by friends who know I love them. Often they are plants they no longer want and are ready to give away.

The more I am gifted and post about it, the more I am given. It is wonderful!

Plant Propagation

Also, I propagate many of my plants. Of course the philodendrons are an easy vine to propagate. I have several vines I've had success with. There are a few other plants as well that I have tried and it has worked for me.

Part of my success is that I have and continue, to watch some very successful and knowledgeable gardeners on YouTube. Even though opinions often vary widely, they all agree on one thing, the soil is a critical key in the survival and growth of the plant.

Learn From The Best

Through the years companies who sell various soil to the consumer have tested their soil and modified it to create the best environment for plants. You can find a wealth of different types of packaged soil to buy for your particular need.

If you want success in growing plants you must not dismiss the importance of soil.

The bible talks about planting and soil often. We know that to have faith we need good soil and we must cultivate that seed of faith that we have been given.

There is other soil though that I want to talk about today.

We Choose Our Soil

This is the everyday soil that we all surround ourselves with. Last week I wrote about the most toxic contagion. With our words we spread massive amounts of contagion every single day. We have a choice about what we say and how we say it to spread positive and beneficial contagions or destructive and demoralizing ones.

It is our choice what we spread. But, there is a key element that will either keep us from being able to choose the right thing, or will keep us mired in toxin.

That is the soil we are planted in.

Our Soil Determines our Contagion

There is an old saying that seemed novel back when I was a computer science major in college. That saying was true then and it is still true today.

Garbage In Garbage Out

Whatever is fed into or programed into a computer will determine what will come out. The same is true for us. What are we watching on TV? Who are we spending time with? What are we discussing with our friends? What thoughts are we allowing our minds to dwell on? What are we reading?


Excuses Don't Fix the Problem

Any source that inputs data into us is soil we are growing in.

Let's look again with that fresh insight at the Parable of the Sower in the book of Mark.

Mark 4:14-20 14 "The sower sows the word. 15 "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

I've included the portion where Jesus is explaining this to the disciples rather than the verses before where he was actually giving the parable.

You Can't Change the Rules of Nature

This is all about seeds, plants, growth, and roots. In my experience it is so much easier to repot a thriving plant, or to take a cutting off of a healthy plant and encourage it to grow roots. The hardest thing for me is to take a simple seed and grow it. Mature plants, like mature Christians, are much sturdier to the elements of nature.

With seeds it may all start out fine in a tiny calculated environment. With the right soil and light I can get a seed to germinate and grow. But, I will be honest with you, I have never successfully been able to take that small seedling and transplant it out into my garden.

It Takes Patience to Make it Work

It can be and is done all the time. Those gardeners have patience and the skill to nurture and train that seedling to withstand the harshness of the world outside. I haven't as of yet.

If a seed is sown directly outside, the birds often come and pluck it right up for food and it never even gets a chance. That could be like verse 14 where the enemy soon plucks away the seed.

Then we may get a seedling to germinate. But, if we attempt to put it out into the world too soon, it will be only temporary and will immediately die when affliction or persecution comes its way.

Getting that seedling to the right strong stage indoors can be challenging. It can only flourish so long in that small container with limited food content and environmental conditions. At some point it will have to be replanted.

What is Your Purpose

If it is intended to be a houseplant, then the environment may change very little, but the food source, the soil will grow and hopefully contain room and food for the roots to grow large and strong.

If that same seedling is to be planted outside, then it must be conditioned to handle the hardships it will face.

Exposure to Difficulties Over Time

The right way to do this is to expose the seedling to its final environment a little at a time. It must be allowed to experience the wind, the heat, the sun, and the critters, that it will eventually grow in and amongst.

By conditioning the plant a little at a time, the roots grow strong. The stems grow strong. Little by little they become so strong that they can fully withstand what their environment will bring.

Just Like Us

Seeds cannot be planted in poor soil with other plants that will be aggressive and overpower them. In verse 18 it talks about seeds being sown in thorny ground. This refers to aggressive weeds that push in and overpower. Only strong mature plants can hold their own against them.

Verse 19 refers to a seed that does take root, but is unfruitful because of the 'cares of this life'. No matter the plant, it must be fed, cared for, and maintained. Even weeds will die in the harshest of climates.

You Can Tell a Persons Soil by the Contagion They Spread

I referred to the previous blog The Most Toxic Contagion earlier. As I said, we have a choice what contagion we spread. We can spread good and encouraging words, or not. But it will simply be a force of will that is only sporadically successful if we are not rooted in good soil and routinely fed and nurtured.

To make that shift from spreading toxic ...

]]> Sun, 24 May 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 653 What Soil Are You Planted In?

Some of you may know that I love to garden. I also love house plants. Over the past few years I have been trying to systematically replace all my old fake plants with real live plants.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I knew in order to do it well, on a budget, and in a way to be able to keep up with them, I had to do it one or two at a time.

Gardening is My Hobby

I often post about my plants on FB and word has gotten around that many of my plants have been given to me by friends who know I love them. Often they are plants they no longer want and are ready to give away.

The more I am gifted and post about it, the more I am given. It is wonderful!

Plant Propagation

Also, I propagate many of my plants. Of course the philodendrons are an easy vine to propagate. I have several vines I've had success with. There are a few other plants as well that I have tried and it has worked for me.

Part of my success is that I have and continue, to watch some very successful and knowledgeable gardeners on YouTube. Even though opinions often vary widely, they all agree on one thing, the soil is a critical key in the survival and growth of the plant.

Learn From The Best

Through the years companies who sell various soil to the consumer have tested their soil and modified it to create the best environment for plants. You can find a wealth of different types of packaged soil to buy for your particular need.

If you want success in growing plants you must not dismiss the importance of soil.

The bible talks about planting and soil often. We know that to have faith we need good soil and we must cultivate that seed of faith that we have been given.

There is other soil though that I want to talk about today.

We Choose Our Soil

This is the everyday soil that we all surround ourselves with. Last week I wrote about the most toxic contagion. With our words we spread massive amounts of contagion every single day. We have a choice about what we say and how we say it to spread positive and beneficial contagions or destructive and demoralizing ones.

It is our choice what we spread. But, there is a key element that will either keep us from being able to choose the right thing, or will keep us mired in toxin.

That is the soil we are planted in.

Our Soil Determines our Contagion

There is an old saying that seemed novel back when I was a computer science major in college. That saying was true then and it is still true today.

Garbage In Garbage Out

Whatever is fed into or programed into a computer will determine what will come out. The same is true for us. What are we watching on TV? Who are we spending time with? What are we discussing with our friends? What thoughts are we allowing our minds to dwell on? What are we reading?


Excuses Don't Fix the Problem

Any source that inputs data into us is soil we are growing in.

Let's look again with that fresh insight at the Parable of the Sower in the book of Mark.

Mark 4:14-20 14 "The sower sows the word. 15 "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

I've included the portion where Jesus is explaining this to the disciples rather than the verses before where he was actually giving the parable.

You Can't Change the Rules of Nature

This is all about seeds, plants, growth, and roots. In my experience it is so much easier to repot a thriving plant, or to take a cutting off of a healthy plant and encourage it to grow roots. The hardest thing for me is to take a simple seed and grow it. Mature plants, like mature Christians, are much sturdier to the elements of nature.

With seeds it may all start out fine in a tiny calculated environment. With the right soil and light I can get a seed to germinate and grow. But, I will be honest with you, I have never successfully been able to take that small seedling and transplant it out into my garden.

It Takes Patience to Make it Work

It can be and is done all the time. Those gardeners have patience and the skill to nurture and train that seedling to withstand the harshness of the world outside. I haven't as of yet.

If a seed is sown directly outside, the birds often come and pluck it right up for food and it never even gets a chance. That could be like verse 14 where the enemy soon plucks away the seed.

Then we may get a seedling to germinate. But, if we attempt to put it out into the world too soon, it will be only temporary and will immediately die when affliction or persecution comes its way.

Getting that seedling to the right strong stage indoors can be challenging. It can only flourish so long in that small container with limited food content and environmental conditions. At some point it will have to be replanted.

What is Your Purpose

If it is intended to be a houseplant, then the environment may change very little, but the food source, the soil will grow and hopefully contain room and food for the roots to grow large and strong.

If that same seedling is to be planted outside, then it must be conditioned to handle the hardships it will face.

Exposure to Difficulties Over Time

The right way to do this is to expose the seedling to its final environment a little at a time. It must be allowed to experience the wind, the heat, the sun, and the critters, that it will eventually grow in and amongst.

By conditioning the plant a little at a time, the roots grow strong. The stems grow strong. Little by little they become so strong that they can fully withstand what their environment will bring.

Just Like Us

Seeds cannot be planted in poor soil with other plants that will be aggressive and overpower them. In verse 18 it talks about seeds being sown in thorny ground. This refers to aggressive weeds that push in and overpower. Only strong mature plants can hold their own against them.

Verse 19 refers to a seed that does take root, but is unfruitful because of the 'cares of this life'. No matter the plant, it must be fed, cared for, and maintained. Even weeds will die in the harshest of climates.

You Can Tell a Persons Soil by the Contagion They Spread

I referred to the previous blog The Most Toxic Contagion earlier. As I said, we have a choice what contagion we spread. We can spread good and encouraging words, or not. But it will simply be a force of will that is only sporadically successful if we are not rooted in good soil and routinely fed and nurtured.

To make that shift from spreading toxic ...

]]> No Another Centipede | Miracle Story - Episode 12 1 1 12 12 Another Centipede | Miracle Story - Episode 12 full 7184a796-9400-42bb-83eb-02f6dac629b1 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Another Centipede

There is another centipede event that happened where Lacey sat on a centipede. These happened about a year apart and after writing about the other one I realized that this one actually happened first. Still about a centipede, but a totally different situation.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Centipede Story Part Dux

When my youngest son Kendon was still in his infant seat, not the elaborate contraptions they are now, I had carried him into the laundry room with me one day while I did laundry. I was taking the clothes out of the washer and putting them in the dryer.

Back then when I had a lot of jeans, I would take them out of the washer and use my hand to press out the wrinkles and then fold them a couple of times before throwing them into the dryer. This nearly eliminated all wrinkles on the stiff denim and it still is a trick I use today.

Distracted Chatter

While I was engaged in what I was doing, I would chat at the baby, not really looking down at him but a bit of a distracted glance here and there.

Then, as I made another distracted glance, I heard Holy Spirit say, "Stop and watch."

I was surprised. I could sense His urgency, so instead of glancing away I stood and watched. As I watched my five or six month old baby, I saw a huge centipede crawl from up under his back and up around his tummy. In a mother's panic I started to just reach out and grab that centipede off of him.

Stop!

But, right before I did, I heard, "Stop! Slide yours hands under his arms and lift him up. Then, rest his bottom on the floor."

I did just that. With my heart beating hard, I slid my hands gently under his arms and slowly lifted him up. Then, just as I was told, I rested his bottom on the floor still holding him. Then the centipede just crawled off of him and onto the floor.

Exhilaration and Gratitude

A rush of exhilaration flooded me and I drew him to me and hugged him hard. I cried from relief as I praised God for what He had done. Kendon had been active in the infant seat. He was a content baby, but still was actively moving and waving his hands while in the seat. His movement could have triggered that centipede at any moment to bite him. But, God.

Still, that isn't the end of the story.

But Wait. There's More

I finished putting the clothes quickly in the dryer and left the laundry room. I just wanted out of there.

The thought of the centipede didn't cross my mind after that. I was only thankful for what had happened. But, later that day when I was out running errands, it occurred to me that the live centipede was loose in the house. It was apparent that there was a place where he was coming in and could go back out, so I prayed to God.


Where Was the Centipede

He had spared us from it once, so He would do it again. I just voiced my concern to Him and asked Him to kill that centipede for me.

When we got home and I was getting ready to walk into the house from the back patio, I looked down at our dog's water bowl. In there floated a large centipede. Once again I broke out in tears of gratitude. He had answered my prayer.

Are You a Skeptic or a Believer

Skeptics might say that it could have been any centipede, but I knew in my heart that it was not. It was an absurd thing to see a dead centipede floating in a bowl of water. I had lived in the country for 23 years and had never seen such a thing before. In fact I had never seen any insect floating in a bowl of water. They just do not go there on their own.

This very miracle, gave me the confidence to know that my baby girl would be fine too when she sat on the centipede. Two very different miracles. Two very different salvations. One type of enemy.

God could have done the exact same miracle both times. He could have instructed me the same with Lacey before she sat on the centipede. Maybe He had and I was too distracted talking to my friend to notice.

God Chooses How to Do a Miracle

But, the most important take-away is that He can give us a miracle in many different ways. We often put Him in a box and decide that this is the way the miracle should happen and we pray for it to happen in that way. But, He is much more powerful and creative than we are. Let Him do what needs to be done in His way.

Also, let me emphasize that I had no idea I needed a miracle until God showed me the centipede. This was not a direct result of me praying for a miracle. He was watching over me. I trusted Him everyday for that very thing and He did not disappoint. I still trust Him like that today.

God is No Respecter of Persons

Let me encourage you today that these miracles that I have been writing about are to encourage you that you too, can have miracles in your life. I am not someone special and God is no respecter of persons. Writing about these are meant to encourage you to believe for your own.

He can - He wants to - He will - Trust Him

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-12


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Another Centipede

There is another centipede event that happened where Lacey sat on a centipede. These happened about a year apart and after writing about the other one I realized that this one actually happened first. Still about a centipede, but a totally different situation.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Centipede Story Part Dux

When my youngest son Kendon was still in his infant seat, not the elaborate contraptions they are now, I had carried him into the laundry room with me one day while I did laundry. I was taking the clothes out of the washer and putting them in the dryer.

Back then when I had a lot of jeans, I would take them out of the washer and use my hand to press out the wrinkles and then fold them a couple of times before throwing them into the dryer. This nearly eliminated all wrinkles on the stiff denim and it still is a trick I use today.

Distracted Chatter

While I was engaged in what I was doing, I would chat at the baby, not really looking down at him but a bit of a distracted glance here and there.

Then, as I made another distracted glance, I heard Holy Spirit say, "Stop and watch."

I was surprised. I could sense His urgency, so instead of glancing away I stood and watched. As I watched my five or six month old baby, I saw a huge centipede crawl from up under his back and up around his tummy. In a mother's panic I started to just reach out and grab that centipede off of him.

Stop!

But, right before I did, I heard, "Stop! Slide yours hands under his arms and lift him up. Then, rest his bottom on the floor."

I did just that. With my heart beating hard, I slid my hands gently under his arms and slowly lifted him up. Then, just as I was told, I rested his bottom on the floor still holding him. Then the centipede just crawled off of him and onto the floor.

Exhilaration and Gratitude

A rush of exhilaration flooded me and I drew him to me and hugged him hard. I cried from relief as I praised God for what He had done. Kendon had been active in the infant seat. He was a content baby, but still was actively moving and waving his hands while in the seat. His movement could have triggered that centipede at any moment to bite him. But, God.

Still, that isn't the end of the story.

But Wait. There's More

I finished putting the clothes quickly in the dryer and left the laundry room. I just wanted out of there.

The thought of the centipede didn't cross my mind after that. I was only thankful for what had happened. But, later that day when I was out running errands, it occurred to me that the live centipede was loose in the house. It was apparent that there was a place where he was coming in and could go back out, so I prayed to God.


Where Was the Centipede

He had spared us from it once, so He would do it again. I just voiced my concern to Him and asked Him to kill that centipede for me.

When we got home and I was getting ready to walk into the house from the back patio, I looked down at our dog's water bowl. In there floated a large centipede. Once again I broke out in tears of gratitude. He had answered my prayer.

Are You a Skeptic or a Believer

Skeptics might say that it could have been any centipede, but I knew in my heart that it was not. It was an absurd thing to see a dead centipede floating in a bowl of water. I had lived in the country for 23 years and had never seen such a thing before. In fact I had never seen any insect floating in a bowl of water. They just do not go there on their own.

This very miracle, gave me the confidence to know that my baby girl would be fine too when she sat on the centipede. Two very different miracles. Two very different salvations. One type of enemy.

God could have done the exact same miracle both times. He could have instructed me the same with Lacey before she sat on the centipede. Maybe He had and I was too distracted talking to my friend to notice.

God Chooses How to Do a Miracle

But, the most important take-away is that He can give us a miracle in many different ways. We often put Him in a box and decide that this is the way the miracle should happen and we pray for it to happen in that way. But, He is much more powerful and creative than we are. Let Him do what needs to be done in His way.

Also, let me emphasize that I had no idea I needed a miracle until God showed me the centipede. This was not a direct result of me praying for a miracle. He was watching over me. I trusted Him everyday for that very thing and He did not disappoint. I still trust Him like that today.

God is No Respecter of Persons

Let me encourage you today that these miracles that I have been writing about are to encourage you that you too, can have miracles in your life. I am not someone special and God is no respecter of persons. Writing about these are meant to encourage you to believe for your own.

He can - He wants to - He will - Trust Him

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-12


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Sun, 24 May 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 361 Another Centipede

There is another centipede event that happened where Lacey sat on a centipede. These happened about a year apart and after writing about the other one I realized that this one actually happened first. Still about a centipede, but a totally different situation.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Centipede Story Part Dux

When my youngest son Kendon was still in his infant seat, not the elaborate contraptions they are now, I had carried him into the laundry room with me one day while I did laundry. I was taking the clothes out of the washer and putting them in the dryer.

Back then when I had a lot of jeans, I would take them out of the washer and use my hand to press out the wrinkles and then fold them a couple of times before throwing them into the dryer. This nearly eliminated all wrinkles on the stiff denim and it still is a trick I use today.

Distracted Chatter

While I was engaged in what I was doing, I would chat at the baby, not really looking down at him but a bit of a distracted glance here and there.

Then, as I made another distracted glance, I heard Holy Spirit say, "Stop and watch."

I was surprised. I could sense His urgency, so instead of glancing away I stood and watched. As I watched my five or six month old baby, I saw a huge centipede crawl from up under his back and up around his tummy. In a mother's panic I started to just reach out and grab that centipede off of him.

Stop!

But, right before I did, I heard, "Stop! Slide yours hands under his arms and lift him up. Then, rest his bottom on the floor."

I did just that. With my heart beating hard, I slid my hands gently under his arms and slowly lifted him up. Then, just as I was told, I rested his bottom on the floor still holding him. Then the centipede just crawled off of him and onto the floor.

Exhilaration and Gratitude

A rush of exhilaration flooded me and I drew him to me and hugged him hard. I cried from relief as I praised God for what He had done. Kendon had been active in the infant seat. He was a content baby, but still was actively moving and waving his hands while in the seat. His movement could have triggered that centipede at any moment to bite him. But, God.

Still, that isn't the end of the story.

But Wait. There's More

I finished putting the clothes quickly in the dryer and left the laundry room. I just wanted out of there.

The thought of the centipede didn't cross my mind after that. I was only thankful for what had happened. But, later that day when I was out running errands, it occurred to me that the live centipede was loose in the house. It was apparent that there was a place where he was coming in and could go back out, so I prayed to God.


Where Was the Centipede

He had spared us from it once, so He would do it again. I just voiced my concern to Him and asked Him to kill that centipede for me.

When we got home and I was getting ready to walk into the house from the back patio, I looked down at our dog's water bowl. In there floated a large centipede. Once again I broke out in tears of gratitude. He had answered my prayer.

Are You a Skeptic or a Believer

Skeptics might say that it could have been any centipede, but I knew in my heart that it was not. It was an absurd thing to see a dead centipede floating in a bowl of water. I had lived in the country for 23 years and had never seen such a thing before. In fact I had never seen any insect floating in a bowl of water. They just do not go there on their own.

This very miracle, gave me the confidence to know that my baby girl would be fine too when she sat on the centipede. Two very different miracles. Two very different salvations. One type of enemy.

God could have done the exact same miracle both times. He could have instructed me the same with Lacey before she sat on the centipede. Maybe He had and I was too distracted talking to my friend to notice.

God Chooses How to Do a Miracle

But, the most important take-away is that He can give us a miracle in many different ways. We often put Him in a box and decide that this is the way the miracle should happen and we pray for it to happen in that way. But, He is much more powerful and creative than we are. Let Him do what needs to be done in His way.

Also, let me emphasize that I had no idea I needed a miracle until God showed me the centipede. This was not a direct result of me praying for a miracle. He was watching over me. I trusted Him everyday for that very thing and He did not disappoint. I still trust Him like that today.

God is No Respecter of Persons

Let me encourage you today that these miracles that I have been writing about are to encourage you that you too, can have miracles in your life. I am not someone special and God is no respecter of persons. Writing about these are meant to encourage you to believe for your own.

He can - He wants to - He will - Trust Him

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-12


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> No The Most Toxic Contagion | Archive Story - Episode 11 1 1 11 11 The Most Toxic Contagion | Archive Story - Episode 11 full 38d77619-bb1f-453f-bc26-7581108e378c https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ The Most Toxic Contagion

During the past two years living in this pandemic we have heard certain words frequently. One is carrier and another is contagion.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We Are All Carriers of Something

The other day I was thinking about certain people in my life and how being around them just made me feel better in general. Then I realized that there were yet others through the years that, despite my best efforts, would bring me down.

Then I realized we are all carriers of something. We all have an emotional and spiritual contagion that we spread with every word we speak and every body movement and facial expression we make.

What Do You Spread

I have a passion to see people succeed and therefore I am always attempting to be encouraging and helpful in whatever way I can be. I don't feel threatened by others success, in fact I feel elated to see that maybe through an encouraging word or sharing a bit of knowledge, I have put a little wind in their sails.

Thinking back through my own life, there have been people that have served me well in that way. They were encouraging and cheering me on. They would give a bit of well timed and much needed advice. I'm not talking about people who are 'yes' people, who no matter what I do or say, they agree with it. I am referring to sincere encouragers, who also have the courage to speak the truth to me in compassion.

Well Meaning, or Not

Then there were others who would say things that would not be encouraging. I don't think they meant to deflate my hope sale, but the result was the same.

When someone is struggling in their own business, pointing out all the reasons why success for them is a slim chance, is not the thing to do. Pointing out why the odds are stacked against them is not encouraging, at all. And, I do not know why people feel compelled to do that.

When someone is sick and you believe in faith, or you partake of a certain lifestyle that you are convinced will keep you well, it does not help to point out the reason that they may be sick is because they do not adhere to the way you believe or live, even if it is true.

When someone is engaging in a lifestyle that is dangerous and even taking them down a path you know is destructive, don't be arrogant and derogatory in your delivery of that fact to them. It may need to be said, but seeds planted without compassion will ensure they do not take root and thrive. In fact the opposite is true. Even well meaning seeds planted without compassion will grow toxic roots.


The Soil The Toxin is Grown From

Any word said, any action taken, must be done with compassion. That is the only way to build a bridge to deliver the word you wish to say. We also need to look at what motivates us to carry an emotional contagion to others that will cause them harm.

Some people really love spreading the emotional contagion of fear. There are more variants of this horrific emotional disease than any other I can think of. Some avoid spreading some variants while feeling wholly justified in engaging in others.

We Disobey When We Fear

Even though we may know that the bible says over and over again that fear is wrong and not from God, we decide we are justified in engaging in it and more often that not being a carrier of this evil emotional contagion.

Everyone will have fear come to them in their mind and say the worst will happen in any given circumstance. It happens to us all. But, we are told not to entertain fear in any form.

We know we are not to fear in any form. But, we choose to do it anyway.

James 4:17 So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin. NASB

James is quite blunt in his book of the bible, but I love the matter of fact way that he delivers the truth.

You Do Not Have Faith When You Fear

Fear and faith do not, cannot coexist in one mind and one heart. Faith will free you while fear will bind you and yet we make multiple excuses why it is okay to defy God's word and entertain fear anyway.

I often hear people say that fearing in this way or that way is wisdom. That is justification for sin. Fear will never keep you from trouble or guide you to a right decision. But faith will.

James 1:5 5) Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6) But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7) That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8) He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. NASB (emphasis mine)

Good ole' James, blunt as ever.

What's The Big Deal

Why is this a big deal? I've seen a massive rise in fear and fear carriers over the past two years. Many feed on the media that feeds fear to the public, being essentially ground zero for generating fear.

As the public watches, their fear and anxiety grows and discouragement sets in. Once they have been infected with the emotional contagion of fear, then they become a carrier and everyone they talk to has the potential to become infected themselves. On and on it goes.

And - It Is Growing Worse

There is a weird comfort that people feel when spreading fear. It is the same sort of intoxication as spreading gossip. There is some type of endorphin released that causes a momentary satisfaction that comes straight from the enemy to keep us spreading the toxic contagion. However, the euphoria quickly dissipates and therefore like a drug addiction, needs to be repeated often.

We are ALL carriers of something. We can all choose what we are carriers of.

I made the choice for myself a very long time ago that I will do my best to remain infected with genuine love, genuine hope, genuine peace, genuine excitement, genuine encouragement, and to be a profuse carrier of those emotional contagions wherever I go. The only way I can have them to share is to get them from their ground zero which is Father God.

Choose Your Contagion

Let me encourage you today to disengage from the toxic carriers of emotional contagions and plug-in and engage with the one true source of life. We can turn this around. We can infect people with hope, and love.

I recently wrote about the sadness of unanswered prayers. This is a good opportunity to ask yourself, could my unanswered prayers be because I am double-minded wavering from fear to an attempt at faith. If so, then do whatever you need to do to rid yourself of the toxic contagion of fear. You will never regret it.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/the-most-toxic-contagion


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/...

]]> The Most Toxic Contagion

During the past two years living in this pandemic we have heard certain words frequently. One is carrier and another is contagion.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We Are All Carriers of Something

The other day I was thinking about certain people in my life and how being around them just made me feel better in general. Then I realized that there were yet others through the years that, despite my best efforts, would bring me down.

Then I realized we are all carriers of something. We all have an emotional and spiritual contagion that we spread with every word we speak and every body movement and facial expression we make.

What Do You Spread

I have a passion to see people succeed and therefore I am always attempting to be encouraging and helpful in whatever way I can be. I don't feel threatened by others success, in fact I feel elated to see that maybe through an encouraging word or sharing a bit of knowledge, I have put a little wind in their sails.

Thinking back through my own life, there have been people that have served me well in that way. They were encouraging and cheering me on. They would give a bit of well timed and much needed advice. I'm not talking about people who are 'yes' people, who no matter what I do or say, they agree with it. I am referring to sincere encouragers, who also have the courage to speak the truth to me in compassion.

Well Meaning, or Not

Then there were others who would say things that would not be encouraging. I don't think they meant to deflate my hope sale, but the result was the same.

When someone is struggling in their own business, pointing out all the reasons why success for them is a slim chance, is not the thing to do. Pointing out why the odds are stacked against them is not encouraging, at all. And, I do not know why people feel compelled to do that.

When someone is sick and you believe in faith, or you partake of a certain lifestyle that you are convinced will keep you well, it does not help to point out the reason that they may be sick is because they do not adhere to the way you believe or live, even if it is true.

When someone is engaging in a lifestyle that is dangerous and even taking them down a path you know is destructive, don't be arrogant and derogatory in your delivery of that fact to them. It may need to be said, but seeds planted without compassion will ensure they do not take root and thrive. In fact the opposite is true. Even well meaning seeds planted without compassion will grow toxic roots.


The Soil The Toxin is Grown From

Any word said, any action taken, must be done with compassion. That is the only way to build a bridge to deliver the word you wish to say. We also need to look at what motivates us to carry an emotional contagion to others that will cause them harm.

Some people really love spreading the emotional contagion of fear. There are more variants of this horrific emotional disease than any other I can think of. Some avoid spreading some variants while feeling wholly justified in engaging in others.

We Disobey When We Fear

Even though we may know that the bible says over and over again that fear is wrong and not from God, we decide we are justified in engaging in it and more often that not being a carrier of this evil emotional contagion.

Everyone will have fear come to them in their mind and say the worst will happen in any given circumstance. It happens to us all. But, we are told not to entertain fear in any form.

We know we are not to fear in any form. But, we choose to do it anyway.

James 4:17 So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin. NASB

James is quite blunt in his book of the bible, but I love the matter of fact way that he delivers the truth.

You Do Not Have Faith When You Fear

Fear and faith do not, cannot coexist in one mind and one heart. Faith will free you while fear will bind you and yet we make multiple excuses why it is okay to defy God's word and entertain fear anyway.

I often hear people say that fearing in this way or that way is wisdom. That is justification for sin. Fear will never keep you from trouble or guide you to a right decision. But faith will.

James 1:5 5) Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6) But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7) That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8) He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. NASB (emphasis mine)

Good ole' James, blunt as ever.

What's The Big Deal

Why is this a big deal? I've seen a massive rise in fear and fear carriers over the past two years. Many feed on the media that feeds fear to the public, being essentially ground zero for generating fear.

As the public watches, their fear and anxiety grows and discouragement sets in. Once they have been infected with the emotional contagion of fear, then they become a carrier and everyone they talk to has the potential to become infected themselves. On and on it goes.

And - It Is Growing Worse

There is a weird comfort that people feel when spreading fear. It is the same sort of intoxication as spreading gossip. There is some type of endorphin released that causes a momentary satisfaction that comes straight from the enemy to keep us spreading the toxic contagion. However, the euphoria quickly dissipates and therefore like a drug addiction, needs to be repeated often.

We are ALL carriers of something. We can all choose what we are carriers of.

I made the choice for myself a very long time ago that I will do my best to remain infected with genuine love, genuine hope, genuine peace, genuine excitement, genuine encouragement, and to be a profuse carrier of those emotional contagions wherever I go. The only way I can have them to share is to get them from their ground zero which is Father God.

Choose Your Contagion

Let me encourage you today to disengage from the toxic carriers of emotional contagions and plug-in and engage with the one true source of life. We can turn this around. We can infect people with hope, and love.

I recently wrote about the sadness of unanswered prayers. This is a good opportunity to ask yourself, could my unanswered prayers be because I am double-minded wavering from fear to an attempt at faith. If so, then do whatever you need to do to rid yourself of the toxic contagion of fear. You will never regret it.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/the-most-toxic-contagion


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/...

]]> Sun, 17 May 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 522 The Most Toxic Contagion

During the past two years living in this pandemic we have heard certain words frequently. One is carrier and another is contagion.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We Are All Carriers of Something

The other day I was thinking about certain people in my life and how being around them just made me feel better in general. Then I realized that there were yet others through the years that, despite my best efforts, would bring me down.

Then I realized we are all carriers of something. We all have an emotional and spiritual contagion that we spread with every word we speak and every body movement and facial expression we make.

What Do You Spread

I have a passion to see people succeed and therefore I am always attempting to be encouraging and helpful in whatever way I can be. I don't feel threatened by others success, in fact I feel elated to see that maybe through an encouraging word or sharing a bit of knowledge, I have put a little wind in their sails.

Thinking back through my own life, there have been people that have served me well in that way. They were encouraging and cheering me on. They would give a bit of well timed and much needed advice. I'm not talking about people who are 'yes' people, who no matter what I do or say, they agree with it. I am referring to sincere encouragers, who also have the courage to speak the truth to me in compassion.

Well Meaning, or Not

Then there were others who would say things that would not be encouraging. I don't think they meant to deflate my hope sale, but the result was the same.

When someone is struggling in their own business, pointing out all the reasons why success for them is a slim chance, is not the thing to do. Pointing out why the odds are stacked against them is not encouraging, at all. And, I do not know why people feel compelled to do that.

When someone is sick and you believe in faith, or you partake of a certain lifestyle that you are convinced will keep you well, it does not help to point out the reason that they may be sick is because they do not adhere to the way you believe or live, even if it is true.

When someone is engaging in a lifestyle that is dangerous and even taking them down a path you know is destructive, don't be arrogant and derogatory in your delivery of that fact to them. It may need to be said, but seeds planted without compassion will ensure they do not take root and thrive. In fact the opposite is true. Even well meaning seeds planted without compassion will grow toxic roots.


The Soil The Toxin is Grown From

Any word said, any action taken, must be done with compassion. That is the only way to build a bridge to deliver the word you wish to say. We also need to look at what motivates us to carry an emotional contagion to others that will cause them harm.

Some people really love spreading the emotional contagion of fear. There are more variants of this horrific emotional disease than any other I can think of. Some avoid spreading some variants while feeling wholly justified in engaging in others.

We Disobey When We Fear

Even though we may know that the bible says over and over again that fear is wrong and not from God, we decide we are justified in engaging in it and more often that not being a carrier of this evil emotional contagion.

Everyone will have fear come to them in their mind and say the worst will happen in any given circumstance. It happens to us all. But, we are told not to entertain fear in any form.

We know we are not to fear in any form. But, we choose to do it anyway.

James 4:17 So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin. NASB

James is quite blunt in his book of the bible, but I love the matter of fact way that he delivers the truth.

You Do Not Have Faith When You Fear

Fear and faith do not, cannot coexist in one mind and one heart. Faith will free you while fear will bind you and yet we make multiple excuses why it is okay to defy God's word and entertain fear anyway.

I often hear people say that fearing in this way or that way is wisdom. That is justification for sin. Fear will never keep you from trouble or guide you to a right decision. But faith will.

James 1:5 5) Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6) But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7) That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8) He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. NASB (emphasis mine)

Good ole' James, blunt as ever.

What's The Big Deal

Why is this a big deal? I've seen a massive rise in fear and fear carriers over the past two years. Many feed on the media that feeds fear to the public, being essentially ground zero for generating fear.

As the public watches, their fear and anxiety grows and discouragement sets in. Once they have been infected with the emotional contagion of fear, then they become a carrier and everyone they talk to has the potential to become infected themselves. On and on it goes.

And - It Is Growing Worse

There is a weird comfort that people feel when spreading fear. It is the same sort of intoxication as spreading gossip. There is some type of endorphin released that causes a momentary satisfaction that comes straight from the enemy to keep us spreading the toxic contagion. However, the euphoria quickly dissipates and therefore like a drug addiction, needs to be repeated often.

We are ALL carriers of something. We can all choose what we are carriers of.

I made the choice for myself a very long time ago that I will do my best to remain infected with genuine love, genuine hope, genuine peace, genuine excitement, genuine encouragement, and to be a profuse carrier of those emotional contagions wherever I go. The only way I can have them to share is to get them from their ground zero which is Father God.

Choose Your Contagion

Let me encourage you today to disengage from the toxic carriers of emotional contagions and plug-in and engage with the one true source of life. We can turn this around. We can infect people with hope, and love.

I recently wrote about the sadness of unanswered prayers. This is a good opportunity to ask yourself, could my unanswered prayers be because I am double-minded wavering from fear to an attempt at faith. If so, then do whatever you need to do to rid yourself of the toxic contagion of fear. You will never regret it.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/the-most-toxic-contagion


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/...

]]> No My Daughters First Healing Miracle | Miracle Story - Episode 11 1 1 11 11 My Daughters First Healing Miracle | Miracle Story - Episode 11 full 927520ae-b640-4863-a4a5-a5070c251865 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ My Daughters First Healing Miracle

Insects, bugs, varmints, and so many other creatures can and will be included in my writings about miracles. I could have lumped them all in together, but each individual circumstance has its own unique elements that I feel should be included and will be encouraging to you.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Critters

This particular one is about the prayers of a child. My first post was of me praying as a child and the incredible way that Father God responded with compassion so quickly and thoroughly. This is so similar yet equally miraculous.

One day when my daughter Lacey was about four years old, I was standing outside at the end of this little brick pathway I had made from our patio to the driveway. I was standing talking to a friend who was leaving and had walked out to say goodbye.

My daughter Lacey came out with me and had brought her roller skates. She sat down at the very end of the brick walk to put them on and almost immediately began screaming. When I responded by picking her up I saw the she had sat on the end of a large centipede. The dirt had washed away from the end of the bricks and I believe they had a nest up in the open holes.

She Was Bitten Several Times

As she sat down she had sat on one end and then the centipede proceeded to keep popping its, other end up and biting her on her bottom. It happened fast, but there were three or four distinct bites and they were causing her excruciating pain.

Her bottom was beginning to swell and I didn't know what to do. I quickly went down to my mom's house where she and Lacey's dad both were. Everyone was very alarmed because just in the very short half mile ride, the swelling and redness had increased.

Rushed to the Doctor

My mother's brother was a doctor in a town about an hour away from us. My mom called him to see what we should do. It alarmed him so much that he said get her here, now! So Lacey's dad and I jumped in the car and hurried to get her to my uncle's clinic where he said he would be waiting on us.

I was holding Lacey in the front passenger seat of my car while her dad drove. She was an ardent thumb sucker and was laying in my lap sucking her thumb. About half way through the trip I kept hearing something and I looked down and thought she was saying something, but with her thumb in her mouth it was difficult to tell.


I Could Hear Her Mumbling

I asked her if she was okay, and she nodded yes. I looked back up and continued watching the road ahead and began to hear the sound again. It was like a whispering sound. I looked back down at her and asked her once again if she was okay. She nodded and pulled her thumb out of her mouth just enough to say, "I'm okay mommy, I'm just praying."

My heart was overwhelmed with emotion. She was very calm and not in pain. I wasn't sure when she had stopped crying and screaming and had became so calm. I was just focused on getting her the help she needed. She was very tiny for her age and I knew those centipedes were toxic and that many bites could easily cause great harm to a child so small.

We Finally Got to the Clinic

When we pulled into the clinic parking lot my uncle had been standing at the glass door and quickly opened it to let us in. He hurried us back to an exam room. I sat her on the table and pulled her shorts down.

Her dad, my uncle, and I just stood and stared. There were no bites where there had just been three or four! My uncle looked at me and said, "She hasn't been bitten."

Both her dad and I confirmed that she had indeed been bit. He looked her over good, both sides of her bottom, and there were no bites at all, anywhere on her body. There was no redness, no swelling, or any indication at all that there had been a bite.

Many Witnesses Confirmed

He really did have a hard time believing us. But, we knew God had done another miracle for us, and this time I believe it was in a direct response to my baby girl's prayers.

God could have just reduced the swelling and diluted the toxin so that it would not harm her, but He completely healed and removed all signs of the bites. There were no puncture wounds at all. My mom had seen them, Lacey's dad had seen them, and I had seen them, and her red and swelling bottom.

Then there were none.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-11


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

 Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> My Daughters First Healing Miracle

Insects, bugs, varmints, and so many other creatures can and will be included in my writings about miracles. I could have lumped them all in together, but each individual circumstance has its own unique elements that I feel should be included and will be encouraging to you.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Critters

This particular one is about the prayers of a child. My first post was of me praying as a child and the incredible way that Father God responded with compassion so quickly and thoroughly. This is so similar yet equally miraculous.

One day when my daughter Lacey was about four years old, I was standing outside at the end of this little brick pathway I had made from our patio to the driveway. I was standing talking to a friend who was leaving and had walked out to say goodbye.

My daughter Lacey came out with me and had brought her roller skates. She sat down at the very end of the brick walk to put them on and almost immediately began screaming. When I responded by picking her up I saw the she had sat on the end of a large centipede. The dirt had washed away from the end of the bricks and I believe they had a nest up in the open holes.

She Was Bitten Several Times

As she sat down she had sat on one end and then the centipede proceeded to keep popping its, other end up and biting her on her bottom. It happened fast, but there were three or four distinct bites and they were causing her excruciating pain.

Her bottom was beginning to swell and I didn't know what to do. I quickly went down to my mom's house where she and Lacey's dad both were. Everyone was very alarmed because just in the very short half mile ride, the swelling and redness had increased.

Rushed to the Doctor

My mother's brother was a doctor in a town about an hour away from us. My mom called him to see what we should do. It alarmed him so much that he said get her here, now! So Lacey's dad and I jumped in the car and hurried to get her to my uncle's clinic where he said he would be waiting on us.

I was holding Lacey in the front passenger seat of my car while her dad drove. She was an ardent thumb sucker and was laying in my lap sucking her thumb. About half way through the trip I kept hearing something and I looked down and thought she was saying something, but with her thumb in her mouth it was difficult to tell.


I Could Hear Her Mumbling

I asked her if she was okay, and she nodded yes. I looked back up and continued watching the road ahead and began to hear the sound again. It was like a whispering sound. I looked back down at her and asked her once again if she was okay. She nodded and pulled her thumb out of her mouth just enough to say, "I'm okay mommy, I'm just praying."

My heart was overwhelmed with emotion. She was very calm and not in pain. I wasn't sure when she had stopped crying and screaming and had became so calm. I was just focused on getting her the help she needed. She was very tiny for her age and I knew those centipedes were toxic and that many bites could easily cause great harm to a child so small.

We Finally Got to the Clinic

When we pulled into the clinic parking lot my uncle had been standing at the glass door and quickly opened it to let us in. He hurried us back to an exam room. I sat her on the table and pulled her shorts down.

Her dad, my uncle, and I just stood and stared. There were no bites where there had just been three or four! My uncle looked at me and said, "She hasn't been bitten."

Both her dad and I confirmed that she had indeed been bit. He looked her over good, both sides of her bottom, and there were no bites at all, anywhere on her body. There was no redness, no swelling, or any indication at all that there had been a bite.

Many Witnesses Confirmed

He really did have a hard time believing us. But, we knew God had done another miracle for us, and this time I believe it was in a direct response to my baby girl's prayers.

God could have just reduced the swelling and diluted the toxin so that it would not harm her, but He completely healed and removed all signs of the bites. There were no puncture wounds at all. My mom had seen them, Lacey's dad had seen them, and I had seen them, and her red and swelling bottom.

Then there were none.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-11


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

 Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Sun, 17 May 2026 07:50:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 308 My Daughters First Healing Miracle

Insects, bugs, varmints, and so many other creatures can and will be included in my writings about miracles. I could have lumped them all in together, but each individual circumstance has its own unique elements that I feel should be included and will be encouraging to you.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Critters

This particular one is about the prayers of a child. My first post was of me praying as a child and the incredible way that Father God responded with compassion so quickly and thoroughly. This is so similar yet equally miraculous.

One day when my daughter Lacey was about four years old, I was standing outside at the end of this little brick pathway I had made from our patio to the driveway. I was standing talking to a friend who was leaving and had walked out to say goodbye.

My daughter Lacey came out with me and had brought her roller skates. She sat down at the very end of the brick walk to put them on and almost immediately began screaming. When I responded by picking her up I saw the she had sat on the end of a large centipede. The dirt had washed away from the end of the bricks and I believe they had a nest up in the open holes.

She Was Bitten Several Times

As she sat down she had sat on one end and then the centipede proceeded to keep popping its, other end up and biting her on her bottom. It happened fast, but there were three or four distinct bites and they were causing her excruciating pain.

Her bottom was beginning to swell and I didn't know what to do. I quickly went down to my mom's house where she and Lacey's dad both were. Everyone was very alarmed because just in the very short half mile ride, the swelling and redness had increased.

Rushed to the Doctor

My mother's brother was a doctor in a town about an hour away from us. My mom called him to see what we should do. It alarmed him so much that he said get her here, now! So Lacey's dad and I jumped in the car and hurried to get her to my uncle's clinic where he said he would be waiting on us.

I was holding Lacey in the front passenger seat of my car while her dad drove. She was an ardent thumb sucker and was laying in my lap sucking her thumb. About half way through the trip I kept hearing something and I looked down and thought she was saying something, but with her thumb in her mouth it was difficult to tell.


I Could Hear Her Mumbling

I asked her if she was okay, and she nodded yes. I looked back up and continued watching the road ahead and began to hear the sound again. It was like a whispering sound. I looked back down at her and asked her once again if she was okay. She nodded and pulled her thumb out of her mouth just enough to say, "I'm okay mommy, I'm just praying."

My heart was overwhelmed with emotion. She was very calm and not in pain. I wasn't sure when she had stopped crying and screaming and had became so calm. I was just focused on getting her the help she needed. She was very tiny for her age and I knew those centipedes were toxic and that many bites could easily cause great harm to a child so small.

We Finally Got to the Clinic

When we pulled into the clinic parking lot my uncle had been standing at the glass door and quickly opened it to let us in. He hurried us back to an exam room. I sat her on the table and pulled her shorts down.

Her dad, my uncle, and I just stood and stared. There were no bites where there had just been three or four! My uncle looked at me and said, "She hasn't been bitten."

Both her dad and I confirmed that she had indeed been bit. He looked her over good, both sides of her bottom, and there were no bites at all, anywhere on her body. There was no redness, no swelling, or any indication at all that there had been a bite.

Many Witnesses Confirmed

He really did have a hard time believing us. But, we knew God had done another miracle for us, and this time I believe it was in a direct response to my baby girl's prayers.

God could have just reduced the swelling and diluted the toxin so that it would not harm her, but He completely healed and removed all signs of the bites. There were no puncture wounds at all. My mom had seen them, Lacey's dad had seen them, and I had seen them, and her red and swelling bottom.

Then there were none.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-11


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

 Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

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]]> No Foolish and Ignorant Speculations | Archive Story - Episode 10 1 1 10 10 Foolish and Ignorant Speculations | Archive Story - Episode 10 full b81b726f-def2-44cc-81c2-f965e709c264 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Foolish and Ignorant Speculations

Last week I wrote about the importance of history and of love. Two seemingly very disconnected subjects.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

It is human nature to feel that what we are experiencing is worse than anyone else has ever experienced.

My Bad is Worse Than Yours

I remember when I was growing up and I would be with my mother and a group of her friends and how they would try to 'best' each other with their ailments. One would have had a stomach ache and another one would have had one worse.

The same was true with anything they were doing or had experienced. If one had a flat tire, the other had two flat tires. This often made me ponder, even as a child, why do we strive to have more tragedy than the others.

We Are Convinced Things Today Are Worse

Today, we might agree that what happened centuries ago was horrible, but what we are going through is much much worse. We are convinced of this very thing.

Believing that somehow gives us a license to lash out in anyway that gives us a modicum of relief. We think nothing of engaging in petty arguments online in a defensive posture to validate our own opinions and to vilify another's.

2 Timothy 2:22-24

22) Now flee from youthful lusts and purse righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

23) But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.

24) The Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged.


We Feel Compelled to Speak Our Mind

Our urge to speak our piece and drive our opinions down another's throat only serves to burn bridges and has never ever served to change another person's mind. If you genuinely want to present a case for your opinion to another in the hope that they will learn and that it will change their mind, then it must be done in a respectful and diplomatic way.

No matter what the argument is about, if you want to really build a bridge where each side can meet in the middle and maturely discuss the issue, then we have to learn to love them.

But we don't - love them, that is. We hold disdain and we loathe them. So, we resort to childish name calling and pithy remarks to cut them low and make fun of them. And many may read this post and retort that 'they deserve it'.

Do they really? And have we been chosen to demean others, cut them low, because we perceive their opinion or belief about something is wrong? We feel so cocky that we are right in our own opinions and life choices that we feel we have the right to spew verbal accusations that only serve to frustrate us further.

We NEED Genuine Debate & Discussion

There is a time for genuine debate and discussion. However, if we burn so many bridges that no one with an adverse voice to ours will listen, what have we gained?

This topic is something that has burned within me for a long time. I began to feel Holy Spirit conviction a long time ago about this. We have a greater mission than just getting our chosen political official elected, even though that often is a very critical part of our mission here, but it isn't our most important one.

We Have a Mandate From God

We have a mandate from God to love and in that love tell others about the Good News. The Good News that Jesus has died for our sins and that everyone is loved and accepted by Him.

1 John 4:7-12

7) Beloved, let's love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8) The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9) By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him.

10) In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

It is not our mission to change them or their lifestyles. That is up to Holy Spirit. We are to build the bridge with love, deliver the message lovingly, then once they see who Jesus is and accept what He has done for them, Holy Spirit will convict their sin as He does ours, and then He will begin to transform them, as He is doing for us.

Our Message Cannot Be Delivered Without a Bridge to Carry It On

Our message of hope in the one true living/loving God will never be accepted if we are angry and vindictive in our language and actions. If we reserve our love and kindness to those we agree with then we are immature in the faith.

We should never ever feel threatened by another opinion that we feel is wrong. We should be so rooted and grounded in our own belief of the gospel that those adverse voices and opinions don't faze us, but only cause us to have a greater compassion and a desire to pray for them in the isolation of our prayer closet where no one will ever know, but God.

If we were to take one person in our own life with an adverse voice each week and pray for them fervently, then in one year we will have prayed for 52 people with adverse voices and opinions. And maybe, just maybe we will see true change in them, and in us too.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/foolish-and-ignorant-speculations


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Foolish and Ignorant Speculations

Last week I wrote about the importance of history and of love. Two seemingly very disconnected subjects.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

It is human nature to feel that what we are experiencing is worse than anyone else has ever experienced.

My Bad is Worse Than Yours

I remember when I was growing up and I would be with my mother and a group of her friends and how they would try to 'best' each other with their ailments. One would have had a stomach ache and another one would have had one worse.

The same was true with anything they were doing or had experienced. If one had a flat tire, the other had two flat tires. This often made me ponder, even as a child, why do we strive to have more tragedy than the others.

We Are Convinced Things Today Are Worse

Today, we might agree that what happened centuries ago was horrible, but what we are going through is much much worse. We are convinced of this very thing.

Believing that somehow gives us a license to lash out in anyway that gives us a modicum of relief. We think nothing of engaging in petty arguments online in a defensive posture to validate our own opinions and to vilify another's.

2 Timothy 2:22-24

22) Now flee from youthful lusts and purse righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

23) But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.

24) The Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged.


We Feel Compelled to Speak Our Mind

Our urge to speak our piece and drive our opinions down another's throat only serves to burn bridges and has never ever served to change another person's mind. If you genuinely want to present a case for your opinion to another in the hope that they will learn and that it will change their mind, then it must be done in a respectful and diplomatic way.

No matter what the argument is about, if you want to really build a bridge where each side can meet in the middle and maturely discuss the issue, then we have to learn to love them.

But we don't - love them, that is. We hold disdain and we loathe them. So, we resort to childish name calling and pithy remarks to cut them low and make fun of them. And many may read this post and retort that 'they deserve it'.

Do they really? And have we been chosen to demean others, cut them low, because we perceive their opinion or belief about something is wrong? We feel so cocky that we are right in our own opinions and life choices that we feel we have the right to spew verbal accusations that only serve to frustrate us further.

We NEED Genuine Debate & Discussion

There is a time for genuine debate and discussion. However, if we burn so many bridges that no one with an adverse voice to ours will listen, what have we gained?

This topic is something that has burned within me for a long time. I began to feel Holy Spirit conviction a long time ago about this. We have a greater mission than just getting our chosen political official elected, even though that often is a very critical part of our mission here, but it isn't our most important one.

We Have a Mandate From God

We have a mandate from God to love and in that love tell others about the Good News. The Good News that Jesus has died for our sins and that everyone is loved and accepted by Him.

1 John 4:7-12

7) Beloved, let's love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8) The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9) By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him.

10) In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

It is not our mission to change them or their lifestyles. That is up to Holy Spirit. We are to build the bridge with love, deliver the message lovingly, then once they see who Jesus is and accept what He has done for them, Holy Spirit will convict their sin as He does ours, and then He will begin to transform them, as He is doing for us.

Our Message Cannot Be Delivered Without a Bridge to Carry It On

Our message of hope in the one true living/loving God will never be accepted if we are angry and vindictive in our language and actions. If we reserve our love and kindness to those we agree with then we are immature in the faith.

We should never ever feel threatened by another opinion that we feel is wrong. We should be so rooted and grounded in our own belief of the gospel that those adverse voices and opinions don't faze us, but only cause us to have a greater compassion and a desire to pray for them in the isolation of our prayer closet where no one will ever know, but God.

If we were to take one person in our own life with an adverse voice each week and pray for them fervently, then in one year we will have prayed for 52 people with adverse voices and opinions. And maybe, just maybe we will see true change in them, and in us too.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/foolish-and-ignorant-speculations


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Sun, 10 May 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 441 Foolish and Ignorant Speculations

Last week I wrote about the importance of history and of love. Two seemingly very disconnected subjects.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

It is human nature to feel that what we are experiencing is worse than anyone else has ever experienced.

My Bad is Worse Than Yours

I remember when I was growing up and I would be with my mother and a group of her friends and how they would try to 'best' each other with their ailments. One would have had a stomach ache and another one would have had one worse.

The same was true with anything they were doing or had experienced. If one had a flat tire, the other had two flat tires. This often made me ponder, even as a child, why do we strive to have more tragedy than the others.

We Are Convinced Things Today Are Worse

Today, we might agree that what happened centuries ago was horrible, but what we are going through is much much worse. We are convinced of this very thing.

Believing that somehow gives us a license to lash out in anyway that gives us a modicum of relief. We think nothing of engaging in petty arguments online in a defensive posture to validate our own opinions and to vilify another's.

2 Timothy 2:22-24

22) Now flee from youthful lusts and purse righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

23) But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.

24) The Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged.


We Feel Compelled to Speak Our Mind

Our urge to speak our piece and drive our opinions down another's throat only serves to burn bridges and has never ever served to change another person's mind. If you genuinely want to present a case for your opinion to another in the hope that they will learn and that it will change their mind, then it must be done in a respectful and diplomatic way.

No matter what the argument is about, if you want to really build a bridge where each side can meet in the middle and maturely discuss the issue, then we have to learn to love them.

But we don't - love them, that is. We hold disdain and we loathe them. So, we resort to childish name calling and pithy remarks to cut them low and make fun of them. And many may read this post and retort that 'they deserve it'.

Do they really? And have we been chosen to demean others, cut them low, because we perceive their opinion or belief about something is wrong? We feel so cocky that we are right in our own opinions and life choices that we feel we have the right to spew verbal accusations that only serve to frustrate us further.

We NEED Genuine Debate & Discussion

There is a time for genuine debate and discussion. However, if we burn so many bridges that no one with an adverse voice to ours will listen, what have we gained?

This topic is something that has burned within me for a long time. I began to feel Holy Spirit conviction a long time ago about this. We have a greater mission than just getting our chosen political official elected, even though that often is a very critical part of our mission here, but it isn't our most important one.

We Have a Mandate From God

We have a mandate from God to love and in that love tell others about the Good News. The Good News that Jesus has died for our sins and that everyone is loved and accepted by Him.

1 John 4:7-12

7) Beloved, let's love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8) The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9) By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him.

10) In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

It is not our mission to change them or their lifestyles. That is up to Holy Spirit. We are to build the bridge with love, deliver the message lovingly, then once they see who Jesus is and accept what He has done for them, Holy Spirit will convict their sin as He does ours, and then He will begin to transform them, as He is doing for us.

Our Message Cannot Be Delivered Without a Bridge to Carry It On

Our message of hope in the one true living/loving God will never be accepted if we are angry and vindictive in our language and actions. If we reserve our love and kindness to those we agree with then we are immature in the faith.

We should never ever feel threatened by another opinion that we feel is wrong. We should be so rooted and grounded in our own belief of the gospel that those adverse voices and opinions don't faze us, but only cause us to have a greater compassion and a desire to pray for them in the isolation of our prayer closet where no one will ever know, but God.

If we were to take one person in our own life with an adverse voice each week and pray for them fervently, then in one year we will have prayed for 52 people with adverse voices and opinions. And maybe, just maybe we will see true change in them, and in us too.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/foolish-and-ignorant-speculations


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> No Miraculously Back On Budget | Miracle Story - Episode 10 1 1 10 10 Miraculously Back On Budget | Miracle Story - Episode 10 full f2da0b52-56d8-41d3-894e-80261d976eec https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Miraculously Back On Budget

In our marriage I was in charge of the checkbook, making deposits and paying bills. I was very new at this. I had a small checking account when I was in high school, but had very little money and no bills so I spent the money of what I wanted.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I wasn't very good at money management. I had very little money and didn't keep an accurate record in my checkbook. No one had ever sat down with me to explain and talk about bank fees, etc. I got overdrawn and the fees sunk me. I didn't have money coming in on a regular basis so there was no money to recoup what my error had caused. My mom had to bail me out and we shut down the account.

Not Very Good At Money Management

My husband made good money and we did very good. I was very determined to tithe and I did. I was trying very hard to do a much better job at managing our checkbook. On occasion I would still get overdrawn on a check and have to cover it.

You have to understand, this was in the time when you got a once a month bank statement and you wrote checks out of a checkbook. If you wrote down the wrong amount in your checkbook register or forgot to write one down completely you could be sunk if you lived with a very small margin in the bank.

When at a store and writing a check, you had to make sure you wrote it down in your register right then and that the amount was right. I had small little ones and any time we went shopping for groceries etc., it was chaos. It was not unusual for me to not write down a check from sheer distraction at the register.

The Pain of Writing Checks

I began ordering duplicate checks. They provided an instant carbon copy of the check you just wrote. Then you could go back later and enter it in your resister. It was a pretty good system but with one flaw. It gave you a false sense of security. I would write several checks on a day out running errands and not sit down to write them in the register for days.

Then I would be in shock. The mental register I was keeping in my head was never right. I don't know if I was mentally rounding down or adding a non-existent buffer or what. Almost always when I would sit down to fill out my register I was always way below what I thought I had spent.


I Decided To Do Better

I purposed to do better and was able to get on track. Then one late afternoon I sat down at my desk to balance my bank account and pay bills.

When you would receive your monthly bank statement you would need to go through the process of balancing your account. You would take the balance on the bank statement and deduct any checks that had not cleared.That amount should match your check register.

That particular evening when I sat down and opened the statement I was gobsmacked! We were way in the hole. I mean way way in the hole.

As I began to read through and look at the cancelled checks that had cleared I saw that my husband was writing checks from his checkbook while I was writing checks from mine. Neither one of us was taking into consideration that the other one was also writing checks.

We Had Spent All His Paychecks Twice

Needless to say, we had both spent all of our money. It was a small town bank and they knew us so they just kept clearing our checks and charging a big fat fee with each one.

Not only was there no money to pay our bills we were way more than his next paycheck in the hole. Even if we didn't spend one single dime it would take us at the very least a two months or more of paychecks to get even. We used almost all of his paychecks each month for bills and groceries and such. There was very little left over to pay the huge deficit.

I had already laid our bills out on my desk so I could write the checks and pay them. We had a house payment and two car payments, and of course utilities. Thankfully we did not have credit cards. But we had a huge grocery bill each month and he used a lot of gas.

The Hole of Debt Was Overwhelming

I looked at the desk covered in bills and the bank statement glowing in red ink. I was overcome. I rested my head in my hands and prayed. I cried. Then I sat up and laid my hands on the bills and bank statement and prayed. I made a declarative statement and called the bills paid and the statement in the black. I called things that were not as though they were.

I shoved the whole mess back, got up, and went about my day. When my husband got home I told him what had happened. We decided that there would be only one checkbook that I would keep and I would give him a cash allowance each paycheck for gas and whatever he needed going to work etc. Then other big purchases that we wanted like furniture or such we would discuss or do together.

In a side note here. He worked hard and I knew it. So often when he wanted a new gun or some other big item I would just let him get it and then I would juggle behind the scenes. I felt like since he worked so hard he deserved to have something fun from time to time even though it was often very hard to juggle the money.

We Made A Creative Plan And Stuck To It

Back to the checkbook mess. Then next day after praying, I sat back down to deal with the mess. I wrote down a plan. What we had to absolutely pay and the last possible day we had to pay it. I wrote down what his paychecks would be and when they would come. By my calculations we would be in the black with all bills paid and caught up in a two and a half months.

I scrounged to make the food we had last. I got real creative with our meals. But, they stretched for a good while at least until we got his next check which I cashed and kept enough cash for groceries and for him for gas. My husband already had some cash and he made that stretch for gas to go to work.

Suddenly In The Black

When we got the next bank statement the next month, not only were we in the black, but we had money in the account! I looked at my plan. There was no way that could happen - none.

I kept going over every single inch of it. No one had made any deposits for us. I thought our parents might have gotten wind of the situation and helped out, but no, there were no additional deposits.

I looked over every withdrawal. Only the checks I had written at the absolutely last minute for bills and utilities had come through, and all of them had come through.

I Couldn't Not Figure It Out

I got out my calculator. I totaled my plan one more time. The same - two and a half months. I totaled the bank statement one month later. It was correct. I was obsessed in figuring it out. It made no sense, none. I can't tell you how many times I tried and recalculated to see where I had made a mistake. I double checked the bills, the deposits. I could find no error.

After about two hours I sat back. The night when I had prayed and laid my hands on the pile of bills came to my mind. God had honored my faith and my request. That declarative prayer that called for the money happened. It was a miracle.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-10


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

]]> Miraculously Back On Budget

In our marriage I was in charge of the checkbook, making deposits and paying bills. I was very new at this. I had a small checking account when I was in high school, but had very little money and no bills so I spent the money of what I wanted.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I wasn't very good at money management. I had very little money and didn't keep an accurate record in my checkbook. No one had ever sat down with me to explain and talk about bank fees, etc. I got overdrawn and the fees sunk me. I didn't have money coming in on a regular basis so there was no money to recoup what my error had caused. My mom had to bail me out and we shut down the account.

Not Very Good At Money Management

My husband made good money and we did very good. I was very determined to tithe and I did. I was trying very hard to do a much better job at managing our checkbook. On occasion I would still get overdrawn on a check and have to cover it.

You have to understand, this was in the time when you got a once a month bank statement and you wrote checks out of a checkbook. If you wrote down the wrong amount in your checkbook register or forgot to write one down completely you could be sunk if you lived with a very small margin in the bank.

When at a store and writing a check, you had to make sure you wrote it down in your register right then and that the amount was right. I had small little ones and any time we went shopping for groceries etc., it was chaos. It was not unusual for me to not write down a check from sheer distraction at the register.

The Pain of Writing Checks

I began ordering duplicate checks. They provided an instant carbon copy of the check you just wrote. Then you could go back later and enter it in your resister. It was a pretty good system but with one flaw. It gave you a false sense of security. I would write several checks on a day out running errands and not sit down to write them in the register for days.

Then I would be in shock. The mental register I was keeping in my head was never right. I don't know if I was mentally rounding down or adding a non-existent buffer or what. Almost always when I would sit down to fill out my register I was always way below what I thought I had spent.


I Decided To Do Better

I purposed to do better and was able to get on track. Then one late afternoon I sat down at my desk to balance my bank account and pay bills.

When you would receive your monthly bank statement you would need to go through the process of balancing your account. You would take the balance on the bank statement and deduct any checks that had not cleared.That amount should match your check register.

That particular evening when I sat down and opened the statement I was gobsmacked! We were way in the hole. I mean way way in the hole.

As I began to read through and look at the cancelled checks that had cleared I saw that my husband was writing checks from his checkbook while I was writing checks from mine. Neither one of us was taking into consideration that the other one was also writing checks.

We Had Spent All His Paychecks Twice

Needless to say, we had both spent all of our money. It was a small town bank and they knew us so they just kept clearing our checks and charging a big fat fee with each one.

Not only was there no money to pay our bills we were way more than his next paycheck in the hole. Even if we didn't spend one single dime it would take us at the very least a two months or more of paychecks to get even. We used almost all of his paychecks each month for bills and groceries and such. There was very little left over to pay the huge deficit.

I had already laid our bills out on my desk so I could write the checks and pay them. We had a house payment and two car payments, and of course utilities. Thankfully we did not have credit cards. But we had a huge grocery bill each month and he used a lot of gas.

The Hole of Debt Was Overwhelming

I looked at the desk covered in bills and the bank statement glowing in red ink. I was overcome. I rested my head in my hands and prayed. I cried. Then I sat up and laid my hands on the bills and bank statement and prayed. I made a declarative statement and called the bills paid and the statement in the black. I called things that were not as though they were.

I shoved the whole mess back, got up, and went about my day. When my husband got home I told him what had happened. We decided that there would be only one checkbook that I would keep and I would give him a cash allowance each paycheck for gas and whatever he needed going to work etc. Then other big purchases that we wanted like furniture or such we would discuss or do together.

In a side note here. He worked hard and I knew it. So often when he wanted a new gun or some other big item I would just let him get it and then I would juggle behind the scenes. I felt like since he worked so hard he deserved to have something fun from time to time even though it was often very hard to juggle the money.

We Made A Creative Plan And Stuck To It

Back to the checkbook mess. Then next day after praying, I sat back down to deal with the mess. I wrote down a plan. What we had to absolutely pay and the last possible day we had to pay it. I wrote down what his paychecks would be and when they would come. By my calculations we would be in the black with all bills paid and caught up in a two and a half months.

I scrounged to make the food we had last. I got real creative with our meals. But, they stretched for a good while at least until we got his next check which I cashed and kept enough cash for groceries and for him for gas. My husband already had some cash and he made that stretch for gas to go to work.

Suddenly In The Black

When we got the next bank statement the next month, not only were we in the black, but we had money in the account! I looked at my plan. There was no way that could happen - none.

I kept going over every single inch of it. No one had made any deposits for us. I thought our parents might have gotten wind of the situation and helped out, but no, there were no additional deposits.

I looked over every withdrawal. Only the checks I had written at the absolutely last minute for bills and utilities had come through, and all of them had come through.

I Couldn't Not Figure It Out

I got out my calculator. I totaled my plan one more time. The same - two and a half months. I totaled the bank statement one month later. It was correct. I was obsessed in figuring it out. It made no sense, none. I can't tell you how many times I tried and recalculated to see where I had made a mistake. I double checked the bills, the deposits. I could find no error.

After about two hours I sat back. The night when I had prayed and laid my hands on the pile of bills came to my mind. God had honored my faith and my request. That declarative prayer that called for the money happened. It was a miracle.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-10


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

]]> Sun, 10 May 2026 07:10:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 525 Miraculously Back On Budget

In our marriage I was in charge of the checkbook, making deposits and paying bills. I was very new at this. I had a small checking account when I was in high school, but had very little money and no bills so I spent the money of what I wanted.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I wasn't very good at money management. I had very little money and didn't keep an accurate record in my checkbook. No one had ever sat down with me to explain and talk about bank fees, etc. I got overdrawn and the fees sunk me. I didn't have money coming in on a regular basis so there was no money to recoup what my error had caused. My mom had to bail me out and we shut down the account.

Not Very Good At Money Management

My husband made good money and we did very good. I was very determined to tithe and I did. I was trying very hard to do a much better job at managing our checkbook. On occasion I would still get overdrawn on a check and have to cover it.

You have to understand, this was in the time when you got a once a month bank statement and you wrote checks out of a checkbook. If you wrote down the wrong amount in your checkbook register or forgot to write one down completely you could be sunk if you lived with a very small margin in the bank.

When at a store and writing a check, you had to make sure you wrote it down in your register right then and that the amount was right. I had small little ones and any time we went shopping for groceries etc., it was chaos. It was not unusual for me to not write down a check from sheer distraction at the register.

The Pain of Writing Checks

I began ordering duplicate checks. They provided an instant carbon copy of the check you just wrote. Then you could go back later and enter it in your resister. It was a pretty good system but with one flaw. It gave you a false sense of security. I would write several checks on a day out running errands and not sit down to write them in the register for days.

Then I would be in shock. The mental register I was keeping in my head was never right. I don't know if I was mentally rounding down or adding a non-existent buffer or what. Almost always when I would sit down to fill out my register I was always way below what I thought I had spent.


I Decided To Do Better

I purposed to do better and was able to get on track. Then one late afternoon I sat down at my desk to balance my bank account and pay bills.

When you would receive your monthly bank statement you would need to go through the process of balancing your account. You would take the balance on the bank statement and deduct any checks that had not cleared.That amount should match your check register.

That particular evening when I sat down and opened the statement I was gobsmacked! We were way in the hole. I mean way way in the hole.

As I began to read through and look at the cancelled checks that had cleared I saw that my husband was writing checks from his checkbook while I was writing checks from mine. Neither one of us was taking into consideration that the other one was also writing checks.

We Had Spent All His Paychecks Twice

Needless to say, we had both spent all of our money. It was a small town bank and they knew us so they just kept clearing our checks and charging a big fat fee with each one.

Not only was there no money to pay our bills we were way more than his next paycheck in the hole. Even if we didn't spend one single dime it would take us at the very least a two months or more of paychecks to get even. We used almost all of his paychecks each month for bills and groceries and such. There was very little left over to pay the huge deficit.

I had already laid our bills out on my desk so I could write the checks and pay them. We had a house payment and two car payments, and of course utilities. Thankfully we did not have credit cards. But we had a huge grocery bill each month and he used a lot of gas.

The Hole of Debt Was Overwhelming

I looked at the desk covered in bills and the bank statement glowing in red ink. I was overcome. I rested my head in my hands and prayed. I cried. Then I sat up and laid my hands on the bills and bank statement and prayed. I made a declarative statement and called the bills paid and the statement in the black. I called things that were not as though they were.

I shoved the whole mess back, got up, and went about my day. When my husband got home I told him what had happened. We decided that there would be only one checkbook that I would keep and I would give him a cash allowance each paycheck for gas and whatever he needed going to work etc. Then other big purchases that we wanted like furniture or such we would discuss or do together.

In a side note here. He worked hard and I knew it. So often when he wanted a new gun or some other big item I would just let him get it and then I would juggle behind the scenes. I felt like since he worked so hard he deserved to have something fun from time to time even though it was often very hard to juggle the money.

We Made A Creative Plan And Stuck To It

Back to the checkbook mess. Then next day after praying, I sat back down to deal with the mess. I wrote down a plan. What we had to absolutely pay and the last possible day we had to pay it. I wrote down what his paychecks would be and when they would come. By my calculations we would be in the black with all bills paid and caught up in a two and a half months.

I scrounged to make the food we had last. I got real creative with our meals. But, they stretched for a good while at least until we got his next check which I cashed and kept enough cash for groceries and for him for gas. My husband already had some cash and he made that stretch for gas to go to work.

Suddenly In The Black

When we got the next bank statement the next month, not only were we in the black, but we had money in the account! I looked at my plan. There was no way that could happen - none.

I kept going over every single inch of it. No one had made any deposits for us. I thought our parents might have gotten wind of the situation and helped out, but no, there were no additional deposits.

I looked over every withdrawal. Only the checks I had written at the absolutely last minute for bills and utilities had come through, and all of them had come through.

I Couldn't Not Figure It Out

I got out my calculator. I totaled my plan one more time. The same - two and a half months. I totaled the bank statement one month later. It was correct. I was obsessed in figuring it out. It made no sense, none. I can't tell you how many times I tried and recalculated to see where I had made a mistake. I double checked the bills, the deposits. I could find no error.

After about two hours I sat back. The night when I had prayed and laid my hands on the pile of bills came to my mind. God had honored my faith and my request. That declarative prayer that called for the money happened. It was a miracle.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-10


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

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Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

]]> No Love Does Miracles | Archive Story - Episode 9 1 1 9 9 Love Does Miracles | Archive Story - Episode 9 full 9caf2800-8d6c-452f-8e14-9a7b1861ae8b https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Love Does Miracles

As I am writing this it is the eve of Christmas Eve 2021. The house is very quiet around me. I live alone and work at home. I joke that I am an introvert. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I do enjoy being home alone and working from home. But, sometimes I miss people.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Today, seems strange to me. Because of sick family members, I am not sure what our Christmas is going to look like this year. Some plans are up in the air, some are still on, but who will be coming is still unknown. By the time you are reading this Christmas will be past.

Our Lives of Uncertainty

In the midst of this uncertainty I'm not sad. I've learned that joy comes from within and I've learned to shift my focus so that I dwell on the source of that joy rather than on earthly circumstances. I know I can't dwell upon that uncertainty because it will only cause sadness.

It has taken practice through the years to learn to do that. I've learned to stop myself and shift my thinking - on purpose. Maybe that is why I find peace in being home alone. I am truly never alone, but feel God's presence here with me. So, I focus on Him.

What to do When Sadness Does Come

However, sadness does sometimes come when I least expect it. When it does, I take a deep breath and shift my thinking once again to thoughts of gratitude. I have so very much to be grateful for! When I do that, shift my focus, I am overrun with thankfulness, so sadness never gains a foothold.

Then, I think about so many others who have lost so much the last couple of years. I think about how our world has changed and how so many have suffered great angst and fear in the uncertainty. My heart rests on them.

Compassion for Others

In the wealth of peace and joy that I experience, my heart is compassionate to so many who are hurting. My prayer is that they would find peace in Him, for He loves them dearly.

Often when we hurt or suffer loss and experience the pain that comes with it, we attribute it to God causing that particular instance in our lives. Or, some may even wonder why, if God is God, did He not stop whatever happened.

Then, doubt sets in and even though we give lip service to God, in our hearts we wonder if we are truly and completely loved by Him. We may even wonder what the true definition of love really is.

Love Does Not Cause Pain

If God loves us and this is how our lives play out, does love include this type of deep pain? Many then find themselves slowly turning away from the very one who is true and genuine love.

We cannot allow natural pain on this earth to taint our view of the purity of God's love. Because it is pure and lovely and grand on every scale. Just because we experience pain and loss, does not mean there is not pure love in the balance. But, we must turn to it and allow ourselves to be embraced by it.


Do You Believe God Still Does Miracles

I don't know anyone who would say that we doubt God can do miracles, but many seem to have lost the wonderment of expectation. Prayers often seem routine and perfunctory and void of hope that they will truly be answered.

What this boils down to is that we question God's love for us. Have we done all the right things? Have we followed all the rules? Have we been sinful? All of these questions focus on us and our behavior. It isn't about us. It is about Him, and His love is truly unconditional and will never fail.

No Excuse

If you've used the fact that God will always love you unconditionally as an excuse to live a life you KNOW would be displeasing to Him, then you have not really experienced the true depths of His love. Once you do, you will run to it and no other source. Nothing else will satisfy, and all the other things we ran to no longer seem attractive.

And that is the key. Stop trying to be perfect, He never asked that of you. Stop trying to follow all the rules, He never asked that of you. Stop trying to not sin, He never asked that of you. What He has asked is that you run to Him. Embrace Him. Let Him love you.

Rest In Him

Once you do that, you will be truly transformed. All the things you were working so hard to do and not do will naturally fall away or be added as they should be. You begin again to believe He will do a miracle for you. Because LOVE DOES MIRACLES.

So, today as I sit here and write on the eve of Christmas Day, I wish, hope, and pray for you to learn to let Him love you fully. Turn to Him with no shame or regret. In His deep love abides hope, and faith. Rest there today.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/love-does-miracles


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> Love Does Miracles

As I am writing this it is the eve of Christmas Eve 2021. The house is very quiet around me. I live alone and work at home. I joke that I am an introvert. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I do enjoy being home alone and working from home. But, sometimes I miss people.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Today, seems strange to me. Because of sick family members, I am not sure what our Christmas is going to look like this year. Some plans are up in the air, some are still on, but who will be coming is still unknown. By the time you are reading this Christmas will be past.

Our Lives of Uncertainty

In the midst of this uncertainty I'm not sad. I've learned that joy comes from within and I've learned to shift my focus so that I dwell on the source of that joy rather than on earthly circumstances. I know I can't dwell upon that uncertainty because it will only cause sadness.

It has taken practice through the years to learn to do that. I've learned to stop myself and shift my thinking - on purpose. Maybe that is why I find peace in being home alone. I am truly never alone, but feel God's presence here with me. So, I focus on Him.

What to do When Sadness Does Come

However, sadness does sometimes come when I least expect it. When it does, I take a deep breath and shift my thinking once again to thoughts of gratitude. I have so very much to be grateful for! When I do that, shift my focus, I am overrun with thankfulness, so sadness never gains a foothold.

Then, I think about so many others who have lost so much the last couple of years. I think about how our world has changed and how so many have suffered great angst and fear in the uncertainty. My heart rests on them.

Compassion for Others

In the wealth of peace and joy that I experience, my heart is compassionate to so many who are hurting. My prayer is that they would find peace in Him, for He loves them dearly.

Often when we hurt or suffer loss and experience the pain that comes with it, we attribute it to God causing that particular instance in our lives. Or, some may even wonder why, if God is God, did He not stop whatever happened.

Then, doubt sets in and even though we give lip service to God, in our hearts we wonder if we are truly and completely loved by Him. We may even wonder what the true definition of love really is.

Love Does Not Cause Pain

If God loves us and this is how our lives play out, does love include this type of deep pain? Many then find themselves slowly turning away from the very one who is true and genuine love.

We cannot allow natural pain on this earth to taint our view of the purity of God's love. Because it is pure and lovely and grand on every scale. Just because we experience pain and loss, does not mean there is not pure love in the balance. But, we must turn to it and allow ourselves to be embraced by it.


Do You Believe God Still Does Miracles

I don't know anyone who would say that we doubt God can do miracles, but many seem to have lost the wonderment of expectation. Prayers often seem routine and perfunctory and void of hope that they will truly be answered.

What this boils down to is that we question God's love for us. Have we done all the right things? Have we followed all the rules? Have we been sinful? All of these questions focus on us and our behavior. It isn't about us. It is about Him, and His love is truly unconditional and will never fail.

No Excuse

If you've used the fact that God will always love you unconditionally as an excuse to live a life you KNOW would be displeasing to Him, then you have not really experienced the true depths of His love. Once you do, you will run to it and no other source. Nothing else will satisfy, and all the other things we ran to no longer seem attractive.

And that is the key. Stop trying to be perfect, He never asked that of you. Stop trying to follow all the rules, He never asked that of you. Stop trying to not sin, He never asked that of you. What He has asked is that you run to Him. Embrace Him. Let Him love you.

Rest In Him

Once you do that, you will be truly transformed. All the things you were working so hard to do and not do will naturally fall away or be added as they should be. You begin again to believe He will do a miracle for you. Because LOVE DOES MIRACLES.

So, today as I sit here and write on the eve of Christmas Day, I wish, hope, and pray for you to learn to let Him love you fully. Turn to Him with no shame or regret. In His deep love abides hope, and faith. Rest there today.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/love-does-miracles


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> Sun, 03 May 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 381 Love Does Miracles

As I am writing this it is the eve of Christmas Eve 2021. The house is very quiet around me. I live alone and work at home. I joke that I am an introvert. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I do enjoy being home alone and working from home. But, sometimes I miss people.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Today, seems strange to me. Because of sick family members, I am not sure what our Christmas is going to look like this year. Some plans are up in the air, some are still on, but who will be coming is still unknown. By the time you are reading this Christmas will be past.

Our Lives of Uncertainty

In the midst of this uncertainty I'm not sad. I've learned that joy comes from within and I've learned to shift my focus so that I dwell on the source of that joy rather than on earthly circumstances. I know I can't dwell upon that uncertainty because it will only cause sadness.

It has taken practice through the years to learn to do that. I've learned to stop myself and shift my thinking - on purpose. Maybe that is why I find peace in being home alone. I am truly never alone, but feel God's presence here with me. So, I focus on Him.

What to do When Sadness Does Come

However, sadness does sometimes come when I least expect it. When it does, I take a deep breath and shift my thinking once again to thoughts of gratitude. I have so very much to be grateful for! When I do that, shift my focus, I am overrun with thankfulness, so sadness never gains a foothold.

Then, I think about so many others who have lost so much the last couple of years. I think about how our world has changed and how so many have suffered great angst and fear in the uncertainty. My heart rests on them.

Compassion for Others

In the wealth of peace and joy that I experience, my heart is compassionate to so many who are hurting. My prayer is that they would find peace in Him, for He loves them dearly.

Often when we hurt or suffer loss and experience the pain that comes with it, we attribute it to God causing that particular instance in our lives. Or, some may even wonder why, if God is God, did He not stop whatever happened.

Then, doubt sets in and even though we give lip service to God, in our hearts we wonder if we are truly and completely loved by Him. We may even wonder what the true definition of love really is.

Love Does Not Cause Pain

If God loves us and this is how our lives play out, does love include this type of deep pain? Many then find themselves slowly turning away from the very one who is true and genuine love.

We cannot allow natural pain on this earth to taint our view of the purity of God's love. Because it is pure and lovely and grand on every scale. Just because we experience pain and loss, does not mean there is not pure love in the balance. But, we must turn to it and allow ourselves to be embraced by it.


Do You Believe God Still Does Miracles

I don't know anyone who would say that we doubt God can do miracles, but many seem to have lost the wonderment of expectation. Prayers often seem routine and perfunctory and void of hope that they will truly be answered.

What this boils down to is that we question God's love for us. Have we done all the right things? Have we followed all the rules? Have we been sinful? All of these questions focus on us and our behavior. It isn't about us. It is about Him, and His love is truly unconditional and will never fail.

No Excuse

If you've used the fact that God will always love you unconditionally as an excuse to live a life you KNOW would be displeasing to Him, then you have not really experienced the true depths of His love. Once you do, you will run to it and no other source. Nothing else will satisfy, and all the other things we ran to no longer seem attractive.

And that is the key. Stop trying to be perfect, He never asked that of you. Stop trying to follow all the rules, He never asked that of you. Stop trying to not sin, He never asked that of you. What He has asked is that you run to Him. Embrace Him. Let Him love you.

Rest In Him

Once you do that, you will be truly transformed. All the things you were working so hard to do and not do will naturally fall away or be added as they should be. You begin again to believe He will do a miracle for you. Because LOVE DOES MIRACLES.

So, today as I sit here and write on the eve of Christmas Day, I wish, hope, and pray for you to learn to let Him love you fully. Turn to Him with no shame or regret. In His deep love abides hope, and faith. Rest there today.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/love-does-miracles


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> No Breast Lump Dissolved | Miracle Story - Episode 9 1 1 9 9 Breast Lump Dissolved | Miracle Story - Episode 9 full 4aa0d3f9-9313-4ecd-b1b1-16d88713d5d0 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Breast Lump Dissolved

During those first few years after being baptized in the Holy Spirit I was on a learning spree. I spent as much time as possible reading the bible. My eyes had been truly opened and I could see and understand with revelation knowledge like never before.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

My Eyes Were Opened

I had read my bible, or tried to, since I was a child. I just couldn't understand it. I would find myself reading sentence after sentence and It just felt like my mind was stuck and I could not understand.

That all changed the moment that the Holy Spirit shrouded me in Himself. I became fascinated by the word. I was seeing what it meant to live the life that God truly intended for us to live. I was seeing and learning about promises that He had given us that were ours for the taking.

Learning At An Exponential Rate

I was also learning about faith and what it meant to truly trust that God meant what He said and that doubting would never gain us access to those promises. I purposed in my heart to trust that what He said, He would do.

After being so miraculously delivered from the spirit of fear, my heart soared. I never knew how fear had encroached on my life before. I could breathe deep and just live with the joy of the Lord.

The Temptation to Fear

One night though, after going to bed, I felt something under my arm. I reached down and next to my underarm by my right breast I felt a large swollen area. At first the thought to panic attacked me. It was the temptation to fear. I rejected it. I had made up my mind I would not entertain fear on any level. I was determined to not let that vile spirit back into my life and I knew that any type of worry or anxiety was an open doorway to that very thing.

I felt the area. Yes, there was definitely something there. It was firm and I could feel its boundaries. So, I just kept my hand on it and prayed in the Spirit. I am not sure how long I laid there praying that way. But, eventually I fell asleep and slept soundly all night long.


Forgot To Check

Exactly when I checked it again I am not sure. I think I actually forgot about it for a while, so I am not sure if it was the next night, or when it was that I checked. But, when I did it was completely gone. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised, but very pleased. I kept feeling and feeling, but there was nothing there.

I did believe when I was praying in the Spirit that it was being taken care of by the one who prays perfect prayers - Holy Spirit. Ironically it is Him praying the perfect prayer that He Himself will answer!

Jesus Intercedes On Our Behalf

We may think we know what to pray. But, our words are finite and often intermingled with our own counterproductive thoughts. By praying in tongues, we shield our prayers from our own minds and allow Jesus to intercede on our behalf in the most perfect way.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-miraculous-life-pt-9


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

 Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> Breast Lump Dissolved

During those first few years after being baptized in the Holy Spirit I was on a learning spree. I spent as much time as possible reading the bible. My eyes had been truly opened and I could see and understand with revelation knowledge like never before.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

My Eyes Were Opened

I had read my bible, or tried to, since I was a child. I just couldn't understand it. I would find myself reading sentence after sentence and It just felt like my mind was stuck and I could not understand.

That all changed the moment that the Holy Spirit shrouded me in Himself. I became fascinated by the word. I was seeing what it meant to live the life that God truly intended for us to live. I was seeing and learning about promises that He had given us that were ours for the taking.

Learning At An Exponential Rate

I was also learning about faith and what it meant to truly trust that God meant what He said and that doubting would never gain us access to those promises. I purposed in my heart to trust that what He said, He would do.

After being so miraculously delivered from the spirit of fear, my heart soared. I never knew how fear had encroached on my life before. I could breathe deep and just live with the joy of the Lord.

The Temptation to Fear

One night though, after going to bed, I felt something under my arm. I reached down and next to my underarm by my right breast I felt a large swollen area. At first the thought to panic attacked me. It was the temptation to fear. I rejected it. I had made up my mind I would not entertain fear on any level. I was determined to not let that vile spirit back into my life and I knew that any type of worry or anxiety was an open doorway to that very thing.

I felt the area. Yes, there was definitely something there. It was firm and I could feel its boundaries. So, I just kept my hand on it and prayed in the Spirit. I am not sure how long I laid there praying that way. But, eventually I fell asleep and slept soundly all night long.


Forgot To Check

Exactly when I checked it again I am not sure. I think I actually forgot about it for a while, so I am not sure if it was the next night, or when it was that I checked. But, when I did it was completely gone. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised, but very pleased. I kept feeling and feeling, but there was nothing there.

I did believe when I was praying in the Spirit that it was being taken care of by the one who prays perfect prayers - Holy Spirit. Ironically it is Him praying the perfect prayer that He Himself will answer!

Jesus Intercedes On Our Behalf

We may think we know what to pray. But, our words are finite and often intermingled with our own counterproductive thoughts. By praying in tongues, we shield our prayers from our own minds and allow Jesus to intercede on our behalf in the most perfect way.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-miraculous-life-pt-9


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

 Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

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]]> Sun, 03 May 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 233 Breast Lump Dissolved

During those first few years after being baptized in the Holy Spirit I was on a learning spree. I spent as much time as possible reading the bible. My eyes had been truly opened and I could see and understand with revelation knowledge like never before.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

My Eyes Were Opened

I had read my bible, or tried to, since I was a child. I just couldn't understand it. I would find myself reading sentence after sentence and It just felt like my mind was stuck and I could not understand.

That all changed the moment that the Holy Spirit shrouded me in Himself. I became fascinated by the word. I was seeing what it meant to live the life that God truly intended for us to live. I was seeing and learning about promises that He had given us that were ours for the taking.

Learning At An Exponential Rate

I was also learning about faith and what it meant to truly trust that God meant what He said and that doubting would never gain us access to those promises. I purposed in my heart to trust that what He said, He would do.

After being so miraculously delivered from the spirit of fear, my heart soared. I never knew how fear had encroached on my life before. I could breathe deep and just live with the joy of the Lord.

The Temptation to Fear

One night though, after going to bed, I felt something under my arm. I reached down and next to my underarm by my right breast I felt a large swollen area. At first the thought to panic attacked me. It was the temptation to fear. I rejected it. I had made up my mind I would not entertain fear on any level. I was determined to not let that vile spirit back into my life and I knew that any type of worry or anxiety was an open doorway to that very thing.

I felt the area. Yes, there was definitely something there. It was firm and I could feel its boundaries. So, I just kept my hand on it and prayed in the Spirit. I am not sure how long I laid there praying that way. But, eventually I fell asleep and slept soundly all night long.


Forgot To Check

Exactly when I checked it again I am not sure. I think I actually forgot about it for a while, so I am not sure if it was the next night, or when it was that I checked. But, when I did it was completely gone. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised, but very pleased. I kept feeling and feeling, but there was nothing there.

I did believe when I was praying in the Spirit that it was being taken care of by the one who prays perfect prayers - Holy Spirit. Ironically it is Him praying the perfect prayer that He Himself will answer!

Jesus Intercedes On Our Behalf

We may think we know what to pray. But, our words are finite and often intermingled with our own counterproductive thoughts. By praying in tongues, we shield our prayers from our own minds and allow Jesus to intercede on our behalf in the most perfect way.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-miraculous-life-pt-9


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]]> No Looking For Loopholes | Could Grace Be A License to Sin - Archive Story - Episode 8 1 1 8 8 Looking For Loopholes | Could Grace Be A License to Sin - Archive Story - Episode 8 full 7c31692f-2c41-4fdf-883f-153e6f803f54 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Looking For Loopholes | Could Grace Be A License to Sin

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I've recently had many people cross my path who were in dire need of a listening ear and a voice of counsel. I do my best even though I am not a licensed counselor. I have however, spent decades in the Word and gone through my own share of experiences where I've learned the hard way. So, I do my best to be a good friend/counselor to them.

We've All Been There

In every situation, I am brought back to my own experiences where I too tried to figure out, not what was right or wrong, but how to force the 'wrong' peg into the 'right' hole.

I look back and marvel at my own desire to make something that I knew down deep inside was wrong, fit into the 'right' column. I once saw something written on a bulletin board that said, "We are never more creative than when we attempt to justify our own sin."

That has stuck with me for years. I've pondered it and knew it was right. When we want something terribly bad, often our own reasoning and good sense flies out the window.

We Convince Ourselves It Is Right

This type of deception is a prevalent trick of the enemy. He convinces us that because we want it that bad, it has to be right and that it will be ok in the long run. He will even cherry-pick bits of scripture to give to us in order to confirm that what we would like to do is really not forbidden, but encouraged.

As I was listening to one friend, my heart was breaking because of the emotional trauma that her situation had plunged her into. Later, as I was praying for her, I heard, 'looking for loopholes."

We Look for Loopholes

I thought, we do that! We search in the scriptures looking for loopholes so that we can pursue without guilt our own selfish desires. If we want a 'thing' we know we should not have like drugs, alcohol, purchases out of our means, relationships that will be toxic to us, then we look for justification to make it ok.

If we want to 'do' something we know is not right, sexual sin, gossip, gluttony, and more, we look for justification to make it okay. We tell ourselves that we are covered by grace and it will all work out. We KNOW God will never stop loving us, so we do what we want to do.


God Will Always Love Us

That is the baseline. The fact that God will never stop loving us, so we spend a ton of time bobbing along that baseline never growing or maturing in the faith. We get in a cycle of stopping and starting the very behavior that we know we should not be engaging in.

I know this because I can remember countless times throughout my life when I did that very thing. But, I can tell you that never, not one single time did it turn out in my favor. Yes, my loving Father God did use what the enemy meant for evil and destruction, and turned it around once I submitted it back to Him. But there was always a long bumpy heartbreak road getting back on track.

Experience May Be the Best, But is Also the Most Harsh Teacher

Maybe it was experiencing all those heartbreak moments that finally aided in teaching me that the best path is the path that God has designed especially for me. He is such a loving and kind God, that if I only seek Him and His path, my life will have far fewer long bumpy roads.

There are simple truths in the bible that we know are true. There are moral absolutes that if we become determined to follow without fail, we will have a baseline of truth that will be our rock. It will be the foundation to build our house on.

Matthew 7:24-27 NASB 24) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26) Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27) The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 7 for full context.

Law vs. Grace

The discussion of living 'by the law' or 'living by grace' has been a prevalent one through the years. But, they are NOT mutually exclusive. If we TRULY are living by grace, not attempting to abuse grace, which is the power over sin, we will automatically grow to choose the moral absolutes.

We are only living by the law if we do not live by grace. If we do not choose the graceful loving Father first and submit to His authority over our lives, even following the rules will never bring what we hope it will bring in our lives.

1 Corinthians 6:12 NASB

12) All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 6 for full context.

Are We REALLY Living in the Freedom Jesus Died to Give Us

Yes, Jesus died to set us free. But that is freedom from the genetic sin nature we were all born with. Once we are born again, we have a righteous nature in Christ. Yes, we are free and can sin, but that does not necessarily free us from the repercussions of that sin should we choose to do so.

Many behaviors we engage in produce natural devastating consequences. Paul confirms that we are free, but not all things are of benefit to us.

God gives us boundaries, not to be a harsh taskmaster, but because He is a loving Father who wants our lives here to be as good as they can be. There will be enough hardship as it is, so by giving us boundaries we can reduce the amount of unnecessary hardship we will encounter.

Matthew 5:34 NASB

34) So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 5 for full context.

We Make Our Lives Harder Than God Desires

So, why borrow more trouble for ourselves looking for a way to 'get away with' doing the wrong thing.

We need to stop searching in the Word, and through prayer with one ear turned away from God, for justification for our own wrong behavior. We need to focus on the wonder of new birth that has been freely given to us in love.

When we choose to receive what Jesus did for us on the cross, all things are made new. We receive the Holy Spirit to live in the temple which is our body.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB

19) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20) For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 6 for full context.

Are You Stuck

Our lives will be in a continual 'stall' if we attempt to force our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to engage in sinful behavior. If you feel that you are stuck, or do not feel the full joy and peace of the Lord as you think you should, then evaluate where you need to clean out unhealthy desires and focus on the path that God has lovingly designed for you.

I can promise you, and am here to say, that the path God has designed for you is far greater and more fulfilling than anything you could ever think to choose for yourself. Free yourself from the bondage of 'choosing your own way' and looking for loopholes.

I Corinthians 2:9 NASB 9) ...

]]> Looking For Loopholes | Could Grace Be A License to Sin

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I've recently had many people cross my path who were in dire need of a listening ear and a voice of counsel. I do my best even though I am not a licensed counselor. I have however, spent decades in the Word and gone through my own share of experiences where I've learned the hard way. So, I do my best to be a good friend/counselor to them.

We've All Been There

In every situation, I am brought back to my own experiences where I too tried to figure out, not what was right or wrong, but how to force the 'wrong' peg into the 'right' hole.

I look back and marvel at my own desire to make something that I knew down deep inside was wrong, fit into the 'right' column. I once saw something written on a bulletin board that said, "We are never more creative than when we attempt to justify our own sin."

That has stuck with me for years. I've pondered it and knew it was right. When we want something terribly bad, often our own reasoning and good sense flies out the window.

We Convince Ourselves It Is Right

This type of deception is a prevalent trick of the enemy. He convinces us that because we want it that bad, it has to be right and that it will be ok in the long run. He will even cherry-pick bits of scripture to give to us in order to confirm that what we would like to do is really not forbidden, but encouraged.

As I was listening to one friend, my heart was breaking because of the emotional trauma that her situation had plunged her into. Later, as I was praying for her, I heard, 'looking for loopholes."

We Look for Loopholes

I thought, we do that! We search in the scriptures looking for loopholes so that we can pursue without guilt our own selfish desires. If we want a 'thing' we know we should not have like drugs, alcohol, purchases out of our means, relationships that will be toxic to us, then we look for justification to make it ok.

If we want to 'do' something we know is not right, sexual sin, gossip, gluttony, and more, we look for justification to make it okay. We tell ourselves that we are covered by grace and it will all work out. We KNOW God will never stop loving us, so we do what we want to do.


God Will Always Love Us

That is the baseline. The fact that God will never stop loving us, so we spend a ton of time bobbing along that baseline never growing or maturing in the faith. We get in a cycle of stopping and starting the very behavior that we know we should not be engaging in.

I know this because I can remember countless times throughout my life when I did that very thing. But, I can tell you that never, not one single time did it turn out in my favor. Yes, my loving Father God did use what the enemy meant for evil and destruction, and turned it around once I submitted it back to Him. But there was always a long bumpy heartbreak road getting back on track.

Experience May Be the Best, But is Also the Most Harsh Teacher

Maybe it was experiencing all those heartbreak moments that finally aided in teaching me that the best path is the path that God has designed especially for me. He is such a loving and kind God, that if I only seek Him and His path, my life will have far fewer long bumpy roads.

There are simple truths in the bible that we know are true. There are moral absolutes that if we become determined to follow without fail, we will have a baseline of truth that will be our rock. It will be the foundation to build our house on.

Matthew 7:24-27 NASB 24) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26) Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27) The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 7 for full context.

Law vs. Grace

The discussion of living 'by the law' or 'living by grace' has been a prevalent one through the years. But, they are NOT mutually exclusive. If we TRULY are living by grace, not attempting to abuse grace, which is the power over sin, we will automatically grow to choose the moral absolutes.

We are only living by the law if we do not live by grace. If we do not choose the graceful loving Father first and submit to His authority over our lives, even following the rules will never bring what we hope it will bring in our lives.

1 Corinthians 6:12 NASB

12) All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 6 for full context.

Are We REALLY Living in the Freedom Jesus Died to Give Us

Yes, Jesus died to set us free. But that is freedom from the genetic sin nature we were all born with. Once we are born again, we have a righteous nature in Christ. Yes, we are free and can sin, but that does not necessarily free us from the repercussions of that sin should we choose to do so.

Many behaviors we engage in produce natural devastating consequences. Paul confirms that we are free, but not all things are of benefit to us.

God gives us boundaries, not to be a harsh taskmaster, but because He is a loving Father who wants our lives here to be as good as they can be. There will be enough hardship as it is, so by giving us boundaries we can reduce the amount of unnecessary hardship we will encounter.

Matthew 5:34 NASB

34) So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 5 for full context.

We Make Our Lives Harder Than God Desires

So, why borrow more trouble for ourselves looking for a way to 'get away with' doing the wrong thing.

We need to stop searching in the Word, and through prayer with one ear turned away from God, for justification for our own wrong behavior. We need to focus on the wonder of new birth that has been freely given to us in love.

When we choose to receive what Jesus did for us on the cross, all things are made new. We receive the Holy Spirit to live in the temple which is our body.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB

19) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20) For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 6 for full context.

Are You Stuck

Our lives will be in a continual 'stall' if we attempt to force our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to engage in sinful behavior. If you feel that you are stuck, or do not feel the full joy and peace of the Lord as you think you should, then evaluate where you need to clean out unhealthy desires and focus on the path that God has lovingly designed for you.

I can promise you, and am here to say, that the path God has designed for you is far greater and more fulfilling than anything you could ever think to choose for yourself. Free yourself from the bondage of 'choosing your own way' and looking for loopholes.

I Corinthians 2:9 NASB 9) ...

]]> Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 632 Looking For Loopholes | Could Grace Be A License to Sin

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I've recently had many people cross my path who were in dire need of a listening ear and a voice of counsel. I do my best even though I am not a licensed counselor. I have however, spent decades in the Word and gone through my own share of experiences where I've learned the hard way. So, I do my best to be a good friend/counselor to them.

We've All Been There

In every situation, I am brought back to my own experiences where I too tried to figure out, not what was right or wrong, but how to force the 'wrong' peg into the 'right' hole.

I look back and marvel at my own desire to make something that I knew down deep inside was wrong, fit into the 'right' column. I once saw something written on a bulletin board that said, "We are never more creative than when we attempt to justify our own sin."

That has stuck with me for years. I've pondered it and knew it was right. When we want something terribly bad, often our own reasoning and good sense flies out the window.

We Convince Ourselves It Is Right

This type of deception is a prevalent trick of the enemy. He convinces us that because we want it that bad, it has to be right and that it will be ok in the long run. He will even cherry-pick bits of scripture to give to us in order to confirm that what we would like to do is really not forbidden, but encouraged.

As I was listening to one friend, my heart was breaking because of the emotional trauma that her situation had plunged her into. Later, as I was praying for her, I heard, 'looking for loopholes."

We Look for Loopholes

I thought, we do that! We search in the scriptures looking for loopholes so that we can pursue without guilt our own selfish desires. If we want a 'thing' we know we should not have like drugs, alcohol, purchases out of our means, relationships that will be toxic to us, then we look for justification to make it ok.

If we want to 'do' something we know is not right, sexual sin, gossip, gluttony, and more, we look for justification to make it okay. We tell ourselves that we are covered by grace and it will all work out. We KNOW God will never stop loving us, so we do what we want to do.


God Will Always Love Us

That is the baseline. The fact that God will never stop loving us, so we spend a ton of time bobbing along that baseline never growing or maturing in the faith. We get in a cycle of stopping and starting the very behavior that we know we should not be engaging in.

I know this because I can remember countless times throughout my life when I did that very thing. But, I can tell you that never, not one single time did it turn out in my favor. Yes, my loving Father God did use what the enemy meant for evil and destruction, and turned it around once I submitted it back to Him. But there was always a long bumpy heartbreak road getting back on track.

Experience May Be the Best, But is Also the Most Harsh Teacher

Maybe it was experiencing all those heartbreak moments that finally aided in teaching me that the best path is the path that God has designed especially for me. He is such a loving and kind God, that if I only seek Him and His path, my life will have far fewer long bumpy roads.

There are simple truths in the bible that we know are true. There are moral absolutes that if we become determined to follow without fail, we will have a baseline of truth that will be our rock. It will be the foundation to build our house on.

Matthew 7:24-27 NASB 24) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26) Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27) The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 7 for full context.

Law vs. Grace

The discussion of living 'by the law' or 'living by grace' has been a prevalent one through the years. But, they are NOT mutually exclusive. If we TRULY are living by grace, not attempting to abuse grace, which is the power over sin, we will automatically grow to choose the moral absolutes.

We are only living by the law if we do not live by grace. If we do not choose the graceful loving Father first and submit to His authority over our lives, even following the rules will never bring what we hope it will bring in our lives.

1 Corinthians 6:12 NASB

12) All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 6 for full context.

Are We REALLY Living in the Freedom Jesus Died to Give Us

Yes, Jesus died to set us free. But that is freedom from the genetic sin nature we were all born with. Once we are born again, we have a righteous nature in Christ. Yes, we are free and can sin, but that does not necessarily free us from the repercussions of that sin should we choose to do so.

Many behaviors we engage in produce natural devastating consequences. Paul confirms that we are free, but not all things are of benefit to us.

God gives us boundaries, not to be a harsh taskmaster, but because He is a loving Father who wants our lives here to be as good as they can be. There will be enough hardship as it is, so by giving us boundaries we can reduce the amount of unnecessary hardship we will encounter.

Matthew 5:34 NASB

34) So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 5 for full context.

We Make Our Lives Harder Than God Desires

So, why borrow more trouble for ourselves looking for a way to 'get away with' doing the wrong thing.

We need to stop searching in the Word, and through prayer with one ear turned away from God, for justification for our own wrong behavior. We need to focus on the wonder of new birth that has been freely given to us in love.

When we choose to receive what Jesus did for us on the cross, all things are made new. We receive the Holy Spirit to live in the temple which is our body.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB

19) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20) For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 6 for full context.

Are You Stuck

Our lives will be in a continual 'stall' if we attempt to force our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to engage in sinful behavior. If you feel that you are stuck, or do not feel the full joy and peace of the Lord as you think you should, then evaluate where you need to clean out unhealthy desires and focus on the path that God has lovingly designed for you.

I can promise you, and am here to say, that the path God has designed for you is far greater and more fulfilling than anything you could ever think to choose for yourself. Free yourself from the bondage of 'choosing your own way' and looking for loopholes.

I Corinthians 2:9 NASB 9) ...

]]> No Deliverance From Fear | Miracle Story - Episode 8 1 1 8 8 Deliverance From Fear | Miracle Story - Episode 8 full ba8789f7-7564-4235-b38c-9ee0a964e8ea https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Deliverance From Fear

I briefly mentioned earlier about living in a small town where after I graduated high school I worked at the local convenience store. Yes, there was only one then. The town really was that small.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I worked the evening shift from 3 to 11. I rode my bicycle across town and then home again at 11 at night. I was not in the least bit afraid. In fact I loved riding my bike in the night under the street lamps.

A Drunk Angry Man

But then one day, a man came in very drunk. He was well known around town. He was a heavy drinker and mean, very very mean. The particular day that he came in and I was checking him out, he said something to me and I came back with either a sharp retort or a smart-aleck jab. He took his stuff and left.

Whatever the case was, when he had gone, my boss slid up next to me and said, "I wouldn't talk to him (she called him by name) that way. You never know what he will do."

Fear Gripped Me Thoroughly

Her warning and tone of voice were so ominous that I became terrified. I didn't know it at the time, but that was the moment a deep dark foreboding spirit of fear attached itself to me. One moment before I had no fear at all, and then suddenly from one word by my well meaning boss, everything changed.

I didn't work much longer at the convenience store after that. I became pregnant with my first child and the smell of the microwave sandwiches as they were heating made me deathly sick. So, I went home and stayed there. But honestly, I had lost all desire to be at work. I was afraid there. I was afraid I would be alone when that man would come back in.

Moved Away

After my first son was a few months old, we moved our single-wide trailer out to my parents farm. It just happened to be right across from the cemetery. Growing up I had loved going to the cemetery and walking through it reading the headstones. There was so much history there and the cemetery grounds were beautifully kept and peaceful.

But our trailer was directly across from a vacant end that was not yet developed. The local rabble rousers would use that spot to drink and get crazy, and guess who the head rabble rouser was? You guessed it! The man I was deathly afraid of.


The Fear Just Grew Worse

I lived like that for at least a year. I had become pregnant with our second child at that time. Our kitchen was at the very front of the trailer and there was a dividing wall between it and the living room. It was about four feet tall. I would sit all evening long in our old beat up recliner that was stuck in the corner right behind the wall.

I could hear their car doors shutting, their music playing, and their drunken laughter filtering through. I was paralyzed in fear. I would often hunch down when getting up and walk around in such a way that I would hope they couldn't see me.

I Was Paralyzed All Evening Long

I don't remember exactly how long I had to suffer through that. The reality of it was that he didn't remember our conversation. He also probably had no idea it was me that lived in that trailer, if he even cared. But fear told me different and it was crippling.

When our second child was a little over a year old, we had a home built on the far side of my parent's property. It was a good mile from the cemetery and on a dead end road. I couldn't wait to get moved. I was convinced that once we lived in a sturdy house where you couldn't just lift the loose roll out windows, I would be safe.

Finally I would Be Safe

So, we got moved in. It was pitch dark in that area. No warm cemetery lights to keep the landscape lit. The house was big too. I had no idea what was going on in other parts of the house wherever I was.

We did not have heavy drapes. I had purchased white sheers for most of the windows. It was the style then. I didn't think it would matter once we got moved. But, I was every bit at terrified as I had been since that day that the spirit had overtaken me.

Between that event at the convenience store and when we lived in the new house, I had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. And still, that spirit of fear engulfed me.

Highs and Lows

I had peace, most of the time. I had joy, most of the time. I had all the wonderful things that the Holy Spirit and His infilling brings, except there was still this nasty part of my life controlled by fear. My husband still worked nights and drove long distances to get there so I was home alone most of the time.

I remember one night as I laid in bed unable to go to sleep from fear, I was praying to God about it. I didn't understand at the time that it was a spirit. I didn't understand why I was so afraid, even though I could trace it back to that particular night in the store.

But God...

I clearly heard the voice of the Lord say to me, "Each night when you lay down in your bed, I want you to say out loud Psalms 4:8. Say it over and over again until you fall asleep."

I was eager to do something, anything that would help. So, that night I said out loud, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." I repeated it over and over and over again.

I Didn't Quit

That first night I would guess I said it around 20 or 30 times before I fell asleep. The next night about 10. The next night just a couple. Then the next night as I started to say it I realized that I had no fear at all! None. I was completely delivered of that nasty spirit of fear.

Not only that, but I soon realized that in place of it, God had ushered in courage. Other than the moment when I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, this moment changed my life more than any other. I had the freedom from fear that I had had before, but more than that, I had a new sense of courage that I had never had before. There was a deep abiding knowing that I had nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever to fear, ever.

Abnormal Courage

That was over 40 years ago. I have done some pretty bold and audacious things. I still feel that same fearlessness. I've traveled alone. Walked the streets of downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter alone. I've driven cross country from here to Tucson, AZ many times alone, and when I would get sleepy I would just pull into the parking lot of a hotel or truck stop and go to sleep. Many would scoff and say that was not wise and that I was being reckless. But there was and is such an acute feeling of God's overwhelming ever present protection that I just do not feel afraid. Never any fear at all. His presence was so real and present there was no way I could fear.

God's Wisdom

I will also say here that there have been times when I would begin to do something and I would get a nudge of 'no'. He is always protecting me including sometimes redirecting my paths. I am confident that He will do that, so I move forward fearless and trust Him to keep me and to guide me. When He redirects, He never ever does it with fear. Just a simple redirect with no fanfare.

I almost always used to forget to lock my doors. I still do sometimes. I get up and realize a door isn't locked, but it doesn't startle me because I have that deep abiding knowledge that I have nothing to fear. It is a revelation knowledge that angel armies are guarding and watching over me.

The Spoken Word is Powerful

It was the first time that I saw and experienced the true dynamite power of speaking the word out loud. God didn't tell me to mull it over in my mi...

]]> Deliverance From Fear

I briefly mentioned earlier about living in a small town where after I graduated high school I worked at the local convenience store. Yes, there was only one then. The town really was that small.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I worked the evening shift from 3 to 11. I rode my bicycle across town and then home again at 11 at night. I was not in the least bit afraid. In fact I loved riding my bike in the night under the street lamps.

A Drunk Angry Man

But then one day, a man came in very drunk. He was well known around town. He was a heavy drinker and mean, very very mean. The particular day that he came in and I was checking him out, he said something to me and I came back with either a sharp retort or a smart-aleck jab. He took his stuff and left.

Whatever the case was, when he had gone, my boss slid up next to me and said, "I wouldn't talk to him (she called him by name) that way. You never know what he will do."

Fear Gripped Me Thoroughly

Her warning and tone of voice were so ominous that I became terrified. I didn't know it at the time, but that was the moment a deep dark foreboding spirit of fear attached itself to me. One moment before I had no fear at all, and then suddenly from one word by my well meaning boss, everything changed.

I didn't work much longer at the convenience store after that. I became pregnant with my first child and the smell of the microwave sandwiches as they were heating made me deathly sick. So, I went home and stayed there. But honestly, I had lost all desire to be at work. I was afraid there. I was afraid I would be alone when that man would come back in.

Moved Away

After my first son was a few months old, we moved our single-wide trailer out to my parents farm. It just happened to be right across from the cemetery. Growing up I had loved going to the cemetery and walking through it reading the headstones. There was so much history there and the cemetery grounds were beautifully kept and peaceful.

But our trailer was directly across from a vacant end that was not yet developed. The local rabble rousers would use that spot to drink and get crazy, and guess who the head rabble rouser was? You guessed it! The man I was deathly afraid of.


The Fear Just Grew Worse

I lived like that for at least a year. I had become pregnant with our second child at that time. Our kitchen was at the very front of the trailer and there was a dividing wall between it and the living room. It was about four feet tall. I would sit all evening long in our old beat up recliner that was stuck in the corner right behind the wall.

I could hear their car doors shutting, their music playing, and their drunken laughter filtering through. I was paralyzed in fear. I would often hunch down when getting up and walk around in such a way that I would hope they couldn't see me.

I Was Paralyzed All Evening Long

I don't remember exactly how long I had to suffer through that. The reality of it was that he didn't remember our conversation. He also probably had no idea it was me that lived in that trailer, if he even cared. But fear told me different and it was crippling.

When our second child was a little over a year old, we had a home built on the far side of my parent's property. It was a good mile from the cemetery and on a dead end road. I couldn't wait to get moved. I was convinced that once we lived in a sturdy house where you couldn't just lift the loose roll out windows, I would be safe.

Finally I would Be Safe

So, we got moved in. It was pitch dark in that area. No warm cemetery lights to keep the landscape lit. The house was big too. I had no idea what was going on in other parts of the house wherever I was.

We did not have heavy drapes. I had purchased white sheers for most of the windows. It was the style then. I didn't think it would matter once we got moved. But, I was every bit at terrified as I had been since that day that the spirit had overtaken me.

Between that event at the convenience store and when we lived in the new house, I had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. And still, that spirit of fear engulfed me.

Highs and Lows

I had peace, most of the time. I had joy, most of the time. I had all the wonderful things that the Holy Spirit and His infilling brings, except there was still this nasty part of my life controlled by fear. My husband still worked nights and drove long distances to get there so I was home alone most of the time.

I remember one night as I laid in bed unable to go to sleep from fear, I was praying to God about it. I didn't understand at the time that it was a spirit. I didn't understand why I was so afraid, even though I could trace it back to that particular night in the store.

But God...

I clearly heard the voice of the Lord say to me, "Each night when you lay down in your bed, I want you to say out loud Psalms 4:8. Say it over and over again until you fall asleep."

I was eager to do something, anything that would help. So, that night I said out loud, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." I repeated it over and over and over again.

I Didn't Quit

That first night I would guess I said it around 20 or 30 times before I fell asleep. The next night about 10. The next night just a couple. Then the next night as I started to say it I realized that I had no fear at all! None. I was completely delivered of that nasty spirit of fear.

Not only that, but I soon realized that in place of it, God had ushered in courage. Other than the moment when I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, this moment changed my life more than any other. I had the freedom from fear that I had had before, but more than that, I had a new sense of courage that I had never had before. There was a deep abiding knowing that I had nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever to fear, ever.

Abnormal Courage

That was over 40 years ago. I have done some pretty bold and audacious things. I still feel that same fearlessness. I've traveled alone. Walked the streets of downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter alone. I've driven cross country from here to Tucson, AZ many times alone, and when I would get sleepy I would just pull into the parking lot of a hotel or truck stop and go to sleep. Many would scoff and say that was not wise and that I was being reckless. But there was and is such an acute feeling of God's overwhelming ever present protection that I just do not feel afraid. Never any fear at all. His presence was so real and present there was no way I could fear.

God's Wisdom

I will also say here that there have been times when I would begin to do something and I would get a nudge of 'no'. He is always protecting me including sometimes redirecting my paths. I am confident that He will do that, so I move forward fearless and trust Him to keep me and to guide me. When He redirects, He never ever does it with fear. Just a simple redirect with no fanfare.

I almost always used to forget to lock my doors. I still do sometimes. I get up and realize a door isn't locked, but it doesn't startle me because I have that deep abiding knowledge that I have nothing to fear. It is a revelation knowledge that angel armies are guarding and watching over me.

The Spoken Word is Powerful

It was the first time that I saw and experienced the true dynamite power of speaking the word out loud. God didn't tell me to mull it over in my mi...

]]> Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 606 Deliverance From Fear

I briefly mentioned earlier about living in a small town where after I graduated high school I worked at the local convenience store. Yes, there was only one then. The town really was that small.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I worked the evening shift from 3 to 11. I rode my bicycle across town and then home again at 11 at night. I was not in the least bit afraid. In fact I loved riding my bike in the night under the street lamps.

A Drunk Angry Man

But then one day, a man came in very drunk. He was well known around town. He was a heavy drinker and mean, very very mean. The particular day that he came in and I was checking him out, he said something to me and I came back with either a sharp retort or a smart-aleck jab. He took his stuff and left.

Whatever the case was, when he had gone, my boss slid up next to me and said, "I wouldn't talk to him (she called him by name) that way. You never know what he will do."

Fear Gripped Me Thoroughly

Her warning and tone of voice were so ominous that I became terrified. I didn't know it at the time, but that was the moment a deep dark foreboding spirit of fear attached itself to me. One moment before I had no fear at all, and then suddenly from one word by my well meaning boss, everything changed.

I didn't work much longer at the convenience store after that. I became pregnant with my first child and the smell of the microwave sandwiches as they were heating made me deathly sick. So, I went home and stayed there. But honestly, I had lost all desire to be at work. I was afraid there. I was afraid I would be alone when that man would come back in.

Moved Away

After my first son was a few months old, we moved our single-wide trailer out to my parents farm. It just happened to be right across from the cemetery. Growing up I had loved going to the cemetery and walking through it reading the headstones. There was so much history there and the cemetery grounds were beautifully kept and peaceful.

But our trailer was directly across from a vacant end that was not yet developed. The local rabble rousers would use that spot to drink and get crazy, and guess who the head rabble rouser was? You guessed it! The man I was deathly afraid of.


The Fear Just Grew Worse

I lived like that for at least a year. I had become pregnant with our second child at that time. Our kitchen was at the very front of the trailer and there was a dividing wall between it and the living room. It was about four feet tall. I would sit all evening long in our old beat up recliner that was stuck in the corner right behind the wall.

I could hear their car doors shutting, their music playing, and their drunken laughter filtering through. I was paralyzed in fear. I would often hunch down when getting up and walk around in such a way that I would hope they couldn't see me.

I Was Paralyzed All Evening Long

I don't remember exactly how long I had to suffer through that. The reality of it was that he didn't remember our conversation. He also probably had no idea it was me that lived in that trailer, if he even cared. But fear told me different and it was crippling.

When our second child was a little over a year old, we had a home built on the far side of my parent's property. It was a good mile from the cemetery and on a dead end road. I couldn't wait to get moved. I was convinced that once we lived in a sturdy house where you couldn't just lift the loose roll out windows, I would be safe.

Finally I would Be Safe

So, we got moved in. It was pitch dark in that area. No warm cemetery lights to keep the landscape lit. The house was big too. I had no idea what was going on in other parts of the house wherever I was.

We did not have heavy drapes. I had purchased white sheers for most of the windows. It was the style then. I didn't think it would matter once we got moved. But, I was every bit at terrified as I had been since that day that the spirit had overtaken me.

Between that event at the convenience store and when we lived in the new house, I had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. And still, that spirit of fear engulfed me.

Highs and Lows

I had peace, most of the time. I had joy, most of the time. I had all the wonderful things that the Holy Spirit and His infilling brings, except there was still this nasty part of my life controlled by fear. My husband still worked nights and drove long distances to get there so I was home alone most of the time.

I remember one night as I laid in bed unable to go to sleep from fear, I was praying to God about it. I didn't understand at the time that it was a spirit. I didn't understand why I was so afraid, even though I could trace it back to that particular night in the store.

But God...

I clearly heard the voice of the Lord say to me, "Each night when you lay down in your bed, I want you to say out loud Psalms 4:8. Say it over and over again until you fall asleep."

I was eager to do something, anything that would help. So, that night I said out loud, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." I repeated it over and over and over again.

I Didn't Quit

That first night I would guess I said it around 20 or 30 times before I fell asleep. The next night about 10. The next night just a couple. Then the next night as I started to say it I realized that I had no fear at all! None. I was completely delivered of that nasty spirit of fear.

Not only that, but I soon realized that in place of it, God had ushered in courage. Other than the moment when I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, this moment changed my life more than any other. I had the freedom from fear that I had had before, but more than that, I had a new sense of courage that I had never had before. There was a deep abiding knowing that I had nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever to fear, ever.

Abnormal Courage

That was over 40 years ago. I have done some pretty bold and audacious things. I still feel that same fearlessness. I've traveled alone. Walked the streets of downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter alone. I've driven cross country from here to Tucson, AZ many times alone, and when I would get sleepy I would just pull into the parking lot of a hotel or truck stop and go to sleep. Many would scoff and say that was not wise and that I was being reckless. But there was and is such an acute feeling of God's overwhelming ever present protection that I just do not feel afraid. Never any fear at all. His presence was so real and present there was no way I could fear.

God's Wisdom

I will also say here that there have been times when I would begin to do something and I would get a nudge of 'no'. He is always protecting me including sometimes redirecting my paths. I am confident that He will do that, so I move forward fearless and trust Him to keep me and to guide me. When He redirects, He never ever does it with fear. Just a simple redirect with no fanfare.

I almost always used to forget to lock my doors. I still do sometimes. I get up and realize a door isn't locked, but it doesn't startle me because I have that deep abiding knowledge that I have nothing to fear. It is a revelation knowledge that angel armies are guarding and watching over me.

The Spoken Word is Powerful

It was the first time that I saw and experienced the true dynamite power of speaking the word out loud. God didn't tell me to mull it over in my mi...

]]> No Rise Above | Can You? Are You Willing To? - Archive Story - Episode 7 1 1 7 7 Rise Above | Can You? Are You Willing To? - Archive Story - Episode 7 full 2d7c2088-bdc2-490f-ab72-995a8c211193 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Rise Above | Can You? Are You Willing To?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Politics

When a political climate changes usually our mental and emotional state does as well. We can lose hope or gain hope in just the proclamation of a new elected official.

We are convinced that if the right person gets into office our lives will change for the better, and so it might. We are equally convinced that if the wrong person gets into office our lives will change for the worse, and so it might.

That tumultuous wavering mindset is not what God has called us too. There are absolutes in the word of God that we are to anchor ourselves to and ground ourselves in so that we do not waver between hope which brings joy, and discouragement which brings fear.

History

Many believe that this is the worse period of time that humanity has ever had to live through. I've often heard that 'things' are getting worse and worse. But, are they really, or is it believed to be true only because it is being amplified through countless media sources and social media apps night and day, and we feed on it non-stop.

I could list here many government regimes through the centuries that were far worse than what we live in. Because we did not personally live in and experience those situations they don't seem to be worse than ours now. Even if we do consider them, and admit that yes they may have been, we don't 'feel' that they were worse.

Being a true student of history can have its benefits. It gives us a broader, more accurate scope of the threads that have woven through time and can give us genuine perspective on our own time and place in history.


1st Century Rome

The Roman government during the first century, the time when Jesus and his disciples were alive, the government they were subject to was one of the most vile of all time.

On occasion when I say that to someone, they react one of two ways. They always stop to consider what I've said, but then respond with a 'yeah but…' or 'not really as bad as…'

Not knowing the horrific details of that time period can lend itself to yet again more amplification of our current government. When I begin to discuss just how horrific that Roman government was I am usually stopped and told that they do not want to hear that kind of thing. It is just too horrific to imagine and they don't like to think about it.

A Lack of Knowledge

Shying away from genuine historic events does not benefit us. In fact, knowing the finite details of certain historic events as they actually occurred can bring us hope when put in perspective of the light of the gospel.

Hosea 4:6 NAS

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Since you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I will forget your children.

This is one of those scriptures that gets tossed about and used to serve many purposes. But it is an accurate statement in most contexts. People can and do perish from lack of knowledge. If you reject learning about history, it can be detrimental. If you forget the law of God, you will not live by it.

Law of Love

I challenge those of you who are in the body of Christ that we too have forgotten the law of God, the law of love. We no longer have to live by a law of rules save one which in its essence encompasses most others and that is to love the Lord your God with all your heart.

You might have felt a huge shift there. First I was talking about history and the first century and then all of a sudden I was talking about love. Bear with me as I connect the dots.

John 15:12-13

12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 15 for full context.

Mark 12:28-31

28 One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" 29 Jesus answered "The foremost is, 'Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, The Lord is One, 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 12 for full context.

This is the new covenant law of God - love.

Love does not name call - anyone.

Love does not make fun of - anyone.

Love does not taunt - anyone.

Love does not ridicule - anyone.

Love does not mock - anyone.

Love does not seek its own way - from anyone.

And we are not to criticize or condemn those who do. That is not love.

As Christ followers we must bring ourselves back to the knowledge that we are to love always in every situation. Let us not be provoked to anger. Let us look at the adverse voices in our lives and in our world with compassion and pity. Let us purpose to pray sincerely for them which is how the world will be lovingly woo'd back to Christ, because that is our calling, our mandate from God.

Let Us Leave Childish Things Behind

We are more than this type of behavior. We do not have to resort to mocking and name calling. It is beneath us! Jesus rose above it all in example and we are to follow His example. As ambassadors of Christ we are called to be Christ like and Jesus never mocked or ridiculed anyone except corrupt religious leaders who led the people astray.

He was at peace in the midst of it all because He knew, he had knowledge of his purpose and where he stood in the kingdom. He encouraged and insisted his disciples do the very same. We should remember this. Remember the knowledge of who we are in Christ and rise above the base verbal brawling so prevalent in this world today. It lessens us and steals our peace.

What Does History Have to do With Love?

You may be asking how does accurately knowing history tie into this. It can change our perspective. If we can view the true historic details of what happened in the first century in all the provinces of Rome and in the Jewish nation, we can see it in the light of our current time.

Because many do not know history in light of what is taught in the bible, we are susceptible to ideals, emotions, and mindsets that waver as the political climate wavers. It also makes us susceptible to deceptive teachings which can only be corroborated in light of true historical facts.

Be Strong and Courageous

We are called to be strong, courageous, and steady on the rock of our salvation - Jesus, regardless of the circumstances around us.

I want and intend to discuss this more but will continue on in later posts because I am passionate about walking in the strength and the knowledge that we have been called to walk in.

Let me leave you today with this one thought. If you are feeling uncertainty and apprehension about the future of humanity and what will happen next, you have moved away from what Jesus wants you to focus on.

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 As for the things you have learned an...

]]> Rise Above | Can You? Are You Willing To?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Politics

When a political climate changes usually our mental and emotional state does as well. We can lose hope or gain hope in just the proclamation of a new elected official.

We are convinced that if the right person gets into office our lives will change for the better, and so it might. We are equally convinced that if the wrong person gets into office our lives will change for the worse, and so it might.

That tumultuous wavering mindset is not what God has called us too. There are absolutes in the word of God that we are to anchor ourselves to and ground ourselves in so that we do not waver between hope which brings joy, and discouragement which brings fear.

History

Many believe that this is the worse period of time that humanity has ever had to live through. I've often heard that 'things' are getting worse and worse. But, are they really, or is it believed to be true only because it is being amplified through countless media sources and social media apps night and day, and we feed on it non-stop.

I could list here many government regimes through the centuries that were far worse than what we live in. Because we did not personally live in and experience those situations they don't seem to be worse than ours now. Even if we do consider them, and admit that yes they may have been, we don't 'feel' that they were worse.

Being a true student of history can have its benefits. It gives us a broader, more accurate scope of the threads that have woven through time and can give us genuine perspective on our own time and place in history.


1st Century Rome

The Roman government during the first century, the time when Jesus and his disciples were alive, the government they were subject to was one of the most vile of all time.

On occasion when I say that to someone, they react one of two ways. They always stop to consider what I've said, but then respond with a 'yeah but…' or 'not really as bad as…'

Not knowing the horrific details of that time period can lend itself to yet again more amplification of our current government. When I begin to discuss just how horrific that Roman government was I am usually stopped and told that they do not want to hear that kind of thing. It is just too horrific to imagine and they don't like to think about it.

A Lack of Knowledge

Shying away from genuine historic events does not benefit us. In fact, knowing the finite details of certain historic events as they actually occurred can bring us hope when put in perspective of the light of the gospel.

Hosea 4:6 NAS

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Since you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I will forget your children.

This is one of those scriptures that gets tossed about and used to serve many purposes. But it is an accurate statement in most contexts. People can and do perish from lack of knowledge. If you reject learning about history, it can be detrimental. If you forget the law of God, you will not live by it.

Law of Love

I challenge those of you who are in the body of Christ that we too have forgotten the law of God, the law of love. We no longer have to live by a law of rules save one which in its essence encompasses most others and that is to love the Lord your God with all your heart.

You might have felt a huge shift there. First I was talking about history and the first century and then all of a sudden I was talking about love. Bear with me as I connect the dots.

John 15:12-13

12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 15 for full context.

Mark 12:28-31

28 One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" 29 Jesus answered "The foremost is, 'Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, The Lord is One, 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 12 for full context.

This is the new covenant law of God - love.

Love does not name call - anyone.

Love does not make fun of - anyone.

Love does not taunt - anyone.

Love does not ridicule - anyone.

Love does not mock - anyone.

Love does not seek its own way - from anyone.

And we are not to criticize or condemn those who do. That is not love.

As Christ followers we must bring ourselves back to the knowledge that we are to love always in every situation. Let us not be provoked to anger. Let us look at the adverse voices in our lives and in our world with compassion and pity. Let us purpose to pray sincerely for them which is how the world will be lovingly woo'd back to Christ, because that is our calling, our mandate from God.

Let Us Leave Childish Things Behind

We are more than this type of behavior. We do not have to resort to mocking and name calling. It is beneath us! Jesus rose above it all in example and we are to follow His example. As ambassadors of Christ we are called to be Christ like and Jesus never mocked or ridiculed anyone except corrupt religious leaders who led the people astray.

He was at peace in the midst of it all because He knew, he had knowledge of his purpose and where he stood in the kingdom. He encouraged and insisted his disciples do the very same. We should remember this. Remember the knowledge of who we are in Christ and rise above the base verbal brawling so prevalent in this world today. It lessens us and steals our peace.

What Does History Have to do With Love?

You may be asking how does accurately knowing history tie into this. It can change our perspective. If we can view the true historic details of what happened in the first century in all the provinces of Rome and in the Jewish nation, we can see it in the light of our current time.

Because many do not know history in light of what is taught in the bible, we are susceptible to ideals, emotions, and mindsets that waver as the political climate wavers. It also makes us susceptible to deceptive teachings which can only be corroborated in light of true historical facts.

Be Strong and Courageous

We are called to be strong, courageous, and steady on the rock of our salvation - Jesus, regardless of the circumstances around us.

I want and intend to discuss this more but will continue on in later posts because I am passionate about walking in the strength and the knowledge that we have been called to walk in.

Let me leave you today with this one thought. If you are feeling uncertainty and apprehension about the future of humanity and what will happen next, you have moved away from what Jesus wants you to focus on.

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 As for the things you have learned an...

]]> Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 695 Rise Above | Can You? Are You Willing To?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Politics

When a political climate changes usually our mental and emotional state does as well. We can lose hope or gain hope in just the proclamation of a new elected official.

We are convinced that if the right person gets into office our lives will change for the better, and so it might. We are equally convinced that if the wrong person gets into office our lives will change for the worse, and so it might.

That tumultuous wavering mindset is not what God has called us too. There are absolutes in the word of God that we are to anchor ourselves to and ground ourselves in so that we do not waver between hope which brings joy, and discouragement which brings fear.

History

Many believe that this is the worse period of time that humanity has ever had to live through. I've often heard that 'things' are getting worse and worse. But, are they really, or is it believed to be true only because it is being amplified through countless media sources and social media apps night and day, and we feed on it non-stop.

I could list here many government regimes through the centuries that were far worse than what we live in. Because we did not personally live in and experience those situations they don't seem to be worse than ours now. Even if we do consider them, and admit that yes they may have been, we don't 'feel' that they were worse.

Being a true student of history can have its benefits. It gives us a broader, more accurate scope of the threads that have woven through time and can give us genuine perspective on our own time and place in history.


1st Century Rome

The Roman government during the first century, the time when Jesus and his disciples were alive, the government they were subject to was one of the most vile of all time.

On occasion when I say that to someone, they react one of two ways. They always stop to consider what I've said, but then respond with a 'yeah but…' or 'not really as bad as…'

Not knowing the horrific details of that time period can lend itself to yet again more amplification of our current government. When I begin to discuss just how horrific that Roman government was I am usually stopped and told that they do not want to hear that kind of thing. It is just too horrific to imagine and they don't like to think about it.

A Lack of Knowledge

Shying away from genuine historic events does not benefit us. In fact, knowing the finite details of certain historic events as they actually occurred can bring us hope when put in perspective of the light of the gospel.

Hosea 4:6 NAS

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Since you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I will forget your children.

This is one of those scriptures that gets tossed about and used to serve many purposes. But it is an accurate statement in most contexts. People can and do perish from lack of knowledge. If you reject learning about history, it can be detrimental. If you forget the law of God, you will not live by it.

Law of Love

I challenge those of you who are in the body of Christ that we too have forgotten the law of God, the law of love. We no longer have to live by a law of rules save one which in its essence encompasses most others and that is to love the Lord your God with all your heart.

You might have felt a huge shift there. First I was talking about history and the first century and then all of a sudden I was talking about love. Bear with me as I connect the dots.

John 15:12-13

12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 15 for full context.

Mark 12:28-31

28 One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" 29 Jesus answered "The foremost is, 'Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, The Lord is One, 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 12 for full context.

This is the new covenant law of God - love.

Love does not name call - anyone.

Love does not make fun of - anyone.

Love does not taunt - anyone.

Love does not ridicule - anyone.

Love does not mock - anyone.

Love does not seek its own way - from anyone.

And we are not to criticize or condemn those who do. That is not love.

As Christ followers we must bring ourselves back to the knowledge that we are to love always in every situation. Let us not be provoked to anger. Let us look at the adverse voices in our lives and in our world with compassion and pity. Let us purpose to pray sincerely for them which is how the world will be lovingly woo'd back to Christ, because that is our calling, our mandate from God.

Let Us Leave Childish Things Behind

We are more than this type of behavior. We do not have to resort to mocking and name calling. It is beneath us! Jesus rose above it all in example and we are to follow His example. As ambassadors of Christ we are called to be Christ like and Jesus never mocked or ridiculed anyone except corrupt religious leaders who led the people astray.

He was at peace in the midst of it all because He knew, he had knowledge of his purpose and where he stood in the kingdom. He encouraged and insisted his disciples do the very same. We should remember this. Remember the knowledge of who we are in Christ and rise above the base verbal brawling so prevalent in this world today. It lessens us and steals our peace.

What Does History Have to do With Love?

You may be asking how does accurately knowing history tie into this. It can change our perspective. If we can view the true historic details of what happened in the first century in all the provinces of Rome and in the Jewish nation, we can see it in the light of our current time.

Because many do not know history in light of what is taught in the bible, we are susceptible to ideals, emotions, and mindsets that waver as the political climate wavers. It also makes us susceptible to deceptive teachings which can only be corroborated in light of true historical facts.

Be Strong and Courageous

We are called to be strong, courageous, and steady on the rock of our salvation - Jesus, regardless of the circumstances around us.

I want and intend to discuss this more but will continue on in later posts because I am passionate about walking in the strength and the knowledge that we have been called to walk in.

Let me leave you today with this one thought. If you are feeling uncertainty and apprehension about the future of humanity and what will happen next, you have moved away from what Jesus wants you to focus on.

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 As for the things you have learned an...

]]> No Rattlesnake Resistance | Miracle Story - Episode 7 1 1 7 7 Rattlesnake Resistance | Miracle Story - Episode 7 full 839576f1-830b-45d7-9920-23fac04a1d88 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Rattlesnake Resistance

Soon after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I found myself devouring every morsel of the New Testament, especially the seemingly absurd, I held it in my heart as my own. I had decided that if God said it, I believed it, and truly that settled it.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Best High

I was literally high on the Holy Spirit all day long every single day. I barely did what I had to do during the day. If I could not be reading the bible or books that helped me study the bible, I was praying in the Spirit.

I was quite young and bold in regard to speaking out about what I had found in the bible. I look back now and shudder at my youthful exuberance and boldness. Some of it though I wish I had back now, minus the immaturity. Most people just looked at me with gaping mouths. Some quoted scriptures back to me in rebuttal, out of context.

My husband was stuck in neutral, on purpose. I'm not sure if he didn't want to hear about it, but he didn't say much of anything when I would be going on and on.

He Was Stunned and Speechless

Then one day he and I were coming home in the evening and it was quite dark except for the bright light by our front door. We still lived in the trailer house out on my parent's farm. We had a small deck and it had wide wooden steps that were open in the back leading up to it.

I bounced up the steps and when I got to the top and turned around, he was still standing in the yard about 5 feet away, dumbstruck. His mouth was hanging wide open and he couldn't say anything.

I asked him what was wrong and finally he said, "You just stepped right over that rattlesnake that was poised to strike."

Without Even a Thought

I quickly responded, with a shrug of my shoulder, "Well, the bible says I can tread on serpents and snakes and that they will in no way harm me." You can find that in Luke 10:19. Then I just went inside. I never looked back for the snake or felt any fear at all. I wasn't at all surprised.

Now if you read the entire context of Luke 10 it is about us being out in the midst of spiritual wolves, but He does say that no thing, nothing, will harm us. I believe that venomous rattlesnakes are waiting to be used by the enemy to harm us. But, if we know the protection that is provided to us, we can walk confident knowing we are safe.


Now back to the story...

I'm not sure how long it took for him to move forward, but he didn't come in for a while. He just stood there staring where the snake had been with his mouth open. Even after it slithered off I think he was half heartedly looking in the dark for the snake, but more because he didn't want to get bit as he was walking up the steps.

This sounds like a very absurd event, yet I was not surprised in the least at it. In fact, at that point, I expected it. That strong confidence has waxed and waned through the years. Even now, I yearn for that innocent and childlike faith that was immovable.

I know what happened that evening and for that rattlesnake to not strike me was a miracle. Some may choose to excuse it away, but I choose to believe and I am convinced that is why I can recount so many miracles in my life.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-miraculous-life-pt-7


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

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YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Rattlesnake Resistance

Soon after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I found myself devouring every morsel of the New Testament, especially the seemingly absurd, I held it in my heart as my own. I had decided that if God said it, I believed it, and truly that settled it.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Best High

I was literally high on the Holy Spirit all day long every single day. I barely did what I had to do during the day. If I could not be reading the bible or books that helped me study the bible, I was praying in the Spirit.

I was quite young and bold in regard to speaking out about what I had found in the bible. I look back now and shudder at my youthful exuberance and boldness. Some of it though I wish I had back now, minus the immaturity. Most people just looked at me with gaping mouths. Some quoted scriptures back to me in rebuttal, out of context.

My husband was stuck in neutral, on purpose. I'm not sure if he didn't want to hear about it, but he didn't say much of anything when I would be going on and on.

He Was Stunned and Speechless

Then one day he and I were coming home in the evening and it was quite dark except for the bright light by our front door. We still lived in the trailer house out on my parent's farm. We had a small deck and it had wide wooden steps that were open in the back leading up to it.

I bounced up the steps and when I got to the top and turned around, he was still standing in the yard about 5 feet away, dumbstruck. His mouth was hanging wide open and he couldn't say anything.

I asked him what was wrong and finally he said, "You just stepped right over that rattlesnake that was poised to strike."

Without Even a Thought

I quickly responded, with a shrug of my shoulder, "Well, the bible says I can tread on serpents and snakes and that they will in no way harm me." You can find that in Luke 10:19. Then I just went inside. I never looked back for the snake or felt any fear at all. I wasn't at all surprised.

Now if you read the entire context of Luke 10 it is about us being out in the midst of spiritual wolves, but He does say that no thing, nothing, will harm us. I believe that venomous rattlesnakes are waiting to be used by the enemy to harm us. But, if we know the protection that is provided to us, we can walk confident knowing we are safe.


Now back to the story...

I'm not sure how long it took for him to move forward, but he didn't come in for a while. He just stood there staring where the snake had been with his mouth open. Even after it slithered off I think he was half heartedly looking in the dark for the snake, but more because he didn't want to get bit as he was walking up the steps.

This sounds like a very absurd event, yet I was not surprised in the least at it. In fact, at that point, I expected it. That strong confidence has waxed and waned through the years. Even now, I yearn for that innocent and childlike faith that was immovable.

I know what happened that evening and for that rattlesnake to not strike me was a miracle. Some may choose to excuse it away, but I choose to believe and I am convinced that is why I can recount so many miracles in my life.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-miraculous-life-pt-7


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 260 Rattlesnake Resistance

Soon after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I found myself devouring every morsel of the New Testament, especially the seemingly absurd, I held it in my heart as my own. I had decided that if God said it, I believed it, and truly that settled it.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

The Best High

I was literally high on the Holy Spirit all day long every single day. I barely did what I had to do during the day. If I could not be reading the bible or books that helped me study the bible, I was praying in the Spirit.

I was quite young and bold in regard to speaking out about what I had found in the bible. I look back now and shudder at my youthful exuberance and boldness. Some of it though I wish I had back now, minus the immaturity. Most people just looked at me with gaping mouths. Some quoted scriptures back to me in rebuttal, out of context.

My husband was stuck in neutral, on purpose. I'm not sure if he didn't want to hear about it, but he didn't say much of anything when I would be going on and on.

He Was Stunned and Speechless

Then one day he and I were coming home in the evening and it was quite dark except for the bright light by our front door. We still lived in the trailer house out on my parent's farm. We had a small deck and it had wide wooden steps that were open in the back leading up to it.

I bounced up the steps and when I got to the top and turned around, he was still standing in the yard about 5 feet away, dumbstruck. His mouth was hanging wide open and he couldn't say anything.

I asked him what was wrong and finally he said, "You just stepped right over that rattlesnake that was poised to strike."

Without Even a Thought

I quickly responded, with a shrug of my shoulder, "Well, the bible says I can tread on serpents and snakes and that they will in no way harm me." You can find that in Luke 10:19. Then I just went inside. I never looked back for the snake or felt any fear at all. I wasn't at all surprised.

Now if you read the entire context of Luke 10 it is about us being out in the midst of spiritual wolves, but He does say that no thing, nothing, will harm us. I believe that venomous rattlesnakes are waiting to be used by the enemy to harm us. But, if we know the protection that is provided to us, we can walk confident knowing we are safe.


Now back to the story...

I'm not sure how long it took for him to move forward, but he didn't come in for a while. He just stood there staring where the snake had been with his mouth open. Even after it slithered off I think he was half heartedly looking in the dark for the snake, but more because he didn't want to get bit as he was walking up the steps.

This sounds like a very absurd event, yet I was not surprised in the least at it. In fact, at that point, I expected it. That strong confidence has waxed and waned through the years. Even now, I yearn for that innocent and childlike faith that was immovable.

I know what happened that evening and for that rattlesnake to not strike me was a miracle. Some may choose to excuse it away, but I choose to believe and I am convinced that is why I can recount so many miracles in my life.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-miraculous-life-pt-7


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> No Do People Ever Change? | Archive Story - Episode 6 1 1 6 6 Do People Ever Change? | Archive Story - Episode 6 full a4ca49e1-ee3f-4169-9d56-5c4dd7b399b3 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Do People Ever Really Change?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We often say that people don't change. We warn those in relationships of that very thing. If you are in a relationship and think that you can change the other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong. You will never change another person.

The same is true with friendships. If you are staying in friendship that is toxic and causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong. You might as well raise up the white flag and abandon ship right now. You will never change anyone.

People Do Change

But, people do change. I've seen the most despicable sinful people become godly men and women seeking after the Father. People I would have long since given up on, become more than I ever thought they would. I've had to eat my words.

I've also seen people once seemingly on fire for God have an adverse event or an experience happen in their lives and suddenly they are adrift out to sea to parts unknown.

What About You?

Are you frustrated that you are not seeing the changes or transformation in your own life that you so desire?

So what happens? What is it that changes a person for the good? Is it our own willpower? Is it developing good habits and doing all the right things? What creates change that is not just temporary?

True transformation always happens from the inside out and usually not when you are watching for it to happen.

What You Often Hear At Church

I've been going to church for many years now, basically my whole life. I've heard 'be good' preached from every possible standpoint that a preacher could preach it from. For years when I was much younger, I tried to do all the right things. Many were easy, but many were short lived. No matter how hard I tried. I seemed to always slip back into previous behavior.

I tried to live by the rules, you know, the 10 commandments, which seemed easy, and the teachings of the New Testament, which often didn't seem so easy. However, what I found is that even if I forced myself through my own self control to change, that was just me forcing me to be a certain way. And honestly this means nothing.


True Transformation

For a person to force themselves to be 'good' without transformation means absolutely nothing! In II Corinthians 3 Paul refers to the 10 Commandments at the ministry that brought death, but that there is a better way, the ministry of the Spirit!

II Corinthians 3 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,

8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 3 for full context.

What God wants for us is true transformation, a glory that will last. With true transformation we will naturally begin to choose the things that are best for us. We will begin to live by 'the rules' naturally without thinking about them, because they will be written on our hearts.

Making a Show of Being Good

The Pharisees and Sadducees followed all the rules and made a great show of it, but they were not transformed. They were living a lie and were spiritually dead. The only people in the bible that Jesus appeared to have no compassion for, only disdain, were those who appeared to be doing good while not being transformed on the inside. In fact he was almost vicious towards them.

So, today if we say to a person good and charming things, while in our hearts we are hostile and disrespectful towards them, are we transformed or just 'following the rules'? If we go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help whenever needed but dread it or almost worse, do it to gain praise and favor from God and man, we are not transformed.

Doing What You Are Supposed to Do

If you are living by the rules because you know that is what you are supposed to do and not naturally from your heart, you have fallen from grace. For to live by grace is to live by the Spirit and the unction of the Spirit, not by rules, not even the 10 commandments.

So what are we to do then? Live lawlessly? Yes, in a sense! We are to live rooted and grounded in Jesus. Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. Read the Word of God with a passion. Then and only then will true transformation come. You will become like who you hang out with. The more time you spend with Jesus the more you will become like Him.

Hebrews 7 18 So a previous physical regulation and command is cancelled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness--

19 For the Law never made anything perfect--but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 7 for full context.

Living Lawlessly

I have said this to many people, but it seems overwhelming to them, almost like giving them another law to live by. Spend time with Jesus – check. Read the Word – check. So what is the key here? How do we desire to live by grace? How do we desire to spend more time with Jesus? How do we desire to spend more time reading the Word?

The key is in the ONLY commandments of the New Testament. If you live by this then transformation will begin and you will live a godly transformed life.

Luke 10: 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 10 for full context.

John 15: 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

17 "This I command you, that you love one another.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 15 for full context.

How To Start Loving When You Don't

So, how do we just arbitrarily start to love Jesus? How do we develop a love that compels us to spend time with Him? How do we truly love others?

It begins with the realization of just how much He first loved us. We are all attracted to healthy love. But, this is no ordinary love. It is a love that transforms, heals, protects, elevates to royalty, prospers, vindicates, admonishes, promotes, prefers, favors, comforts, and on and on and on.

Learn About His Love For You First

The very first step to...

]]> Do People Ever Really Change?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We often say that people don't change. We warn those in relationships of that very thing. If you are in a relationship and think that you can change the other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong. You will never change another person.

The same is true with friendships. If you are staying in friendship that is toxic and causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong. You might as well raise up the white flag and abandon ship right now. You will never change anyone.

People Do Change

But, people do change. I've seen the most despicable sinful people become godly men and women seeking after the Father. People I would have long since given up on, become more than I ever thought they would. I've had to eat my words.

I've also seen people once seemingly on fire for God have an adverse event or an experience happen in their lives and suddenly they are adrift out to sea to parts unknown.

What About You?

Are you frustrated that you are not seeing the changes or transformation in your own life that you so desire?

So what happens? What is it that changes a person for the good? Is it our own willpower? Is it developing good habits and doing all the right things? What creates change that is not just temporary?

True transformation always happens from the inside out and usually not when you are watching for it to happen.

What You Often Hear At Church

I've been going to church for many years now, basically my whole life. I've heard 'be good' preached from every possible standpoint that a preacher could preach it from. For years when I was much younger, I tried to do all the right things. Many were easy, but many were short lived. No matter how hard I tried. I seemed to always slip back into previous behavior.

I tried to live by the rules, you know, the 10 commandments, which seemed easy, and the teachings of the New Testament, which often didn't seem so easy. However, what I found is that even if I forced myself through my own self control to change, that was just me forcing me to be a certain way. And honestly this means nothing.


True Transformation

For a person to force themselves to be 'good' without transformation means absolutely nothing! In II Corinthians 3 Paul refers to the 10 Commandments at the ministry that brought death, but that there is a better way, the ministry of the Spirit!

II Corinthians 3 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,

8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 3 for full context.

What God wants for us is true transformation, a glory that will last. With true transformation we will naturally begin to choose the things that are best for us. We will begin to live by 'the rules' naturally without thinking about them, because they will be written on our hearts.

Making a Show of Being Good

The Pharisees and Sadducees followed all the rules and made a great show of it, but they were not transformed. They were living a lie and were spiritually dead. The only people in the bible that Jesus appeared to have no compassion for, only disdain, were those who appeared to be doing good while not being transformed on the inside. In fact he was almost vicious towards them.

So, today if we say to a person good and charming things, while in our hearts we are hostile and disrespectful towards them, are we transformed or just 'following the rules'? If we go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help whenever needed but dread it or almost worse, do it to gain praise and favor from God and man, we are not transformed.

Doing What You Are Supposed to Do

If you are living by the rules because you know that is what you are supposed to do and not naturally from your heart, you have fallen from grace. For to live by grace is to live by the Spirit and the unction of the Spirit, not by rules, not even the 10 commandments.

So what are we to do then? Live lawlessly? Yes, in a sense! We are to live rooted and grounded in Jesus. Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. Read the Word of God with a passion. Then and only then will true transformation come. You will become like who you hang out with. The more time you spend with Jesus the more you will become like Him.

Hebrews 7 18 So a previous physical regulation and command is cancelled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness--

19 For the Law never made anything perfect--but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 7 for full context.

Living Lawlessly

I have said this to many people, but it seems overwhelming to them, almost like giving them another law to live by. Spend time with Jesus – check. Read the Word – check. So what is the key here? How do we desire to live by grace? How do we desire to spend more time with Jesus? How do we desire to spend more time reading the Word?

The key is in the ONLY commandments of the New Testament. If you live by this then transformation will begin and you will live a godly transformed life.

Luke 10: 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 10 for full context.

John 15: 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

17 "This I command you, that you love one another.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 15 for full context.

How To Start Loving When You Don't

So, how do we just arbitrarily start to love Jesus? How do we develop a love that compels us to spend time with Him? How do we truly love others?

It begins with the realization of just how much He first loved us. We are all attracted to healthy love. But, this is no ordinary love. It is a love that transforms, heals, protects, elevates to royalty, prospers, vindicates, admonishes, promotes, prefers, favors, comforts, and on and on and on.

Learn About His Love For You First

The very first step to...

]]> Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 670 Do People Ever Really Change?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We often say that people don't change. We warn those in relationships of that very thing. If you are in a relationship and think that you can change the other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong. You will never change another person.

The same is true with friendships. If you are staying in friendship that is toxic and causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong. You might as well raise up the white flag and abandon ship right now. You will never change anyone.

People Do Change

But, people do change. I've seen the most despicable sinful people become godly men and women seeking after the Father. People I would have long since given up on, become more than I ever thought they would. I've had to eat my words.

I've also seen people once seemingly on fire for God have an adverse event or an experience happen in their lives and suddenly they are adrift out to sea to parts unknown.

What About You?

Are you frustrated that you are not seeing the changes or transformation in your own life that you so desire?

So what happens? What is it that changes a person for the good? Is it our own willpower? Is it developing good habits and doing all the right things? What creates change that is not just temporary?

True transformation always happens from the inside out and usually not when you are watching for it to happen.

What You Often Hear At Church

I've been going to church for many years now, basically my whole life. I've heard 'be good' preached from every possible standpoint that a preacher could preach it from. For years when I was much younger, I tried to do all the right things. Many were easy, but many were short lived. No matter how hard I tried. I seemed to always slip back into previous behavior.

I tried to live by the rules, you know, the 10 commandments, which seemed easy, and the teachings of the New Testament, which often didn't seem so easy. However, what I found is that even if I forced myself through my own self control to change, that was just me forcing me to be a certain way. And honestly this means nothing.


True Transformation

For a person to force themselves to be 'good' without transformation means absolutely nothing! In II Corinthians 3 Paul refers to the 10 Commandments at the ministry that brought death, but that there is a better way, the ministry of the Spirit!

II Corinthians 3 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,

8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 3 for full context.

What God wants for us is true transformation, a glory that will last. With true transformation we will naturally begin to choose the things that are best for us. We will begin to live by 'the rules' naturally without thinking about them, because they will be written on our hearts.

Making a Show of Being Good

The Pharisees and Sadducees followed all the rules and made a great show of it, but they were not transformed. They were living a lie and were spiritually dead. The only people in the bible that Jesus appeared to have no compassion for, only disdain, were those who appeared to be doing good while not being transformed on the inside. In fact he was almost vicious towards them.

So, today if we say to a person good and charming things, while in our hearts we are hostile and disrespectful towards them, are we transformed or just 'following the rules'? If we go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help whenever needed but dread it or almost worse, do it to gain praise and favor from God and man, we are not transformed.

Doing What You Are Supposed to Do

If you are living by the rules because you know that is what you are supposed to do and not naturally from your heart, you have fallen from grace. For to live by grace is to live by the Spirit and the unction of the Spirit, not by rules, not even the 10 commandments.

So what are we to do then? Live lawlessly? Yes, in a sense! We are to live rooted and grounded in Jesus. Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. Read the Word of God with a passion. Then and only then will true transformation come. You will become like who you hang out with. The more time you spend with Jesus the more you will become like Him.

Hebrews 7 18 So a previous physical regulation and command is cancelled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness--

19 For the Law never made anything perfect--but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 7 for full context.

Living Lawlessly

I have said this to many people, but it seems overwhelming to them, almost like giving them another law to live by. Spend time with Jesus – check. Read the Word – check. So what is the key here? How do we desire to live by grace? How do we desire to spend more time with Jesus? How do we desire to spend more time reading the Word?

The key is in the ONLY commandments of the New Testament. If you live by this then transformation will begin and you will live a godly transformed life.

Luke 10: 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live."

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 10 for full context.

John 15: 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

17 "This I command you, that you love one another.

Let me encourage you to read all of chapter 15 for full context.

How To Start Loving When You Don't

So, how do we just arbitrarily start to love Jesus? How do we develop a love that compels us to spend time with Him? How do we truly love others?

It begins with the realization of just how much He first loved us. We are all attracted to healthy love. But, this is no ordinary love. It is a love that transforms, heals, protects, elevates to royalty, prospers, vindicates, admonishes, promotes, prefers, favors, comforts, and on and on and on.

Learn About His Love For You First

The very first step to...

]]> No Money Where There Was None | Miracle Story - Episode 6 1 1 6 6 Money Where There Was None | Miracle Story - Episode 6 full 8647f8e2-086b-4180-a1e5-df6806810616 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Money Where There Was None

As I said, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit opened the floodgates to the supernatural and miraculous in my life. I had always been one that once I saw it in the bible, I just accepted it.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

So, when the bible said miracles were mine and the legacy for my life that Jesus had died to give me, I believed it. Because I believed it, and still do, miracles seemed to be everywhere.

Hungry to Learn

I studied the bible on my own. I devoured books written by others who had experienced miracles. I prayed in the Spirit as I drove, long or short distances.

My husband and I had moved our single-wide trailer yet again. We were now out in the country on a portion of my parents property. They owned 160 acres which had ranch and farm land.

My husband still worked in the oil field and was gone most of the time. He worked seven days a week, and usually had to drive one hour each way to and from work. So, I was alone with our baby boy most of the time.

Little to Budget

We had gone into debt almost as soon as we got married. We bought furniture. While I was in the hospital with my first born, he bought a new, much needed vehicle. I was not working and was trying to run our tiny household at 19 and had never been taught how. I didn't know how to cook. I didn't know how to manage money. But, we both knew how to spend it.

As soon as I heard that we were supposed to tithe, I did. The bible said it, I believed it, and so I just did it. I wanted to do whatever I was supposed to do and felt joy in doing it.

Tithing Was a Start

Even though I was tithing, it was not a magic wand to quick financial freedom. I didn't expect that; I was tithing out of obedience and love for the Father. But, I had a desire to manage money well. It seemed though that I was always running out of money and accidentally writing checks that would overdraw our bank account.

The Lord helped me develop a system, long before Dave Ramsey since this was in 1977. I would take my husband's paycheck to the bank each pay period with a list of bills that needed paid. I would get money orders for those bills, and then get a series of $5 bills, one for each day for two weeks to cover until the next payday. Whatever was left over remained in the bank. It wasn't much. I could tell the tellers at the bank thought I was crazy.

I Had a System

When I got home, I would mail the money orders off, paying the bills. That way I didn't have to worry about them not getting paid. I then took seven small white envelopes and taped them inside the pantry door. I put one $5 bill in each. I wrote a day of the week on each envelope.

Today, we could not get by with $5 a day as a budget, but then I could, even if just barely. If I didn't spend the days money, I would remove it and put it in the next day's envelope which would now have $10 in it. I would do this 'roll-over' system until I needed to go to the grocery store and would take what money was in the envelope for that day whether it was $5 or $30 and buy groceries.

It Worked Until It Didn't

This system worked for the most part. I was really trying. I really wanted to manage the money we had well. But for some reason one week, I ran out of money early on. Obviously I had had to rob the other envelopes of their stash for some reason. Whatever had come up, I don't know, but we had spent what I normally budgeted.

So, I prayed. I needed to go to the grocery store. I needed groceries. The last time I went, I had spent nearly all that I had. Honestly, I think I may have had a little over a dollar in my wallet.

Inspired to Go Shop and See

As I was praying, I thought I would just go to the grocery store and see what I could get with what I had. I went, not even sure how much money I did have since I was afraid to look, and bought a few things.

When I got to the checkout stand I was very anxious, thinking I would have to ask our small town grocer to allow me to get what I had brought to the checkout stand on credit. I was trying to get up the courage to ask since I knew it was inevitable. I knew I did not have enough in my purse to pay for it all, even though it was only about five dollars or so.

Anxiety at the Cash Register

She rang it up and I reached into my purse to get what money I had. When I opened my wallet, I just stared at it. There was the exact amount that I needed and a few coins left over. There was more than enough!

Let me stress to you that I knew I had only had around one dollar in there. To see over five dollars in there was shocking. I knew it was a miracle. I knew God had an angel put money in my purse. My faith was bolstered even more. As I saw the money there I felt a hot flush of the Holy Spirit.

Had to Do It Again

But, what I bought was barely enough to make the meals for one day. I had to go back to the grocery store again the next day. I knew exactly what I had in my wallet. Those few coins that I had left over the day before.

I shopped, searching for the least expensive and most 'stretchable' items I could find, but selected even less than the day before. When I got to the checkout counter again, I was thinking I would have to ask for credit. But when I opened my wallet, there was the money I needed to pay for all my groceries, with a few coins left over. I was dumbfounded. One day was outstanding, two days in a row what shocking. Again, my faith was bolstered and I was walking on air.

And Again...

If that had been the only two times that week it would have been enough, but it didn't stop there. I went to the grocery each day until payday. Each time there was just enough money in my wallet to get what I needed for that day, with a few coins left over. If I were to count, probably three or four days that provisional miracle occurred. Payday came and I was back to living on my $5 a day budget and the 'money in my wallet' miracle stopped.

I have found money since then randomly, but I have not since experienced that type of financial miracle in that particular way. Had it been once or twice, I could have possibly explained it away, but that many days in a row was impossible to deny. I believed in miracles and was looking for them everywhere, and so it was easy to see it, recognize it as such, and thank God for it.

Watching For Miracles

I wonder what if I had not recognized it as a miracle that first day. What if I had blown it off or excused it away? Would I have seen subsequent miracles the following days? I choose to see the tiniest things as supernatural and miraculous, and I firmly believe that being always on the lookout for them, actually multiplies them in my life.

Seeing the first one on that first day fired me up and I was expectant each day. By the third day, I went with confidence that I would have what I needed, and guess what? I had in my formerly nearly empty purse, just what I needed.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-part-6


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook:

]]> Money Where There Was None

As I said, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit opened the floodgates to the supernatural and miraculous in my life. I had always been one that once I saw it in the bible, I just accepted it.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

So, when the bible said miracles were mine and the legacy for my life that Jesus had died to give me, I believed it. Because I believed it, and still do, miracles seemed to be everywhere.

Hungry to Learn

I studied the bible on my own. I devoured books written by others who had experienced miracles. I prayed in the Spirit as I drove, long or short distances.

My husband and I had moved our single-wide trailer yet again. We were now out in the country on a portion of my parents property. They owned 160 acres which had ranch and farm land.

My husband still worked in the oil field and was gone most of the time. He worked seven days a week, and usually had to drive one hour each way to and from work. So, I was alone with our baby boy most of the time.

Little to Budget

We had gone into debt almost as soon as we got married. We bought furniture. While I was in the hospital with my first born, he bought a new, much needed vehicle. I was not working and was trying to run our tiny household at 19 and had never been taught how. I didn't know how to cook. I didn't know how to manage money. But, we both knew how to spend it.

As soon as I heard that we were supposed to tithe, I did. The bible said it, I believed it, and so I just did it. I wanted to do whatever I was supposed to do and felt joy in doing it.

Tithing Was a Start

Even though I was tithing, it was not a magic wand to quick financial freedom. I didn't expect that; I was tithing out of obedience and love for the Father. But, I had a desire to manage money well. It seemed though that I was always running out of money and accidentally writing checks that would overdraw our bank account.

The Lord helped me develop a system, long before Dave Ramsey since this was in 1977. I would take my husband's paycheck to the bank each pay period with a list of bills that needed paid. I would get money orders for those bills, and then get a series of $5 bills, one for each day for two weeks to cover until the next payday. Whatever was left over remained in the bank. It wasn't much. I could tell the tellers at the bank thought I was crazy.

I Had a System

When I got home, I would mail the money orders off, paying the bills. That way I didn't have to worry about them not getting paid. I then took seven small white envelopes and taped them inside the pantry door. I put one $5 bill in each. I wrote a day of the week on each envelope.

Today, we could not get by with $5 a day as a budget, but then I could, even if just barely. If I didn't spend the days money, I would remove it and put it in the next day's envelope which would now have $10 in it. I would do this 'roll-over' system until I needed to go to the grocery store and would take what money was in the envelope for that day whether it was $5 or $30 and buy groceries.

It Worked Until It Didn't

This system worked for the most part. I was really trying. I really wanted to manage the money we had well. But for some reason one week, I ran out of money early on. Obviously I had had to rob the other envelopes of their stash for some reason. Whatever had come up, I don't know, but we had spent what I normally budgeted.

So, I prayed. I needed to go to the grocery store. I needed groceries. The last time I went, I had spent nearly all that I had. Honestly, I think I may have had a little over a dollar in my wallet.

Inspired to Go Shop and See

As I was praying, I thought I would just go to the grocery store and see what I could get with what I had. I went, not even sure how much money I did have since I was afraid to look, and bought a few things.

When I got to the checkout stand I was very anxious, thinking I would have to ask our small town grocer to allow me to get what I had brought to the checkout stand on credit. I was trying to get up the courage to ask since I knew it was inevitable. I knew I did not have enough in my purse to pay for it all, even though it was only about five dollars or so.

Anxiety at the Cash Register

She rang it up and I reached into my purse to get what money I had. When I opened my wallet, I just stared at it. There was the exact amount that I needed and a few coins left over. There was more than enough!

Let me stress to you that I knew I had only had around one dollar in there. To see over five dollars in there was shocking. I knew it was a miracle. I knew God had an angel put money in my purse. My faith was bolstered even more. As I saw the money there I felt a hot flush of the Holy Spirit.

Had to Do It Again

But, what I bought was barely enough to make the meals for one day. I had to go back to the grocery store again the next day. I knew exactly what I had in my wallet. Those few coins that I had left over the day before.

I shopped, searching for the least expensive and most 'stretchable' items I could find, but selected even less than the day before. When I got to the checkout counter again, I was thinking I would have to ask for credit. But when I opened my wallet, there was the money I needed to pay for all my groceries, with a few coins left over. I was dumbfounded. One day was outstanding, two days in a row what shocking. Again, my faith was bolstered and I was walking on air.

And Again...

If that had been the only two times that week it would have been enough, but it didn't stop there. I went to the grocery each day until payday. Each time there was just enough money in my wallet to get what I needed for that day, with a few coins left over. If I were to count, probably three or four days that provisional miracle occurred. Payday came and I was back to living on my $5 a day budget and the 'money in my wallet' miracle stopped.

I have found money since then randomly, but I have not since experienced that type of financial miracle in that particular way. Had it been once or twice, I could have possibly explained it away, but that many days in a row was impossible to deny. I believed in miracles and was looking for them everywhere, and so it was easy to see it, recognize it as such, and thank God for it.

Watching For Miracles

I wonder what if I had not recognized it as a miracle that first day. What if I had blown it off or excused it away? Would I have seen subsequent miracles the following days? I choose to see the tiniest things as supernatural and miraculous, and I firmly believe that being always on the lookout for them, actually multiplies them in my life.

Seeing the first one on that first day fired me up and I was expectant each day. By the third day, I went with confidence that I would have what I needed, and guess what? I had in my formerly nearly empty purse, just what I needed.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-part-6


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook:

]]> Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 579 Money Where There Was None

As I said, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit opened the floodgates to the supernatural and miraculous in my life. I had always been one that once I saw it in the bible, I just accepted it.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

So, when the bible said miracles were mine and the legacy for my life that Jesus had died to give me, I believed it. Because I believed it, and still do, miracles seemed to be everywhere.

Hungry to Learn

I studied the bible on my own. I devoured books written by others who had experienced miracles. I prayed in the Spirit as I drove, long or short distances.

My husband and I had moved our single-wide trailer yet again. We were now out in the country on a portion of my parents property. They owned 160 acres which had ranch and farm land.

My husband still worked in the oil field and was gone most of the time. He worked seven days a week, and usually had to drive one hour each way to and from work. So, I was alone with our baby boy most of the time.

Little to Budget

We had gone into debt almost as soon as we got married. We bought furniture. While I was in the hospital with my first born, he bought a new, much needed vehicle. I was not working and was trying to run our tiny household at 19 and had never been taught how. I didn't know how to cook. I didn't know how to manage money. But, we both knew how to spend it.

As soon as I heard that we were supposed to tithe, I did. The bible said it, I believed it, and so I just did it. I wanted to do whatever I was supposed to do and felt joy in doing it.

Tithing Was a Start

Even though I was tithing, it was not a magic wand to quick financial freedom. I didn't expect that; I was tithing out of obedience and love for the Father. But, I had a desire to manage money well. It seemed though that I was always running out of money and accidentally writing checks that would overdraw our bank account.

The Lord helped me develop a system, long before Dave Ramsey since this was in 1977. I would take my husband's paycheck to the bank each pay period with a list of bills that needed paid. I would get money orders for those bills, and then get a series of $5 bills, one for each day for two weeks to cover until the next payday. Whatever was left over remained in the bank. It wasn't much. I could tell the tellers at the bank thought I was crazy.

I Had a System

When I got home, I would mail the money orders off, paying the bills. That way I didn't have to worry about them not getting paid. I then took seven small white envelopes and taped them inside the pantry door. I put one $5 bill in each. I wrote a day of the week on each envelope.

Today, we could not get by with $5 a day as a budget, but then I could, even if just barely. If I didn't spend the days money, I would remove it and put it in the next day's envelope which would now have $10 in it. I would do this 'roll-over' system until I needed to go to the grocery store and would take what money was in the envelope for that day whether it was $5 or $30 and buy groceries.

It Worked Until It Didn't

This system worked for the most part. I was really trying. I really wanted to manage the money we had well. But for some reason one week, I ran out of money early on. Obviously I had had to rob the other envelopes of their stash for some reason. Whatever had come up, I don't know, but we had spent what I normally budgeted.

So, I prayed. I needed to go to the grocery store. I needed groceries. The last time I went, I had spent nearly all that I had. Honestly, I think I may have had a little over a dollar in my wallet.

Inspired to Go Shop and See

As I was praying, I thought I would just go to the grocery store and see what I could get with what I had. I went, not even sure how much money I did have since I was afraid to look, and bought a few things.

When I got to the checkout stand I was very anxious, thinking I would have to ask our small town grocer to allow me to get what I had brought to the checkout stand on credit. I was trying to get up the courage to ask since I knew it was inevitable. I knew I did not have enough in my purse to pay for it all, even though it was only about five dollars or so.

Anxiety at the Cash Register

She rang it up and I reached into my purse to get what money I had. When I opened my wallet, I just stared at it. There was the exact amount that I needed and a few coins left over. There was more than enough!

Let me stress to you that I knew I had only had around one dollar in there. To see over five dollars in there was shocking. I knew it was a miracle. I knew God had an angel put money in my purse. My faith was bolstered even more. As I saw the money there I felt a hot flush of the Holy Spirit.

Had to Do It Again

But, what I bought was barely enough to make the meals for one day. I had to go back to the grocery store again the next day. I knew exactly what I had in my wallet. Those few coins that I had left over the day before.

I shopped, searching for the least expensive and most 'stretchable' items I could find, but selected even less than the day before. When I got to the checkout counter again, I was thinking I would have to ask for credit. But when I opened my wallet, there was the money I needed to pay for all my groceries, with a few coins left over. I was dumbfounded. One day was outstanding, two days in a row what shocking. Again, my faith was bolstered and I was walking on air.

And Again...

If that had been the only two times that week it would have been enough, but it didn't stop there. I went to the grocery each day until payday. Each time there was just enough money in my wallet to get what I needed for that day, with a few coins left over. If I were to count, probably three or four days that provisional miracle occurred. Payday came and I was back to living on my $5 a day budget and the 'money in my wallet' miracle stopped.

I have found money since then randomly, but I have not since experienced that type of financial miracle in that particular way. Had it been once or twice, I could have possibly explained it away, but that many days in a row was impossible to deny. I believed in miracles and was looking for them everywhere, and so it was easy to see it, recognize it as such, and thank God for it.

Watching For Miracles

I wonder what if I had not recognized it as a miracle that first day. What if I had blown it off or excused it away? Would I have seen subsequent miracles the following days? I choose to see the tiniest things as supernatural and miraculous, and I firmly believe that being always on the lookout for them, actually multiplies them in my life.

Seeing the first one on that first day fired me up and I was expectant each day. By the third day, I went with confidence that I would have what I needed, and guess what? I had in my formerly nearly empty purse, just what I needed.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-part-6


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook:

]]> No Mary vs. Martha A View From The Mary Perspective | Archive Story - Episode 5 1 1 5 5 Mary vs. Martha A View From The Mary Perspective | Archive Story - Episode 5 full 076b7757-9fc0-4cdb-8504-3383d97143da https://share.transistor.fm/s/56c4f9b6 Mary vs. Martha - A View From The Mary Perspective

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We all know the story of Martha and Mary where Martha was busy and Mary was seemingly doing nothing, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and was listening to His teaching.

40 But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!

41 But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;

42 There is need of only one (or but a few things). Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

In every sermon I've heard preached on this, every preacher has given Martha at least a little credit, a little applaud for getting things done. After all, if we always sit at the feet of Jesus, we will never get anything done, or will we?

Are You Sitting at the Feet of Jesus?

Had Martha just sat down in the kitchen, she would have not been doing what Mary was. Please let me be clear - there is a huge difference in just sitting and sitting at the feet of Jesus!


I am a professed Mary. Always have been and always will be. So, let me speak from this perspective.

Decades ago I came across Acts 1:8 in the Amplified version of the bible and a lightbulb came on. I latched onto it and my life forever changed. Without knowing it, I suddenly understood why it was okay to be a Mary, fully, completely, in every way.

Acts 1:8,9

8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

9 And when He had said this, even as they were looking [at Him], He was caught up, and a cloud received and carried Him away out of their sight.

This verse is the last recorded thing that Jesus said to his disciples before he went away. He instructed them to go wait for the Holy Spirit to come baptist them with fire and with power.

We Have Been Given Power

He promised that this baptism would give them power (dynamin in the Greek) meaning ability, efficiency, and might. My eyes were opened to that fact and I anchored it into my faith. If you don't believe it, it can't work for you.

I've worked in multiple corporate jobs and run and managed many businesses in my life. I've been asked for years, how do I get so much done. To which the answer I always had was usually never one most people wanted to hear.

Over two decades ago, I worked for a national corporation. I received a call one day from my manager who told me I was to speak at our company's national recruiting conference and tell everyone why I had been so successful in recruiting with our external clients.

More With Less

This was not the recruiting of people we hired for our own company, at which I always exceeded my goals, but in working with other companies like Procter & Gamble, Novartis, and others, helping them recruit. I had a stellar reputation and success rate there.

When my manager asked me to speak at the conference, I promptly said no. We were close friends and both were Spirit filled Christians. I told him there was no way I could talk to a large secular group of people and tell them why I was so successful and not tell them the real reason.

After much back and forth, I of course, did the conference. My manager simply left me with, "Just tell them the things that you do." It was the best I had to offer in such a restricted environment.

I gave the presentation. I showed them what I did. How I charted my steps, the file system I had created, and so much more.

I Never Felt The Effort

At the end, many of my colleagues came up to me and said, "It's just too much work." I was surprised, because I never felt the effort. Yes, I did work, but the work seemed effortless.

I spent a ton of time doing nothing. I also spent a ton of time alone at Jesus feet. In fact this job was one in which I was doing my work alone most of the time. During that time, I was always acutely aware of the presence of Jesus right there with me, leading me and guiding me.

I was constantly talking to him as I worked, keeping an ear leaned toward the Holy Spirit. It was he who gave me the way to do what I did. Even though in the natural it appeared to be a lot of work, with the Holy Spirit efficiency, it seemed very little to me.

Praise From the Top

That 'very little' work resulted in letters from the top praising my efforts. I have a notebook where I have kept every letter, including the one from the head of the human resources department at Procter & Gamble praising my efforts and telling my company that they should clone everything I am doing because of the my results.

Fast forward a couple of decades. I currently handle three businesses, more or less. All small, yet equally challenging. Last year I wrote and published three novels. When the Holy Spirit said it was time to write, I wrote and that was the result.

It was while I was spending time at the feet of Jesus and being with him, that I so clearly heard, "It's time to write." And with his timing came his dynamin (ability, efficiency, and might) to write, publish, and market three novels in one year.

I've had countless people amazed at that accomplishment. But I am here to tell you, it really seemed effortless to me. I again, spent tons of time, doing nothing. I also spent tons of time, at the feet of Jesus.

God Time is Different Than Our Time

How can this be? I know all you self-professed Martha's out there want to know. All of you Martha's who are so pumped by all the work you do and are constantly doing, almost to the brink of pride.

Let me tell you how. It is simply the difference between a headwind and a tailwind. Doing anything without the efficiency received by sitting at the feet of Jesus results in a headwind. It will always be harder for you and you will always accomplish less, no matter how hard you try.

I much prefer the tailwind. I dare say that Mary having sat at Jesus feet could have gotten up afterwards and completed dinner in a fraction of the time, over Martha's lengthy hard work.

My husband is always amazed at how quickly I can get a meal together. Others are often amazed at everything else that I do. But, IT IS NOT ME. It is the efficiency, ability, and might of the Holy Spirit.

Need More Time - Give Some to Jesus

Let me challenge you that many out there who appear to be Martha's are actually Mary's who sit at the feet of Jesus then are production powerhouses. Being a Mary and knowing who is really responsible, helps keep me from the temptation of pride.

I have no doubt that I am just the vessel, and were it not for the power of the Holy Spirit, I would have just been sitting and accomplishing nothing.

I guard my time at the feet of Jesus. I won't give it up. I don't do early morning things with friends or colleagues. I always graciously decline, unless it is absolutely necessary. I understand the worth and value of that t...

]]> Mary vs. Martha - A View From The Mary Perspective

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We all know the story of Martha and Mary where Martha was busy and Mary was seemingly doing nothing, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and was listening to His teaching.

40 But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!

41 But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;

42 There is need of only one (or but a few things). Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

In every sermon I've heard preached on this, every preacher has given Martha at least a little credit, a little applaud for getting things done. After all, if we always sit at the feet of Jesus, we will never get anything done, or will we?

Are You Sitting at the Feet of Jesus?

Had Martha just sat down in the kitchen, she would have not been doing what Mary was. Please let me be clear - there is a huge difference in just sitting and sitting at the feet of Jesus!


I am a professed Mary. Always have been and always will be. So, let me speak from this perspective.

Decades ago I came across Acts 1:8 in the Amplified version of the bible and a lightbulb came on. I latched onto it and my life forever changed. Without knowing it, I suddenly understood why it was okay to be a Mary, fully, completely, in every way.

Acts 1:8,9

8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

9 And when He had said this, even as they were looking [at Him], He was caught up, and a cloud received and carried Him away out of their sight.

This verse is the last recorded thing that Jesus said to his disciples before he went away. He instructed them to go wait for the Holy Spirit to come baptist them with fire and with power.

We Have Been Given Power

He promised that this baptism would give them power (dynamin in the Greek) meaning ability, efficiency, and might. My eyes were opened to that fact and I anchored it into my faith. If you don't believe it, it can't work for you.

I've worked in multiple corporate jobs and run and managed many businesses in my life. I've been asked for years, how do I get so much done. To which the answer I always had was usually never one most people wanted to hear.

Over two decades ago, I worked for a national corporation. I received a call one day from my manager who told me I was to speak at our company's national recruiting conference and tell everyone why I had been so successful in recruiting with our external clients.

More With Less

This was not the recruiting of people we hired for our own company, at which I always exceeded my goals, but in working with other companies like Procter & Gamble, Novartis, and others, helping them recruit. I had a stellar reputation and success rate there.

When my manager asked me to speak at the conference, I promptly said no. We were close friends and both were Spirit filled Christians. I told him there was no way I could talk to a large secular group of people and tell them why I was so successful and not tell them the real reason.

After much back and forth, I of course, did the conference. My manager simply left me with, "Just tell them the things that you do." It was the best I had to offer in such a restricted environment.

I gave the presentation. I showed them what I did. How I charted my steps, the file system I had created, and so much more.

I Never Felt The Effort

At the end, many of my colleagues came up to me and said, "It's just too much work." I was surprised, because I never felt the effort. Yes, I did work, but the work seemed effortless.

I spent a ton of time doing nothing. I also spent a ton of time alone at Jesus feet. In fact this job was one in which I was doing my work alone most of the time. During that time, I was always acutely aware of the presence of Jesus right there with me, leading me and guiding me.

I was constantly talking to him as I worked, keeping an ear leaned toward the Holy Spirit. It was he who gave me the way to do what I did. Even though in the natural it appeared to be a lot of work, with the Holy Spirit efficiency, it seemed very little to me.

Praise From the Top

That 'very little' work resulted in letters from the top praising my efforts. I have a notebook where I have kept every letter, including the one from the head of the human resources department at Procter & Gamble praising my efforts and telling my company that they should clone everything I am doing because of the my results.

Fast forward a couple of decades. I currently handle three businesses, more or less. All small, yet equally challenging. Last year I wrote and published three novels. When the Holy Spirit said it was time to write, I wrote and that was the result.

It was while I was spending time at the feet of Jesus and being with him, that I so clearly heard, "It's time to write." And with his timing came his dynamin (ability, efficiency, and might) to write, publish, and market three novels in one year.

I've had countless people amazed at that accomplishment. But I am here to tell you, it really seemed effortless to me. I again, spent tons of time, doing nothing. I also spent tons of time, at the feet of Jesus.

God Time is Different Than Our Time

How can this be? I know all you self-professed Martha's out there want to know. All of you Martha's who are so pumped by all the work you do and are constantly doing, almost to the brink of pride.

Let me tell you how. It is simply the difference between a headwind and a tailwind. Doing anything without the efficiency received by sitting at the feet of Jesus results in a headwind. It will always be harder for you and you will always accomplish less, no matter how hard you try.

I much prefer the tailwind. I dare say that Mary having sat at Jesus feet could have gotten up afterwards and completed dinner in a fraction of the time, over Martha's lengthy hard work.

My husband is always amazed at how quickly I can get a meal together. Others are often amazed at everything else that I do. But, IT IS NOT ME. It is the efficiency, ability, and might of the Holy Spirit.

Need More Time - Give Some to Jesus

Let me challenge you that many out there who appear to be Martha's are actually Mary's who sit at the feet of Jesus then are production powerhouses. Being a Mary and knowing who is really responsible, helps keep me from the temptation of pride.

I have no doubt that I am just the vessel, and were it not for the power of the Holy Spirit, I would have just been sitting and accomplishing nothing.

I guard my time at the feet of Jesus. I won't give it up. I don't do early morning things with friends or colleagues. I always graciously decline, unless it is absolutely necessary. I understand the worth and value of that t...

]]> Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 656 Mary vs. Martha - A View From The Mary Perspective

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

We all know the story of Martha and Mary where Martha was busy and Mary was seemingly doing nothing, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and was listening to His teaching.

40 But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!

41 But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;

42 There is need of only one (or but a few things). Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

In every sermon I've heard preached on this, every preacher has given Martha at least a little credit, a little applaud for getting things done. After all, if we always sit at the feet of Jesus, we will never get anything done, or will we?

Are You Sitting at the Feet of Jesus?

Had Martha just sat down in the kitchen, she would have not been doing what Mary was. Please let me be clear - there is a huge difference in just sitting and sitting at the feet of Jesus!


I am a professed Mary. Always have been and always will be. So, let me speak from this perspective.

Decades ago I came across Acts 1:8 in the Amplified version of the bible and a lightbulb came on. I latched onto it and my life forever changed. Without knowing it, I suddenly understood why it was okay to be a Mary, fully, completely, in every way.

Acts 1:8,9

8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

9 And when He had said this, even as they were looking [at Him], He was caught up, and a cloud received and carried Him away out of their sight.

This verse is the last recorded thing that Jesus said to his disciples before he went away. He instructed them to go wait for the Holy Spirit to come baptist them with fire and with power.

We Have Been Given Power

He promised that this baptism would give them power (dynamin in the Greek) meaning ability, efficiency, and might. My eyes were opened to that fact and I anchored it into my faith. If you don't believe it, it can't work for you.

I've worked in multiple corporate jobs and run and managed many businesses in my life. I've been asked for years, how do I get so much done. To which the answer I always had was usually never one most people wanted to hear.

Over two decades ago, I worked for a national corporation. I received a call one day from my manager who told me I was to speak at our company's national recruiting conference and tell everyone why I had been so successful in recruiting with our external clients.

More With Less

This was not the recruiting of people we hired for our own company, at which I always exceeded my goals, but in working with other companies like Procter & Gamble, Novartis, and others, helping them recruit. I had a stellar reputation and success rate there.

When my manager asked me to speak at the conference, I promptly said no. We were close friends and both were Spirit filled Christians. I told him there was no way I could talk to a large secular group of people and tell them why I was so successful and not tell them the real reason.

After much back and forth, I of course, did the conference. My manager simply left me with, "Just tell them the things that you do." It was the best I had to offer in such a restricted environment.

I gave the presentation. I showed them what I did. How I charted my steps, the file system I had created, and so much more.

I Never Felt The Effort

At the end, many of my colleagues came up to me and said, "It's just too much work." I was surprised, because I never felt the effort. Yes, I did work, but the work seemed effortless.

I spent a ton of time doing nothing. I also spent a ton of time alone at Jesus feet. In fact this job was one in which I was doing my work alone most of the time. During that time, I was always acutely aware of the presence of Jesus right there with me, leading me and guiding me.

I was constantly talking to him as I worked, keeping an ear leaned toward the Holy Spirit. It was he who gave me the way to do what I did. Even though in the natural it appeared to be a lot of work, with the Holy Spirit efficiency, it seemed very little to me.

Praise From the Top

That 'very little' work resulted in letters from the top praising my efforts. I have a notebook where I have kept every letter, including the one from the head of the human resources department at Procter & Gamble praising my efforts and telling my company that they should clone everything I am doing because of the my results.

Fast forward a couple of decades. I currently handle three businesses, more or less. All small, yet equally challenging. Last year I wrote and published three novels. When the Holy Spirit said it was time to write, I wrote and that was the result.

It was while I was spending time at the feet of Jesus and being with him, that I so clearly heard, "It's time to write." And with his timing came his dynamin (ability, efficiency, and might) to write, publish, and market three novels in one year.

I've had countless people amazed at that accomplishment. But I am here to tell you, it really seemed effortless to me. I again, spent tons of time, doing nothing. I also spent tons of time, at the feet of Jesus.

God Time is Different Than Our Time

How can this be? I know all you self-professed Martha's out there want to know. All of you Martha's who are so pumped by all the work you do and are constantly doing, almost to the brink of pride.

Let me tell you how. It is simply the difference between a headwind and a tailwind. Doing anything without the efficiency received by sitting at the feet of Jesus results in a headwind. It will always be harder for you and you will always accomplish less, no matter how hard you try.

I much prefer the tailwind. I dare say that Mary having sat at Jesus feet could have gotten up afterwards and completed dinner in a fraction of the time, over Martha's lengthy hard work.

My husband is always amazed at how quickly I can get a meal together. Others are often amazed at everything else that I do. But, IT IS NOT ME. It is the efficiency, ability, and might of the Holy Spirit.

Need More Time - Give Some to Jesus

Let me challenge you that many out there who appear to be Martha's are actually Mary's who sit at the feet of Jesus then are production powerhouses. Being a Mary and knowing who is really responsible, helps keep me from the temptation of pride.

I have no doubt that I am just the vessel, and were it not for the power of the Holy Spirit, I would have just been sitting and accomplishing nothing.

I guard my time at the feet of Jesus. I won't give it up. I don't do early morning things with friends or colleagues. I always graciously decline, unless it is absolutely necessary. I understand the worth and value of that t...

]]> No God Moves Chess Pieces to Answer Your Prayers | Miracle Story - Episode 5 1 1 5 5 God Moves Chess Pieces to Answer Your Prayers | Miracle Story - Episode 5 full a21c9ed1-77e1-459c-b005-3d6b97ef2b56 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ God Moves Chess Pieces to Answer Your Prayers

I got married at 17. Now, that seems very early, but in 1975 in rural American it was quite common. I graduated from a class of 19 and by our graduation over half of our class was married. Unfortunately only a tiny portion of those remain married to this day.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Damaged Goods

To say I was damaged goods is not a comment to elicit a sympathetic word or for you to feel sorry for me. It was a fact. There were many factors that may or may not surface in the course of this blog about my life, but please just believe me when I say that there were issues the enemy had orchestrated to drive me to do things that were not in my best interest.

I made choices based on warped feelings and mental lies the enemy had placed in me and convinced me of. I was not where I could have been. I did not make choices that I could have made that would have turned out better in the long run.

No Regrets

But I do not, and will not regret a single one because every wrong choice is an opportunity for God to miraculously shift our course. Please hear me when I say that I never encourage anyone to make a wrong choice because they know in the end God can perform a miracle. We should never be that flippant. It may be a long bumpy road to the good outcome.

Many people came to me and asked me if I was sure that was what I wanted to do. It was. I wanted out of my parents home. Yes, God had done a miracle and my father was not drinking. Yes, our home life was so much better. But my relationship with my mother was not better. In fact it felt like each year it just grew worse and worse.


A Root Cause

As I grew older, I began to understand that there had to be a huge underlying story that was the root of my mother's angst towards me, but I didn't know what it was. At age 17, I just wanted out.

To prepare for our marriage, we went and bought a single-wide trailer home and a week before our wedding, he got a job in the oil field so we would have money to live on. The job he had would barely have kept us in frozen pizza, must less anything else. And of course, I was still in high school.

Kicked Doors Open

To this day I am not sure if it was God sending angels to hinder us getting married, or if it was the enemy just making the whole thing horrifically hard. Knowing what I know today, I would stop and pause and at least ask. Back then I just kept going forward and never really thought of asking God what He wanted for me.

Being an expert seamstress, I was making my wedding dress. It was quite elaborate. Laidback and lackadaisical were very good words to describe how I was. Procrastination was my middle name. And the stress of me getting half way through sewing my dress then doing nothing on it for weeks, put my mother in the hospital from the stress of it all.

Couldn't Get a License

I did finish my dress, complete with seeded pearls on the lace overlay and all the teeny tiny satin buttons. But then, when we went to get our marriage license, it came to our attention that our blood tests had dried up in the mail system somewhere. So, the county would not issue us a marriage license.

We talked about doing a quickie marriage in Texas, then coming back for the wedding, but the pastor of our church would not 'marry' us in church if we did that. He required a bona fide marriage license from the state of Oklahoma and he would not marry an already married couple. The wedding was planned in two days. There was no time to get new blood tests, not in 1975.

My Mother Was a Formidable Force

We went back to the county courthouse and I remember my mom walking back behind the counter where no one but employees were supposed to go. She took the woman by her upper arm and marched her to the back of that room and had a 'discussion'. To this day I do not know what she said, but we walked out of there with a marriage license.

The evening before we got married, my mother got a new car. Her current car was paid for and so she gave it to me so I would have a car to get back and forth to school, and wherever else I needed. I was all set and ready for my new life.

Disappointment

But, it wasn't what I had hoped for. It seemed to me that the moment we got married, my now husband immediately changed. He was no longer happy with the way we had lived. He began to demand that I be a certain way, do certain things, and so forth. I really felt caught off guard and as though someone had jerked a rug right out from under me.

Not to mention, his new oil field career took him several miles away from our home to work nights, seven days a week. Then between the two cars we had, one or the other kept breaking down and he would only fix the one he needed to get to work, so I never had a car to drive. I was always stranded.

Isolation

I was stuck in a small town where I didn't know anyone, alone all evening. We didn't even have a phone, because that town had a local phone company with a waiting list that was months long. I had never felt so isolated and alone.

Fortunately, a classmate lived in the same trailer park and she would let me ride with her to school, which was about 15 or more miles away. I went to Vo-Tech (that is what we called vocational-technical schools back then) in the afternoon. I would ride the bus back to the town where I lived, but had to walk several miles from the bus stop to get home each day.

Loneliness

Loneliness was all I felt. I was so very sad and incredibly alone. We did eventually move our trailer a few months later to the town where I grew up. I graduated high school, but things just kept happening. There was just so much drama and discord. To say I was miserable was an understatement.

In May of 1976 I graduated high school that year and not long after I got home from my senior trip, I realized that I was pregnant with our first child. I was thrilled! Finally someone I could love and who would love me back, because truly other than my dear sweet father, I didn't feel loved at all.

Sick and Pregnant

That summer of being pregnant I had morning sickness so bad that I would throw up, then take one of those pills we now know were not good for us or the baby, then throw it up. Then wait a moment and try to take another one. We had a bookcase headboard and I would keep crackers in easy reach so that I could grab one before I even got out of bed. It didn't work, but I tried.

My mother and grandmother took several weeks and went to California without me which increased my loneliness. My mother-in-law thought I was a horrible wife to her son and so I didn't feel welcomed there. High school friends had all scattered. Things were no better than they ever were.

Hot and Pregnant

Then our AC window unit went out. Here I was big, very big, and pregnant in a single-wide trailer house in the heat of Oklahoma and no AC and nowhere to go. I would literally lay down in the middle of the living room floor on my back and spread out my legs and arms so they wouldn't touch and just pass out from the heat. This was the only way I knew to survive. If I were to guess, I would say the temperature in that trailer was easily a hundred degrees or more.

As the time for my baby's arrival came, I was told that he was bottom first with his legs up over his head and that with my short stature there was no way to deliver him safely through a normal birth. I was devastated. But just to show how young and immature I was, my first thought was that I wouldn't be able to wear a b...

]]> God Moves Chess Pieces to Answer Your Prayers

I got married at 17. Now, that seems very early, but in 1975 in rural American it was quite common. I graduated from a class of 19 and by our graduation over half of our class was married. Unfortunately only a tiny portion of those remain married to this day.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Damaged Goods

To say I was damaged goods is not a comment to elicit a sympathetic word or for you to feel sorry for me. It was a fact. There were many factors that may or may not surface in the course of this blog about my life, but please just believe me when I say that there were issues the enemy had orchestrated to drive me to do things that were not in my best interest.

I made choices based on warped feelings and mental lies the enemy had placed in me and convinced me of. I was not where I could have been. I did not make choices that I could have made that would have turned out better in the long run.

No Regrets

But I do not, and will not regret a single one because every wrong choice is an opportunity for God to miraculously shift our course. Please hear me when I say that I never encourage anyone to make a wrong choice because they know in the end God can perform a miracle. We should never be that flippant. It may be a long bumpy road to the good outcome.

Many people came to me and asked me if I was sure that was what I wanted to do. It was. I wanted out of my parents home. Yes, God had done a miracle and my father was not drinking. Yes, our home life was so much better. But my relationship with my mother was not better. In fact it felt like each year it just grew worse and worse.


A Root Cause

As I grew older, I began to understand that there had to be a huge underlying story that was the root of my mother's angst towards me, but I didn't know what it was. At age 17, I just wanted out.

To prepare for our marriage, we went and bought a single-wide trailer home and a week before our wedding, he got a job in the oil field so we would have money to live on. The job he had would barely have kept us in frozen pizza, must less anything else. And of course, I was still in high school.

Kicked Doors Open

To this day I am not sure if it was God sending angels to hinder us getting married, or if it was the enemy just making the whole thing horrifically hard. Knowing what I know today, I would stop and pause and at least ask. Back then I just kept going forward and never really thought of asking God what He wanted for me.

Being an expert seamstress, I was making my wedding dress. It was quite elaborate. Laidback and lackadaisical were very good words to describe how I was. Procrastination was my middle name. And the stress of me getting half way through sewing my dress then doing nothing on it for weeks, put my mother in the hospital from the stress of it all.

Couldn't Get a License

I did finish my dress, complete with seeded pearls on the lace overlay and all the teeny tiny satin buttons. But then, when we went to get our marriage license, it came to our attention that our blood tests had dried up in the mail system somewhere. So, the county would not issue us a marriage license.

We talked about doing a quickie marriage in Texas, then coming back for the wedding, but the pastor of our church would not 'marry' us in church if we did that. He required a bona fide marriage license from the state of Oklahoma and he would not marry an already married couple. The wedding was planned in two days. There was no time to get new blood tests, not in 1975.

My Mother Was a Formidable Force

We went back to the county courthouse and I remember my mom walking back behind the counter where no one but employees were supposed to go. She took the woman by her upper arm and marched her to the back of that room and had a 'discussion'. To this day I do not know what she said, but we walked out of there with a marriage license.

The evening before we got married, my mother got a new car. Her current car was paid for and so she gave it to me so I would have a car to get back and forth to school, and wherever else I needed. I was all set and ready for my new life.

Disappointment

But, it wasn't what I had hoped for. It seemed to me that the moment we got married, my now husband immediately changed. He was no longer happy with the way we had lived. He began to demand that I be a certain way, do certain things, and so forth. I really felt caught off guard and as though someone had jerked a rug right out from under me.

Not to mention, his new oil field career took him several miles away from our home to work nights, seven days a week. Then between the two cars we had, one or the other kept breaking down and he would only fix the one he needed to get to work, so I never had a car to drive. I was always stranded.

Isolation

I was stuck in a small town where I didn't know anyone, alone all evening. We didn't even have a phone, because that town had a local phone company with a waiting list that was months long. I had never felt so isolated and alone.

Fortunately, a classmate lived in the same trailer park and she would let me ride with her to school, which was about 15 or more miles away. I went to Vo-Tech (that is what we called vocational-technical schools back then) in the afternoon. I would ride the bus back to the town where I lived, but had to walk several miles from the bus stop to get home each day.

Loneliness

Loneliness was all I felt. I was so very sad and incredibly alone. We did eventually move our trailer a few months later to the town where I grew up. I graduated high school, but things just kept happening. There was just so much drama and discord. To say I was miserable was an understatement.

In May of 1976 I graduated high school that year and not long after I got home from my senior trip, I realized that I was pregnant with our first child. I was thrilled! Finally someone I could love and who would love me back, because truly other than my dear sweet father, I didn't feel loved at all.

Sick and Pregnant

That summer of being pregnant I had morning sickness so bad that I would throw up, then take one of those pills we now know were not good for us or the baby, then throw it up. Then wait a moment and try to take another one. We had a bookcase headboard and I would keep crackers in easy reach so that I could grab one before I even got out of bed. It didn't work, but I tried.

My mother and grandmother took several weeks and went to California without me which increased my loneliness. My mother-in-law thought I was a horrible wife to her son and so I didn't feel welcomed there. High school friends had all scattered. Things were no better than they ever were.

Hot and Pregnant

Then our AC window unit went out. Here I was big, very big, and pregnant in a single-wide trailer house in the heat of Oklahoma and no AC and nowhere to go. I would literally lay down in the middle of the living room floor on my back and spread out my legs and arms so they wouldn't touch and just pass out from the heat. This was the only way I knew to survive. If I were to guess, I would say the temperature in that trailer was easily a hundred degrees or more.

As the time for my baby's arrival came, I was told that he was bottom first with his legs up over his head and that with my short stature there was no way to deliver him safely through a normal birth. I was devastated. But just to show how young and immature I was, my first thought was that I wouldn't be able to wear a b...

]]> Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1040 God Moves Chess Pieces to Answer Your Prayers

I got married at 17. Now, that seems very early, but in 1975 in rural American it was quite common. I graduated from a class of 19 and by our graduation over half of our class was married. Unfortunately only a tiny portion of those remain married to this day.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Damaged Goods

To say I was damaged goods is not a comment to elicit a sympathetic word or for you to feel sorry for me. It was a fact. There were many factors that may or may not surface in the course of this blog about my life, but please just believe me when I say that there were issues the enemy had orchestrated to drive me to do things that were not in my best interest.

I made choices based on warped feelings and mental lies the enemy had placed in me and convinced me of. I was not where I could have been. I did not make choices that I could have made that would have turned out better in the long run.

No Regrets

But I do not, and will not regret a single one because every wrong choice is an opportunity for God to miraculously shift our course. Please hear me when I say that I never encourage anyone to make a wrong choice because they know in the end God can perform a miracle. We should never be that flippant. It may be a long bumpy road to the good outcome.

Many people came to me and asked me if I was sure that was what I wanted to do. It was. I wanted out of my parents home. Yes, God had done a miracle and my father was not drinking. Yes, our home life was so much better. But my relationship with my mother was not better. In fact it felt like each year it just grew worse and worse.


A Root Cause

As I grew older, I began to understand that there had to be a huge underlying story that was the root of my mother's angst towards me, but I didn't know what it was. At age 17, I just wanted out.

To prepare for our marriage, we went and bought a single-wide trailer home and a week before our wedding, he got a job in the oil field so we would have money to live on. The job he had would barely have kept us in frozen pizza, must less anything else. And of course, I was still in high school.

Kicked Doors Open

To this day I am not sure if it was God sending angels to hinder us getting married, or if it was the enemy just making the whole thing horrifically hard. Knowing what I know today, I would stop and pause and at least ask. Back then I just kept going forward and never really thought of asking God what He wanted for me.

Being an expert seamstress, I was making my wedding dress. It was quite elaborate. Laidback and lackadaisical were very good words to describe how I was. Procrastination was my middle name. And the stress of me getting half way through sewing my dress then doing nothing on it for weeks, put my mother in the hospital from the stress of it all.

Couldn't Get a License

I did finish my dress, complete with seeded pearls on the lace overlay and all the teeny tiny satin buttons. But then, when we went to get our marriage license, it came to our attention that our blood tests had dried up in the mail system somewhere. So, the county would not issue us a marriage license.

We talked about doing a quickie marriage in Texas, then coming back for the wedding, but the pastor of our church would not 'marry' us in church if we did that. He required a bona fide marriage license from the state of Oklahoma and he would not marry an already married couple. The wedding was planned in two days. There was no time to get new blood tests, not in 1975.

My Mother Was a Formidable Force

We went back to the county courthouse and I remember my mom walking back behind the counter where no one but employees were supposed to go. She took the woman by her upper arm and marched her to the back of that room and had a 'discussion'. To this day I do not know what she said, but we walked out of there with a marriage license.

The evening before we got married, my mother got a new car. Her current car was paid for and so she gave it to me so I would have a car to get back and forth to school, and wherever else I needed. I was all set and ready for my new life.

Disappointment

But, it wasn't what I had hoped for. It seemed to me that the moment we got married, my now husband immediately changed. He was no longer happy with the way we had lived. He began to demand that I be a certain way, do certain things, and so forth. I really felt caught off guard and as though someone had jerked a rug right out from under me.

Not to mention, his new oil field career took him several miles away from our home to work nights, seven days a week. Then between the two cars we had, one or the other kept breaking down and he would only fix the one he needed to get to work, so I never had a car to drive. I was always stranded.

Isolation

I was stuck in a small town where I didn't know anyone, alone all evening. We didn't even have a phone, because that town had a local phone company with a waiting list that was months long. I had never felt so isolated and alone.

Fortunately, a classmate lived in the same trailer park and she would let me ride with her to school, which was about 15 or more miles away. I went to Vo-Tech (that is what we called vocational-technical schools back then) in the afternoon. I would ride the bus back to the town where I lived, but had to walk several miles from the bus stop to get home each day.

Loneliness

Loneliness was all I felt. I was so very sad and incredibly alone. We did eventually move our trailer a few months later to the town where I grew up. I graduated high school, but things just kept happening. There was just so much drama and discord. To say I was miserable was an understatement.

In May of 1976 I graduated high school that year and not long after I got home from my senior trip, I realized that I was pregnant with our first child. I was thrilled! Finally someone I could love and who would love me back, because truly other than my dear sweet father, I didn't feel loved at all.

Sick and Pregnant

That summer of being pregnant I had morning sickness so bad that I would throw up, then take one of those pills we now know were not good for us or the baby, then throw it up. Then wait a moment and try to take another one. We had a bookcase headboard and I would keep crackers in easy reach so that I could grab one before I even got out of bed. It didn't work, but I tried.

My mother and grandmother took several weeks and went to California without me which increased my loneliness. My mother-in-law thought I was a horrible wife to her son and so I didn't feel welcomed there. High school friends had all scattered. Things were no better than they ever were.

Hot and Pregnant

Then our AC window unit went out. Here I was big, very big, and pregnant in a single-wide trailer house in the heat of Oklahoma and no AC and nowhere to go. I would literally lay down in the middle of the living room floor on my back and spread out my legs and arms so they wouldn't touch and just pass out from the heat. This was the only way I knew to survive. If I were to guess, I would say the temperature in that trailer was easily a hundred degrees or more.

As the time for my baby's arrival came, I was told that he was bottom first with his legs up over his head and that with my short stature there was no way to deliver him safely through a normal birth. I was devastated. But just to show how young and immature I was, my first thought was that I wouldn't be able to wear a b...

]]> No Are We Fighting With Paper Armor? | Archive Story - Episode 4 1 1 4 4 Are We Fighting With Paper Armor? | Archive Story - Episode 4 full b444a9c8-7083-457b-a6fb-4c2f887d91f5 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Are We Fighting With Paper Armor? | Archive Story - Episode 4

Originally written November 15, 2021

Are We Fighting With Paper Armor?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Sometimes even after walking with the Lord for as long as I have the Lord will still stop me in my tracks at times when I am thinking in a certain way and say, "Really?" That is when I lean my ear into the Holy Spirit, because I know He is about to correct me. I am trusting that He does this for us all.

I have a heart for the truth so when this happens I always get excited. I love when he reveals the truth behind a scripture I thought I knew!


How It Has Always Been Taught

For a long time when I've heard sermons on the Full Armor of God from amazing and very credible teachers. The armor is a treasured gift from God. I walked around for years quoting that scripture and saying, "I put on the full armor of God..."

Then one day I felt an uneasiness in my spirit so I leaned an ear to the Holy Spirit. He was basically asking me, 'Are You? Really?'

And to that I said teach me Lord. I went back to the word and read and prayed.

Many times just saying something CAN make it true. We are to '...call things that are not as though they were...' we are saved by the confession of our faith. But sometimes the scriptures are instructing us to DO more than just SAY. [see Romans 4:17 and Mark 11:22].

I must note here that I am not ascribing to a "name-it-and-claim-it' philosophy. I am talking about a heartfelt prophetic declaration birthed from inspiration from God.

What was revealed to me on that day was that no amount of saying we put on the full armor of God makes it so. Then just how do we put on the armor?

Here is the scripture...

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

So Just How Do We Put On The Armor of God?

Let us start at the very first, and I believe the most important piece, the Belt of Truth. "So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist" [see Galatians 5:25]

If we simply SAY that we put on the Belt of Truth but do not WALK in truth, personal integrity, and moral courage, then we have not truly put on the belt of truth. Simply saying it will not make it so. To put it on we must say AND walk in personal integrity and moral courage.

Next is the Breastplate of Righteousness. "put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart)". We can go through the motions of saying we put on the breastplate, but if we do not have an upright heart, a heart given over to Jesus in order to take on His righteousness, then we have not put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. [see Romans 4:22-25]

Next is the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. "having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]." We cannot say we put on the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace if we do not walk in peace with others, if we do not instigate peace ourselves. [see Galatians 5:26]

Our society today is not at peace. We cannot say we are at peace or have the peace of God if we instigate disruption and discord with anyone else. And the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace are what help us "face the enemy with firm-footed stability".

If you are not feeling stable in your life, if you feel like you are being tossed about in the waves, look around and see if you are walking in peace. We aren't called to agree with others for the sake of peace, but stirring an argument will never win a heart or a mind. But often just listening and loving in the quiet, will. [see James 1:19]

How many times have you stood in your living room holding up the bible and said, I lift up the shield of faith, then turn away and fear lack or disease or the adverse neighbor down the street who seems out of control?

When we are told to "lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one". we are told to walk in faith as a lifestyle.


The Battle Between Faith and Fear

Faith and fear are diametrically opposed to one another. They cannot co-exist. If you think you are walking in faith, take a good long look at the words that are coming from your mouth. From out of the heart the mouth speaks. [see Romans 8:15]

You want to put on the shield of faith? Walk in faith. Guard your mouth. Speak the Word of Truth. We will be held accountable for the words we speak. You can't say you have received the open windows of heaven, pressed down, shaken together and running over then get on the phone with your best friend or spouse and say, I'm so broke! Which is it? [see Matthew 12:36 and Romans 10:17]

Next is the Helmet of Salvation. Some stop at a partial truth when teaching about salvation as a ticket to heaven or becoming 'saved' so that you don't go to hell.

The word salvation in the Greek is sozo which does mean saved, but it goes on to say, saved from sickness, poverty, and a host of misfortunes this life throws our way. Do you need saving from something, then "take the helmet of salvation" by calling unto God for that salvation. He finished that work once and for all on the cross. It is there for the taking should you ask and believe. [see Romans 5:9, Romans 6:14 and Psalms 91]

Then lastly the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Who of us didn't like wielding an imaginary sword around fighting an unseen enemy? That imaginary sword won't work, but the Word of God will. Read it, devour it, meditate on it (which means to mutter), get it in you. That is how you put on the Sword of the Spirit. [see Joshua 1:8

]]> Are We Fighting With Paper Armor? | Archive Story - Episode 4

Originally written November 15, 2021

Are We Fighting With Paper Armor?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Sometimes even after walking with the Lord for as long as I have the Lord will still stop me in my tracks at times when I am thinking in a certain way and say, "Really?" That is when I lean my ear into the Holy Spirit, because I know He is about to correct me. I am trusting that He does this for us all.

I have a heart for the truth so when this happens I always get excited. I love when he reveals the truth behind a scripture I thought I knew!


How It Has Always Been Taught

For a long time when I've heard sermons on the Full Armor of God from amazing and very credible teachers. The armor is a treasured gift from God. I walked around for years quoting that scripture and saying, "I put on the full armor of God..."

Then one day I felt an uneasiness in my spirit so I leaned an ear to the Holy Spirit. He was basically asking me, 'Are You? Really?'

And to that I said teach me Lord. I went back to the word and read and prayed.

Many times just saying something CAN make it true. We are to '...call things that are not as though they were...' we are saved by the confession of our faith. But sometimes the scriptures are instructing us to DO more than just SAY. [see Romans 4:17 and Mark 11:22].

I must note here that I am not ascribing to a "name-it-and-claim-it' philosophy. I am talking about a heartfelt prophetic declaration birthed from inspiration from God.

What was revealed to me on that day was that no amount of saying we put on the full armor of God makes it so. Then just how do we put on the armor?

Here is the scripture...

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

So Just How Do We Put On The Armor of God?

Let us start at the very first, and I believe the most important piece, the Belt of Truth. "So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist" [see Galatians 5:25]

If we simply SAY that we put on the Belt of Truth but do not WALK in truth, personal integrity, and moral courage, then we have not truly put on the belt of truth. Simply saying it will not make it so. To put it on we must say AND walk in personal integrity and moral courage.

Next is the Breastplate of Righteousness. "put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart)". We can go through the motions of saying we put on the breastplate, but if we do not have an upright heart, a heart given over to Jesus in order to take on His righteousness, then we have not put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. [see Romans 4:22-25]

Next is the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. "having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]." We cannot say we put on the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace if we do not walk in peace with others, if we do not instigate peace ourselves. [see Galatians 5:26]

Our society today is not at peace. We cannot say we are at peace or have the peace of God if we instigate disruption and discord with anyone else. And the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace are what help us "face the enemy with firm-footed stability".

If you are not feeling stable in your life, if you feel like you are being tossed about in the waves, look around and see if you are walking in peace. We aren't called to agree with others for the sake of peace, but stirring an argument will never win a heart or a mind. But often just listening and loving in the quiet, will. [see James 1:19]

How many times have you stood in your living room holding up the bible and said, I lift up the shield of faith, then turn away and fear lack or disease or the adverse neighbor down the street who seems out of control?

When we are told to "lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one". we are told to walk in faith as a lifestyle.


The Battle Between Faith and Fear

Faith and fear are diametrically opposed to one another. They cannot co-exist. If you think you are walking in faith, take a good long look at the words that are coming from your mouth. From out of the heart the mouth speaks. [see Romans 8:15]

You want to put on the shield of faith? Walk in faith. Guard your mouth. Speak the Word of Truth. We will be held accountable for the words we speak. You can't say you have received the open windows of heaven, pressed down, shaken together and running over then get on the phone with your best friend or spouse and say, I'm so broke! Which is it? [see Matthew 12:36 and Romans 10:17]

Next is the Helmet of Salvation. Some stop at a partial truth when teaching about salvation as a ticket to heaven or becoming 'saved' so that you don't go to hell.

The word salvation in the Greek is sozo which does mean saved, but it goes on to say, saved from sickness, poverty, and a host of misfortunes this life throws our way. Do you need saving from something, then "take the helmet of salvation" by calling unto God for that salvation. He finished that work once and for all on the cross. It is there for the taking should you ask and believe. [see Romans 5:9, Romans 6:14 and Psalms 91]

Then lastly the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Who of us didn't like wielding an imaginary sword around fighting an unseen enemy? That imaginary sword won't work, but the Word of God will. Read it, devour it, meditate on it (which means to mutter), get it in you. That is how you put on the Sword of the Spirit. [see Joshua 1:8

]]> Sun, 29 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 635 Are We Fighting With Paper Armor? | Archive Story - Episode 4

Originally written November 15, 2021

Are We Fighting With Paper Armor?

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Sometimes even after walking with the Lord for as long as I have the Lord will still stop me in my tracks at times when I am thinking in a certain way and say, "Really?" That is when I lean my ear into the Holy Spirit, because I know He is about to correct me. I am trusting that He does this for us all.

I have a heart for the truth so when this happens I always get excited. I love when he reveals the truth behind a scripture I thought I knew!


How It Has Always Been Taught

For a long time when I've heard sermons on the Full Armor of God from amazing and very credible teachers. The armor is a treasured gift from God. I walked around for years quoting that scripture and saying, "I put on the full armor of God..."

Then one day I felt an uneasiness in my spirit so I leaned an ear to the Holy Spirit. He was basically asking me, 'Are You? Really?'

And to that I said teach me Lord. I went back to the word and read and prayed.

Many times just saying something CAN make it true. We are to '...call things that are not as though they were...' we are saved by the confession of our faith. But sometimes the scriptures are instructing us to DO more than just SAY. [see Romans 4:17 and Mark 11:22].

I must note here that I am not ascribing to a "name-it-and-claim-it' philosophy. I am talking about a heartfelt prophetic declaration birthed from inspiration from God.

What was revealed to me on that day was that no amount of saying we put on the full armor of God makes it so. Then just how do we put on the armor?

Here is the scripture...

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

So Just How Do We Put On The Armor of God?

Let us start at the very first, and I believe the most important piece, the Belt of Truth. "So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist" [see Galatians 5:25]

If we simply SAY that we put on the Belt of Truth but do not WALK in truth, personal integrity, and moral courage, then we have not truly put on the belt of truth. Simply saying it will not make it so. To put it on we must say AND walk in personal integrity and moral courage.

Next is the Breastplate of Righteousness. "put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart)". We can go through the motions of saying we put on the breastplate, but if we do not have an upright heart, a heart given over to Jesus in order to take on His righteousness, then we have not put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. [see Romans 4:22-25]

Next is the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. "having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]." We cannot say we put on the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace if we do not walk in peace with others, if we do not instigate peace ourselves. [see Galatians 5:26]

Our society today is not at peace. We cannot say we are at peace or have the peace of God if we instigate disruption and discord with anyone else. And the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace are what help us "face the enemy with firm-footed stability".

If you are not feeling stable in your life, if you feel like you are being tossed about in the waves, look around and see if you are walking in peace. We aren't called to agree with others for the sake of peace, but stirring an argument will never win a heart or a mind. But often just listening and loving in the quiet, will. [see James 1:19]

How many times have you stood in your living room holding up the bible and said, I lift up the shield of faith, then turn away and fear lack or disease or the adverse neighbor down the street who seems out of control?

When we are told to "lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one". we are told to walk in faith as a lifestyle.


The Battle Between Faith and Fear

Faith and fear are diametrically opposed to one another. They cannot co-exist. If you think you are walking in faith, take a good long look at the words that are coming from your mouth. From out of the heart the mouth speaks. [see Romans 8:15]

You want to put on the shield of faith? Walk in faith. Guard your mouth. Speak the Word of Truth. We will be held accountable for the words we speak. You can't say you have received the open windows of heaven, pressed down, shaken together and running over then get on the phone with your best friend or spouse and say, I'm so broke! Which is it? [see Matthew 12:36 and Romans 10:17]

Next is the Helmet of Salvation. Some stop at a partial truth when teaching about salvation as a ticket to heaven or becoming 'saved' so that you don't go to hell.

The word salvation in the Greek is sozo which does mean saved, but it goes on to say, saved from sickness, poverty, and a host of misfortunes this life throws our way. Do you need saving from something, then "take the helmet of salvation" by calling unto God for that salvation. He finished that work once and for all on the cross. It is there for the taking should you ask and believe. [see Romans 5:9, Romans 6:14 and Psalms 91]

Then lastly the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Who of us didn't like wielding an imaginary sword around fighting an unseen enemy? That imaginary sword won't work, but the Word of God will. Read it, devour it, meditate on it (which means to mutter), get it in you. That is how you put on the Sword of the Spirit. [see Joshua 1:8

]]> No Daddy Deliverance | Miracle Story - Episode 4 1 1 4 4 Daddy Deliverance | Miracle Story - Episode 4 full 8f54ebe5-3491-4c33-aa8e-948eb600d098 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Daddy Deliverance | Miracle Story - Episode 4

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

My father was a die hard alcoholic. He drank a fifth of Seagrams Seven Whiskey every single day. It caused more discord and pain in our lives than I have room here to convey. Just take my word for it that chaos was a daily situation in our home.

Tragic Turmoil

There were many contributing factors, but the drinking was a core sinister plot to tear our family apart. I grew up with fear, anger, sorrow, and trepidation resulting from my life at home.


My father never came to see me play one sports game, he never came to one awards ceremony, or church program. He came to my Jr. High and Sr. High graduations, but other than that, he did not participate at all.

I Loved My Father Dearly

But I loved my father dearly. I was Daddy's girl, and I knew it.

Early of a morning when he had not yet begun to drink for the day, he would sit at our kitchen table watching the early morning farm report on the television drinking his coffee.

It was his job to get me up for school. My mother was a teacher, so she was busy getting herself ready. My father would come into my room and turn the lamp on my chest of drawers on. It was a soft light and not the glaring overhead light in my room.

He would whisper, "Baby girl, it is time to get up now."

I would moan and express acknowledgement. But I would always just roll back over and snuggle back in the covers. He would come back a few times, each time a little more vocal and urgent, but never angry or irritated.

Sitting on My Daddy's Lap

At some point when I knew I had pushed it as far as I could, I would get up. I had pushed the limit and I knew that I needed to get up. But I would walk straight into the kitchen where he sat at the table and I would crawl up into his lap, rest my head on his shoulder and nod back off to sleep.

There were two reasons I did this. One was that it bought me more sleep time, but the second and most important was that I loved sitting on my daddy's lap. He was affectionate, which my mother was not. I felt an unconditional love from him that I didn't feel from my mother. In her defense, there are extenuating reasons that I won't go into here. Just know that my mother loved me as best that she could and knew how too.

I Was Daddy's Girl

But, I was truly a daddy's girl, and I knew it. I sat on his lap until I was well into my teen years. I was probably at least 15 years old. I can remember him having to shift me and move his legs to get comfortable. I am sure I was cutting off the circulation!

Because my father had such a dear place in my life, and because I detested the turmoil that drinking caused, I would lie in my bed and beg God to help. I pleaded for Him to make daddy stop drinking and for mom to keep her mouth shut so as not to antagonize him while he was drunk.

Sunday Afternoons

Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, my dad and I would go to another rural town about thirty miles away and watch horse races. It was someone's farm where the owner had constructed a track, put in fences and even some bleachers. The horses were owned by other farmers and ranchers. It was just a fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.

Dad and I always sat in the pickup to watch. We could pull up to the fence and see as well as from the bleachers. This one particular day I remember it was drizzling off and on. My dad always kept his bottle of whiskey in the truck and would take a drink from time to time while we sat and watched the races. This day happened about a month before I turned 16.

On this day he parked the truck where I would look out my side door window away from my father to watch the races. So to see him, I had to turn and look over to him. Somewhere in the middle, I turned and looked at him when he happened to be lowering the whiskey bottle back down from his mouth.

An Awkward Moment

Suddenly uncomfortable at me seeing him take a drink, he tipped the bottle towards me as if to ask with the motion if I also wanted a drink. I can remember scrunching up my face in disgust and shaking my head. I then just turned back to continue watching the race. That entire interaction transpired without a word from either of us.

When the races were over, we drove back home. I went in and went to the kitchen and then on to my bedroom. My mother's mother who lived with us, sat at the table most of the day drinking coffee. My father came in and went into the utility room which was clearly visible from where she sat. He raised a hamper lid where my mother stored his clean winter coveralls.

He Made A Vow

As he raised the lid, he looked and saw that my grandmother was watching him. When he noticed her, he took that half empty whiskey bottle he had in his hand, motioned with it and said to her, "I'm never taking another drink again." He then put the bottle down deep into the hamper.

He Never Took Another Drink

Life immediately and incredible changed in our home. He was not a Christian yet and did not give anyone, including himself, credit for his abstinence. In fact, we rarely discussed it in our home. For someone to have drank that much everyday for as long as he had, at least two decades to just stop, was unheard of. And I believe we were all afraid that it would all come crashing down.

Nothing Else Had Worked

He had tried AA when I was very young. It didn't work, and he didn't stop drinking. He only tried it because my mom threatened divorce. He slept in his pickup on the other side of our farm for an entire week while she decided what she wanted to do. Then suddenly they were back together.

So, we were all a little skeptical when he made that grand declaration. But I always knew in my heart that it had been an answer to my prayer for God to make him stop. He never ever got drunk again. In fact, he never ever drank again.

The Partying Stopped

My parents were party parents. They went and 'honky-tonked' every Saturday night. Their lives changed. That lifestyle was no longer fun without the booze. A few years later my father said that he had tried to go and when they would walk into the bar, the smell of the liquor would make him sick to his stomach. So they quit going.

My father was a new man. He worked harder and found opportunities to make more money. The fighting stopped and our home life was wonderful for the first time. And, he was happy, genuinely happy and so was my mother.

The First of Many Daddy Miracles

This miracle was just a precursor to several more miracles I saw in my father's life. But this miracle changed so much about me and my life, and made it possible for more miracles to come.

If you are dealing with this kind of difficult situation please know there is hope.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-4


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]]> Daddy Deliverance | Miracle Story - Episode 4

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

My father was a die hard alcoholic. He drank a fifth of Seagrams Seven Whiskey every single day. It caused more discord and pain in our lives than I have room here to convey. Just take my word for it that chaos was a daily situation in our home.

Tragic Turmoil

There were many contributing factors, but the drinking was a core sinister plot to tear our family apart. I grew up with fear, anger, sorrow, and trepidation resulting from my life at home.


My father never came to see me play one sports game, he never came to one awards ceremony, or church program. He came to my Jr. High and Sr. High graduations, but other than that, he did not participate at all.

I Loved My Father Dearly

But I loved my father dearly. I was Daddy's girl, and I knew it.

Early of a morning when he had not yet begun to drink for the day, he would sit at our kitchen table watching the early morning farm report on the television drinking his coffee.

It was his job to get me up for school. My mother was a teacher, so she was busy getting herself ready. My father would come into my room and turn the lamp on my chest of drawers on. It was a soft light and not the glaring overhead light in my room.

He would whisper, "Baby girl, it is time to get up now."

I would moan and express acknowledgement. But I would always just roll back over and snuggle back in the covers. He would come back a few times, each time a little more vocal and urgent, but never angry or irritated.

Sitting on My Daddy's Lap

At some point when I knew I had pushed it as far as I could, I would get up. I had pushed the limit and I knew that I needed to get up. But I would walk straight into the kitchen where he sat at the table and I would crawl up into his lap, rest my head on his shoulder and nod back off to sleep.

There were two reasons I did this. One was that it bought me more sleep time, but the second and most important was that I loved sitting on my daddy's lap. He was affectionate, which my mother was not. I felt an unconditional love from him that I didn't feel from my mother. In her defense, there are extenuating reasons that I won't go into here. Just know that my mother loved me as best that she could and knew how too.

I Was Daddy's Girl

But, I was truly a daddy's girl, and I knew it. I sat on his lap until I was well into my teen years. I was probably at least 15 years old. I can remember him having to shift me and move his legs to get comfortable. I am sure I was cutting off the circulation!

Because my father had such a dear place in my life, and because I detested the turmoil that drinking caused, I would lie in my bed and beg God to help. I pleaded for Him to make daddy stop drinking and for mom to keep her mouth shut so as not to antagonize him while he was drunk.

Sunday Afternoons

Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, my dad and I would go to another rural town about thirty miles away and watch horse races. It was someone's farm where the owner had constructed a track, put in fences and even some bleachers. The horses were owned by other farmers and ranchers. It was just a fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.

Dad and I always sat in the pickup to watch. We could pull up to the fence and see as well as from the bleachers. This one particular day I remember it was drizzling off and on. My dad always kept his bottle of whiskey in the truck and would take a drink from time to time while we sat and watched the races. This day happened about a month before I turned 16.

On this day he parked the truck where I would look out my side door window away from my father to watch the races. So to see him, I had to turn and look over to him. Somewhere in the middle, I turned and looked at him when he happened to be lowering the whiskey bottle back down from his mouth.

An Awkward Moment

Suddenly uncomfortable at me seeing him take a drink, he tipped the bottle towards me as if to ask with the motion if I also wanted a drink. I can remember scrunching up my face in disgust and shaking my head. I then just turned back to continue watching the race. That entire interaction transpired without a word from either of us.

When the races were over, we drove back home. I went in and went to the kitchen and then on to my bedroom. My mother's mother who lived with us, sat at the table most of the day drinking coffee. My father came in and went into the utility room which was clearly visible from where she sat. He raised a hamper lid where my mother stored his clean winter coveralls.

He Made A Vow

As he raised the lid, he looked and saw that my grandmother was watching him. When he noticed her, he took that half empty whiskey bottle he had in his hand, motioned with it and said to her, "I'm never taking another drink again." He then put the bottle down deep into the hamper.

He Never Took Another Drink

Life immediately and incredible changed in our home. He was not a Christian yet and did not give anyone, including himself, credit for his abstinence. In fact, we rarely discussed it in our home. For someone to have drank that much everyday for as long as he had, at least two decades to just stop, was unheard of. And I believe we were all afraid that it would all come crashing down.

Nothing Else Had Worked

He had tried AA when I was very young. It didn't work, and he didn't stop drinking. He only tried it because my mom threatened divorce. He slept in his pickup on the other side of our farm for an entire week while she decided what she wanted to do. Then suddenly they were back together.

So, we were all a little skeptical when he made that grand declaration. But I always knew in my heart that it had been an answer to my prayer for God to make him stop. He never ever got drunk again. In fact, he never ever drank again.

The Partying Stopped

My parents were party parents. They went and 'honky-tonked' every Saturday night. Their lives changed. That lifestyle was no longer fun without the booze. A few years later my father said that he had tried to go and when they would walk into the bar, the smell of the liquor would make him sick to his stomach. So they quit going.

My father was a new man. He worked harder and found opportunities to make more money. The fighting stopped and our home life was wonderful for the first time. And, he was happy, genuinely happy and so was my mother.

The First of Many Daddy Miracles

This miracle was just a precursor to several more miracles I saw in my father's life. But this miracle changed so much about me and my life, and made it possible for more miracles to come.

If you are dealing with this kind of difficult situation please know there is hope.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-4


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

]]> Sun, 29 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 551 Daddy Deliverance | Miracle Story - Episode 4

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

My father was a die hard alcoholic. He drank a fifth of Seagrams Seven Whiskey every single day. It caused more discord and pain in our lives than I have room here to convey. Just take my word for it that chaos was a daily situation in our home.

Tragic Turmoil

There were many contributing factors, but the drinking was a core sinister plot to tear our family apart. I grew up with fear, anger, sorrow, and trepidation resulting from my life at home.


My father never came to see me play one sports game, he never came to one awards ceremony, or church program. He came to my Jr. High and Sr. High graduations, but other than that, he did not participate at all.

I Loved My Father Dearly

But I loved my father dearly. I was Daddy's girl, and I knew it.

Early of a morning when he had not yet begun to drink for the day, he would sit at our kitchen table watching the early morning farm report on the television drinking his coffee.

It was his job to get me up for school. My mother was a teacher, so she was busy getting herself ready. My father would come into my room and turn the lamp on my chest of drawers on. It was a soft light and not the glaring overhead light in my room.

He would whisper, "Baby girl, it is time to get up now."

I would moan and express acknowledgement. But I would always just roll back over and snuggle back in the covers. He would come back a few times, each time a little more vocal and urgent, but never angry or irritated.

Sitting on My Daddy's Lap

At some point when I knew I had pushed it as far as I could, I would get up. I had pushed the limit and I knew that I needed to get up. But I would walk straight into the kitchen where he sat at the table and I would crawl up into his lap, rest my head on his shoulder and nod back off to sleep.

There were two reasons I did this. One was that it bought me more sleep time, but the second and most important was that I loved sitting on my daddy's lap. He was affectionate, which my mother was not. I felt an unconditional love from him that I didn't feel from my mother. In her defense, there are extenuating reasons that I won't go into here. Just know that my mother loved me as best that she could and knew how too.

I Was Daddy's Girl

But, I was truly a daddy's girl, and I knew it. I sat on his lap until I was well into my teen years. I was probably at least 15 years old. I can remember him having to shift me and move his legs to get comfortable. I am sure I was cutting off the circulation!

Because my father had such a dear place in my life, and because I detested the turmoil that drinking caused, I would lie in my bed and beg God to help. I pleaded for Him to make daddy stop drinking and for mom to keep her mouth shut so as not to antagonize him while he was drunk.

Sunday Afternoons

Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, my dad and I would go to another rural town about thirty miles away and watch horse races. It was someone's farm where the owner had constructed a track, put in fences and even some bleachers. The horses were owned by other farmers and ranchers. It was just a fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.

Dad and I always sat in the pickup to watch. We could pull up to the fence and see as well as from the bleachers. This one particular day I remember it was drizzling off and on. My dad always kept his bottle of whiskey in the truck and would take a drink from time to time while we sat and watched the races. This day happened about a month before I turned 16.

On this day he parked the truck where I would look out my side door window away from my father to watch the races. So to see him, I had to turn and look over to him. Somewhere in the middle, I turned and looked at him when he happened to be lowering the whiskey bottle back down from his mouth.

An Awkward Moment

Suddenly uncomfortable at me seeing him take a drink, he tipped the bottle towards me as if to ask with the motion if I also wanted a drink. I can remember scrunching up my face in disgust and shaking my head. I then just turned back to continue watching the race. That entire interaction transpired without a word from either of us.

When the races were over, we drove back home. I went in and went to the kitchen and then on to my bedroom. My mother's mother who lived with us, sat at the table most of the day drinking coffee. My father came in and went into the utility room which was clearly visible from where she sat. He raised a hamper lid where my mother stored his clean winter coveralls.

He Made A Vow

As he raised the lid, he looked and saw that my grandmother was watching him. When he noticed her, he took that half empty whiskey bottle he had in his hand, motioned with it and said to her, "I'm never taking another drink again." He then put the bottle down deep into the hamper.

He Never Took Another Drink

Life immediately and incredible changed in our home. He was not a Christian yet and did not give anyone, including himself, credit for his abstinence. In fact, we rarely discussed it in our home. For someone to have drank that much everyday for as long as he had, at least two decades to just stop, was unheard of. And I believe we were all afraid that it would all come crashing down.

Nothing Else Had Worked

He had tried AA when I was very young. It didn't work, and he didn't stop drinking. He only tried it because my mom threatened divorce. He slept in his pickup on the other side of our farm for an entire week while she decided what she wanted to do. Then suddenly they were back together.

So, we were all a little skeptical when he made that grand declaration. But I always knew in my heart that it had been an answer to my prayer for God to make him stop. He never ever got drunk again. In fact, he never ever drank again.

The Partying Stopped

My parents were party parents. They went and 'honky-tonked' every Saturday night. Their lives changed. That lifestyle was no longer fun without the booze. A few years later my father said that he had tried to go and when they would walk into the bar, the smell of the liquor would make him sick to his stomach. So they quit going.

My father was a new man. He worked harder and found opportunities to make more money. The fighting stopped and our home life was wonderful for the first time. And, he was happy, genuinely happy and so was my mother.

The First of Many Daddy Miracles

This miracle was just a precursor to several more miracles I saw in my father's life. But this miracle changed so much about me and my life, and made it possible for more miracles to come.

If you are dealing with this kind of difficult situation please know there is hope.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-4


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

]]> No Emotions pt 2 | Effectively Managing our Emotions - More to The Story - Episode 5 1 1 5 5 Emotions pt 2 | Effectively Managing our Emotions - More to The Story - Episode 5 full 332f31b7-3c1d-4def-a254-767473c6ab40 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Emotions pt 2 | Effectively Managing our Emotions - More to The Story - Episode 5

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I apologize that there is no written text for this podcast.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

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]]> Emotions pt 2 | Effectively Managing our Emotions - More to The Story - Episode 5

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I apologize that there is no written text for this podcast.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

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]]> Sat, 28 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 888 Emotions pt 2 | Effectively Managing our Emotions - More to The Story - Episode 5

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I apologize that there is no written text for this podcast.


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> No A Lesson from Downton Abbey the Movie | Archive Story - Episode 3 1 1 3 3 A Lesson from Downton Abbey the Movie | Archive Story - Episode 3 full 3eb8b5fc-1de6-4044-a838-6a26f4f89e57 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ A Lesson from Downton Abbey the Movie | Archive Story - Episode 3

Originally written November 8, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I've been a Downton Abbey fan for a long time. I've been to see the new movie twice now (as of November 8, 2021). It was fun entertainment, but something I didn't expect happened while I was watching it.

I got a spiritual lesson straight from above.


Without providing too much of a spoiler alert, warning there might be a little… let me continue.

The entire premise for the movie is that the King and Queen of England are visiting Downton Abbey. This is no secret as the trailer gives this away instantly.

There seems to be quite the uproar though, when the excited downstairs staff realize that they will not be allowed to serve the King and Queen, but will be pushed aside by the royal traveling staff.

Yes, the King and Queen bring their own staff, footmen, housekeepers, cooks, etc.

What started out as great excitement for the staff turns into a huge disappointment.

Now for a bit of a spoiler…

But through creative means the tides turn and the Downton Abbey staff are able to serve the royalty.

There is a scene right before the footmen carry the endless trays of bounty to the dining table. Their excitement is palpable.

At that moment it occurred to me that we as sons and daughters of Jehovah God are also royalty. But something didn't fit with the image I was seeing on the screen.

In our Kingdom, in God's Kingdom, we are not the served, but the servers even though we are royalty. And the people at the table are those we have been called to serve.

And Then It Hit Me

And then it hit me. We are to serve others with the same over abundant zeal and enthusiasm, with same intense joy and excitement as the Downton Abbey staff had as they were walking into serve the King and Queen.

That instantaneous lesson caused me to evaluate myself. Do I as royalty serve with that kind of zeal and heartfelt enthusiasm? Do I find creative ways to make sure that I am serving them because my desire to serve is so great?

Let's all think about that today. Are we as eager as the Downton Abbey downstairs team was to serve? Picture Jesus washing his disciples feet. Picture the parable where we hold a dinner and compel the needy to come in and eat.

A lesson to learn. It was for me.

Originally published by me here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2019/10/07/a-lesson-from-downton-abbey-the-movie/


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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]]> A Lesson from Downton Abbey the Movie | Archive Story - Episode 3

Originally written November 8, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I've been a Downton Abbey fan for a long time. I've been to see the new movie twice now (as of November 8, 2021). It was fun entertainment, but something I didn't expect happened while I was watching it.

I got a spiritual lesson straight from above.


Without providing too much of a spoiler alert, warning there might be a little… let me continue.

The entire premise for the movie is that the King and Queen of England are visiting Downton Abbey. This is no secret as the trailer gives this away instantly.

There seems to be quite the uproar though, when the excited downstairs staff realize that they will not be allowed to serve the King and Queen, but will be pushed aside by the royal traveling staff.

Yes, the King and Queen bring their own staff, footmen, housekeepers, cooks, etc.

What started out as great excitement for the staff turns into a huge disappointment.

Now for a bit of a spoiler…

But through creative means the tides turn and the Downton Abbey staff are able to serve the royalty.

There is a scene right before the footmen carry the endless trays of bounty to the dining table. Their excitement is palpable.

At that moment it occurred to me that we as sons and daughters of Jehovah God are also royalty. But something didn't fit with the image I was seeing on the screen.

In our Kingdom, in God's Kingdom, we are not the served, but the servers even though we are royalty. And the people at the table are those we have been called to serve.

And Then It Hit Me

And then it hit me. We are to serve others with the same over abundant zeal and enthusiasm, with same intense joy and excitement as the Downton Abbey staff had as they were walking into serve the King and Queen.

That instantaneous lesson caused me to evaluate myself. Do I as royalty serve with that kind of zeal and heartfelt enthusiasm? Do I find creative ways to make sure that I am serving them because my desire to serve is so great?

Let's all think about that today. Are we as eager as the Downton Abbey downstairs team was to serve? Picture Jesus washing his disciples feet. Picture the parable where we hold a dinner and compel the needy to come in and eat.

A lesson to learn. It was for me.

Originally published by me here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2019/10/07/a-lesson-from-downton-abbey-the-movie/


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 223 A Lesson from Downton Abbey the Movie | Archive Story - Episode 3

Originally written November 8, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I've been a Downton Abbey fan for a long time. I've been to see the new movie twice now (as of November 8, 2021). It was fun entertainment, but something I didn't expect happened while I was watching it.

I got a spiritual lesson straight from above.


Without providing too much of a spoiler alert, warning there might be a little… let me continue.

The entire premise for the movie is that the King and Queen of England are visiting Downton Abbey. This is no secret as the trailer gives this away instantly.

There seems to be quite the uproar though, when the excited downstairs staff realize that they will not be allowed to serve the King and Queen, but will be pushed aside by the royal traveling staff.

Yes, the King and Queen bring their own staff, footmen, housekeepers, cooks, etc.

What started out as great excitement for the staff turns into a huge disappointment.

Now for a bit of a spoiler…

But through creative means the tides turn and the Downton Abbey staff are able to serve the royalty.

There is a scene right before the footmen carry the endless trays of bounty to the dining table. Their excitement is palpable.

At that moment it occurred to me that we as sons and daughters of Jehovah God are also royalty. But something didn't fit with the image I was seeing on the screen.

In our Kingdom, in God's Kingdom, we are not the served, but the servers even though we are royalty. And the people at the table are those we have been called to serve.

And Then It Hit Me

And then it hit me. We are to serve others with the same over abundant zeal and enthusiasm, with same intense joy and excitement as the Downton Abbey staff had as they were walking into serve the King and Queen.

That instantaneous lesson caused me to evaluate myself. Do I as royalty serve with that kind of zeal and heartfelt enthusiasm? Do I find creative ways to make sure that I am serving them because my desire to serve is so great?

Let's all think about that today. Are we as eager as the Downton Abbey downstairs team was to serve? Picture Jesus washing his disciples feet. Picture the parable where we hold a dinner and compel the needy to come in and eat.

A lesson to learn. It was for me.

Originally published by me here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2019/10/07/a-lesson-from-downton-abbey-the-movie/


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

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]]> No My Most Prized Possession | Miracle Story - Episode 3 1 1 3 3 My Most Prized Possession | Miracle Story - Episode 3 full 648c939c-e434-4744-9976-df5162a7f167 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ My Most Prized Possession | Miracle Story - Episode 3

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Changing Churches

By the time I was 15, I was attending the local Baptist church. I had asked to go there at some point instead of the Congregational church because I had a classmate who also went there. My mother was less than please and I never understood why, and she would never tell me, even though I did find out many years later. She did allow me to go there though, but rarely if ever went there with me.

I guess I changed churches about the time I was 11 or 12. While I had felt loved and accepted at the Congregational church, I was suddenly feeling that I didn't belong at the Baptist Church, and honestly I wasn't wanted.


Not having the cognitive ability to really see and understand, I stuck it out because my classmate was there. I suffered a lot of rejection at that church through the years, but never from Father God. One reason I stood out was because my family did not attend the church, only me. All the other kids' parents attended and took part, but not mine.

Youth Camp

At 15 I went to my first youth summer camp, Falls Creek. In Oklahoma, it is well known for being the Baptist youth camp. It is very large, with thousands of kids attending every summer in alternating weeks. I had one friend, who was also my neighbor that went to, but she quickly found a boyfriend to hang out with while there and left me in the dust. Feeling isolated and rejected with no one else to spend time with, I spent the days going to classes and church time, alone. When I had free time I would spend it alone walking the grounds.

My paternal grandmother had given me a very nice necklace. It had a cultured pearl and a teeny tiny diamond in it. I cherished that necklace. And like a silly young girl, I wore it to church camp that was situated in a very woodsy and rough area. I actually never took it off.

Our cabin was one of the more 'rustic' cabins. It was literally falling apart. We had only the necessities and just barely at that. Old wood floors, rickety bunk beds, crude bathroom facilities, and chaos from so many girls and so little space.

My Prized Possession

One day after free time, I came back from having walked all over the camp. I had gone to the gift shop, snack shop, and just made the rounds. When I returned, I was getting ready to lie down on my top bunk to rest before getting ready for evening chapel.

At some point I realized that my necklace was gone. I reached up to my neck, and it was not there. I panicked. I was heartbroken and began frantically searching for the necklace. I carefully stripped each piece of the bedding off of my bed and shook it. Nothing fell out of it. I asked all the other girls to help me look, and they all did. No one found my necklace.

Heartsick

To say I was heartsick is an understatement. I had been all over the entire camp. If it had fallen off while out there walking, I knew I would never find it. As the day continued I asked everyone in our group to please look and if they found it, to let me know. Everyone kindly said that they would.

And of course I talked to Jesus about it. He knew I was heartsick over losing it. He knew I had searched and searched and searched, retracing as many of my steps as possible. And I asked Him to please help me find it.

It should have been a lost cause. It was a very small necklace in a vast area full of people who had no idea who I was or that I had lost my prized possession.

And Then God...

I can't remember exactly how much time had lapsed from losing and then searching for the necklace. But there had been enough time gone by that I had stopped looking and so had everyone else, if they ever really had.

Coming back from somewhere, breakfast, morning classes, free time where I always kept an eye out… I don't really remember. But what I remember is that I walked into the cabin, climbed up onto my bunk and my unmade bed. I threw the top sheet back and there lay my necklace.

Now, it was there unbroken as you would have thought it would be had I lost it while wearing it. You would have thought the tiny thin chain would have broken or even the clasp. But, there it lay on my bed clasped and unbroken.

This was the same bed that I had fully stripped at least twice by then and slept in at least once, maybe twice. I asked everyone if they had found it and laid it under the sheet. No one had. They were all clueless. I searched and searched asking who had returned my necklace. No one knew anything.

Another Miracle

In my heart I knew it was a miracle. I knew that Father God had an angel bring me the necklace back from wherever it had been lost, and if it had been broken when falling from my neck, he had also repaired it.

If it had broken while I was out, the tiny pendant would have slid off of the chain, separating it from the very thin chain. That would have been the only way the necklace could have come off of my neck because, as I said, I never took it off.

That may sound absurd, but I can't imagine it falling from my neck if it hadn't broken. As we have talked about, this was not the first miracle I had experienced. So, I knew God could and maybe would help me. I was so excited about my miracle that I was telling everyone in our cabin. However, I was met with enormous skepticism.

I was told it must have been there all the time. I was told that it must have been caught in my clothes, even though by then I had changed clothes multiple times.

Not one person, youth or adult, wanted to believe it was a miracle which absolutely astounded me. But I knew better; this was not my first miracle.

Needless to say, I couldn't stop thanking and praising Father for the return of the necklace. My heart sang even if no one else wanted to believe, I believed in miracles.

Being Born Again

As an interesting sidebar here, when coming home from camp where several had gone to the alter and given their heart and life to the Lord, the church was always full of excitement as those were baptized.

I was not one of them. The entire thing was a little foreign to me, the born again thing. I didn't have Baptist parents at home teaching me and urging me to be baptized. And, I had known, loved, and had a relationship with Jesus for as long as I could remember. He had always had my heart.

He was my friend. I sang to him; I played with him; he had healed me, and I talked to him. Awhile after coming home from camp, several weeks after everyone else that needed to be baptized there was a lady who told me I needed to be born again in such a way as to indicate that I didn't know Jesus.

I said ok because I had a heart to do what Jesus wanted me to do. I wanted to do the right thing, and it WAS the right thing. She and the pastor took me in the back and read me some scriptures in the book of Romans from the King James Bible. Then they asked me a series of questions. I suppose I answered them correctly, affirming that I believed that Jesus was the son of God and so forth.

Even though my relationship with God did not change that night, I repented of the old sinful nature and asked to be forgiven. I cried. I felt better only because I had done something I knew I was supposed to do. But also, because there does come a time when we formally, officially need to repent of our sin nature, give it to God and ask him to cause us to be born again.

Death of the old and birth of the new nature. No matter how you feel you know God, if you haven't asked him to help you be born again, you have...

]]> My Most Prized Possession | Miracle Story - Episode 3

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Changing Churches

By the time I was 15, I was attending the local Baptist church. I had asked to go there at some point instead of the Congregational church because I had a classmate who also went there. My mother was less than please and I never understood why, and she would never tell me, even though I did find out many years later. She did allow me to go there though, but rarely if ever went there with me.

I guess I changed churches about the time I was 11 or 12. While I had felt loved and accepted at the Congregational church, I was suddenly feeling that I didn't belong at the Baptist Church, and honestly I wasn't wanted.


Not having the cognitive ability to really see and understand, I stuck it out because my classmate was there. I suffered a lot of rejection at that church through the years, but never from Father God. One reason I stood out was because my family did not attend the church, only me. All the other kids' parents attended and took part, but not mine.

Youth Camp

At 15 I went to my first youth summer camp, Falls Creek. In Oklahoma, it is well known for being the Baptist youth camp. It is very large, with thousands of kids attending every summer in alternating weeks. I had one friend, who was also my neighbor that went to, but she quickly found a boyfriend to hang out with while there and left me in the dust. Feeling isolated and rejected with no one else to spend time with, I spent the days going to classes and church time, alone. When I had free time I would spend it alone walking the grounds.

My paternal grandmother had given me a very nice necklace. It had a cultured pearl and a teeny tiny diamond in it. I cherished that necklace. And like a silly young girl, I wore it to church camp that was situated in a very woodsy and rough area. I actually never took it off.

Our cabin was one of the more 'rustic' cabins. It was literally falling apart. We had only the necessities and just barely at that. Old wood floors, rickety bunk beds, crude bathroom facilities, and chaos from so many girls and so little space.

My Prized Possession

One day after free time, I came back from having walked all over the camp. I had gone to the gift shop, snack shop, and just made the rounds. When I returned, I was getting ready to lie down on my top bunk to rest before getting ready for evening chapel.

At some point I realized that my necklace was gone. I reached up to my neck, and it was not there. I panicked. I was heartbroken and began frantically searching for the necklace. I carefully stripped each piece of the bedding off of my bed and shook it. Nothing fell out of it. I asked all the other girls to help me look, and they all did. No one found my necklace.

Heartsick

To say I was heartsick is an understatement. I had been all over the entire camp. If it had fallen off while out there walking, I knew I would never find it. As the day continued I asked everyone in our group to please look and if they found it, to let me know. Everyone kindly said that they would.

And of course I talked to Jesus about it. He knew I was heartsick over losing it. He knew I had searched and searched and searched, retracing as many of my steps as possible. And I asked Him to please help me find it.

It should have been a lost cause. It was a very small necklace in a vast area full of people who had no idea who I was or that I had lost my prized possession.

And Then God...

I can't remember exactly how much time had lapsed from losing and then searching for the necklace. But there had been enough time gone by that I had stopped looking and so had everyone else, if they ever really had.

Coming back from somewhere, breakfast, morning classes, free time where I always kept an eye out… I don't really remember. But what I remember is that I walked into the cabin, climbed up onto my bunk and my unmade bed. I threw the top sheet back and there lay my necklace.

Now, it was there unbroken as you would have thought it would be had I lost it while wearing it. You would have thought the tiny thin chain would have broken or even the clasp. But, there it lay on my bed clasped and unbroken.

This was the same bed that I had fully stripped at least twice by then and slept in at least once, maybe twice. I asked everyone if they had found it and laid it under the sheet. No one had. They were all clueless. I searched and searched asking who had returned my necklace. No one knew anything.

Another Miracle

In my heart I knew it was a miracle. I knew that Father God had an angel bring me the necklace back from wherever it had been lost, and if it had been broken when falling from my neck, he had also repaired it.

If it had broken while I was out, the tiny pendant would have slid off of the chain, separating it from the very thin chain. That would have been the only way the necklace could have come off of my neck because, as I said, I never took it off.

That may sound absurd, but I can't imagine it falling from my neck if it hadn't broken. As we have talked about, this was not the first miracle I had experienced. So, I knew God could and maybe would help me. I was so excited about my miracle that I was telling everyone in our cabin. However, I was met with enormous skepticism.

I was told it must have been there all the time. I was told that it must have been caught in my clothes, even though by then I had changed clothes multiple times.

Not one person, youth or adult, wanted to believe it was a miracle which absolutely astounded me. But I knew better; this was not my first miracle.

Needless to say, I couldn't stop thanking and praising Father for the return of the necklace. My heart sang even if no one else wanted to believe, I believed in miracles.

Being Born Again

As an interesting sidebar here, when coming home from camp where several had gone to the alter and given their heart and life to the Lord, the church was always full of excitement as those were baptized.

I was not one of them. The entire thing was a little foreign to me, the born again thing. I didn't have Baptist parents at home teaching me and urging me to be baptized. And, I had known, loved, and had a relationship with Jesus for as long as I could remember. He had always had my heart.

He was my friend. I sang to him; I played with him; he had healed me, and I talked to him. Awhile after coming home from camp, several weeks after everyone else that needed to be baptized there was a lady who told me I needed to be born again in such a way as to indicate that I didn't know Jesus.

I said ok because I had a heart to do what Jesus wanted me to do. I wanted to do the right thing, and it WAS the right thing. She and the pastor took me in the back and read me some scriptures in the book of Romans from the King James Bible. Then they asked me a series of questions. I suppose I answered them correctly, affirming that I believed that Jesus was the son of God and so forth.

Even though my relationship with God did not change that night, I repented of the old sinful nature and asked to be forgiven. I cried. I felt better only because I had done something I knew I was supposed to do. But also, because there does come a time when we formally, officially need to repent of our sin nature, give it to God and ask him to cause us to be born again.

Death of the old and birth of the new nature. No matter how you feel you know God, if you haven't asked him to help you be born again, you have...

]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 730 My Most Prized Possession | Miracle Story - Episode 3

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Changing Churches

By the time I was 15, I was attending the local Baptist church. I had asked to go there at some point instead of the Congregational church because I had a classmate who also went there. My mother was less than please and I never understood why, and she would never tell me, even though I did find out many years later. She did allow me to go there though, but rarely if ever went there with me.

I guess I changed churches about the time I was 11 or 12. While I had felt loved and accepted at the Congregational church, I was suddenly feeling that I didn't belong at the Baptist Church, and honestly I wasn't wanted.


Not having the cognitive ability to really see and understand, I stuck it out because my classmate was there. I suffered a lot of rejection at that church through the years, but never from Father God. One reason I stood out was because my family did not attend the church, only me. All the other kids' parents attended and took part, but not mine.

Youth Camp

At 15 I went to my first youth summer camp, Falls Creek. In Oklahoma, it is well known for being the Baptist youth camp. It is very large, with thousands of kids attending every summer in alternating weeks. I had one friend, who was also my neighbor that went to, but she quickly found a boyfriend to hang out with while there and left me in the dust. Feeling isolated and rejected with no one else to spend time with, I spent the days going to classes and church time, alone. When I had free time I would spend it alone walking the grounds.

My paternal grandmother had given me a very nice necklace. It had a cultured pearl and a teeny tiny diamond in it. I cherished that necklace. And like a silly young girl, I wore it to church camp that was situated in a very woodsy and rough area. I actually never took it off.

Our cabin was one of the more 'rustic' cabins. It was literally falling apart. We had only the necessities and just barely at that. Old wood floors, rickety bunk beds, crude bathroom facilities, and chaos from so many girls and so little space.

My Prized Possession

One day after free time, I came back from having walked all over the camp. I had gone to the gift shop, snack shop, and just made the rounds. When I returned, I was getting ready to lie down on my top bunk to rest before getting ready for evening chapel.

At some point I realized that my necklace was gone. I reached up to my neck, and it was not there. I panicked. I was heartbroken and began frantically searching for the necklace. I carefully stripped each piece of the bedding off of my bed and shook it. Nothing fell out of it. I asked all the other girls to help me look, and they all did. No one found my necklace.

Heartsick

To say I was heartsick is an understatement. I had been all over the entire camp. If it had fallen off while out there walking, I knew I would never find it. As the day continued I asked everyone in our group to please look and if they found it, to let me know. Everyone kindly said that they would.

And of course I talked to Jesus about it. He knew I was heartsick over losing it. He knew I had searched and searched and searched, retracing as many of my steps as possible. And I asked Him to please help me find it.

It should have been a lost cause. It was a very small necklace in a vast area full of people who had no idea who I was or that I had lost my prized possession.

And Then God...

I can't remember exactly how much time had lapsed from losing and then searching for the necklace. But there had been enough time gone by that I had stopped looking and so had everyone else, if they ever really had.

Coming back from somewhere, breakfast, morning classes, free time where I always kept an eye out… I don't really remember. But what I remember is that I walked into the cabin, climbed up onto my bunk and my unmade bed. I threw the top sheet back and there lay my necklace.

Now, it was there unbroken as you would have thought it would be had I lost it while wearing it. You would have thought the tiny thin chain would have broken or even the clasp. But, there it lay on my bed clasped and unbroken.

This was the same bed that I had fully stripped at least twice by then and slept in at least once, maybe twice. I asked everyone if they had found it and laid it under the sheet. No one had. They were all clueless. I searched and searched asking who had returned my necklace. No one knew anything.

Another Miracle

In my heart I knew it was a miracle. I knew that Father God had an angel bring me the necklace back from wherever it had been lost, and if it had been broken when falling from my neck, he had also repaired it.

If it had broken while I was out, the tiny pendant would have slid off of the chain, separating it from the very thin chain. That would have been the only way the necklace could have come off of my neck because, as I said, I never took it off.

That may sound absurd, but I can't imagine it falling from my neck if it hadn't broken. As we have talked about, this was not the first miracle I had experienced. So, I knew God could and maybe would help me. I was so excited about my miracle that I was telling everyone in our cabin. However, I was met with enormous skepticism.

I was told it must have been there all the time. I was told that it must have been caught in my clothes, even though by then I had changed clothes multiple times.

Not one person, youth or adult, wanted to believe it was a miracle which absolutely astounded me. But I knew better; this was not my first miracle.

Needless to say, I couldn't stop thanking and praising Father for the return of the necklace. My heart sang even if no one else wanted to believe, I believed in miracles.

Being Born Again

As an interesting sidebar here, when coming home from camp where several had gone to the alter and given their heart and life to the Lord, the church was always full of excitement as those were baptized.

I was not one of them. The entire thing was a little foreign to me, the born again thing. I didn't have Baptist parents at home teaching me and urging me to be baptized. And, I had known, loved, and had a relationship with Jesus for as long as I could remember. He had always had my heart.

He was my friend. I sang to him; I played with him; he had healed me, and I talked to him. Awhile after coming home from camp, several weeks after everyone else that needed to be baptized there was a lady who told me I needed to be born again in such a way as to indicate that I didn't know Jesus.

I said ok because I had a heart to do what Jesus wanted me to do. I wanted to do the right thing, and it WAS the right thing. She and the pastor took me in the back and read me some scriptures in the book of Romans from the King James Bible. Then they asked me a series of questions. I suppose I answered them correctly, affirming that I believed that Jesus was the son of God and so forth.

Even though my relationship with God did not change that night, I repented of the old sinful nature and asked to be forgiven. I cried. I felt better only because I had done something I knew I was supposed to do. But also, because there does come a time when we formally, officially need to repent of our sin nature, give it to God and ask him to cause us to be born again.

Death of the old and birth of the new nature. No matter how you feel you know God, if you haven't asked him to help you be born again, you have...

]]> No Emotions pt 1 | What Our Emotions Were Originally Designed to Be - More to The Story - Episode 4 1 1 4 4 Emotions pt 1 | What Our Emotions Were Originally Designed to Be - More to The Story - Episode 4 full 21b0b97b-4ed6-4f09-aad6-81bfa2185137 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Emotions pt 1 | What were our emotions originally designed to be

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Emotions. We all have them. We were designed with them.

God gave them to us in the very beginning. But what did he plan for our emotions to be? Let's explore that today. Recently, I began to think about emotions.

I think about them often because we are all feeling some kind of emotion every single day, whether it's good or bad, or a mixture of both. And I began to wonder, what exactly did the very first evidence of emotions come to be in the Bible? Also, I think it warrants, once we look at those first emotions, that those emotions should be the emotions that we aspire to have. And once Adam and Eve were removed from the garden, what emotions did they have then? And how do we get back to having the emotions from the garden? So first of all, they only had good emotions.


We know that. But let's read, um, let's start in Genesis 1. Now, let me encourage you, as always, to read everything in its full context. I am skipping around for time's sake, although I may be reading a little more than normal today, because I want you to get a fuller picture here.

And I know sometimes when I begin to read a scripture, you think, now where, what does this have to do with it? But it always goes somewhere, and it ties together. So right now, I am reading from the Amplified Bible, Genesis 1, and I am on 20, verse 26.

God said, let us, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make mankind in our image, after our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.

Verse 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image and likeness of God. He created him male and female.

He created them. Now, then we skip over here to Genesis 2, 1. Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life. The man became a living being, and the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden, which means delight.

And there he put the man whom he had formed, framed, and constituted. Let me stop for just a moment there. Often when we visualize Genesis and the creation, we get a picture in our head of the Garden of Eden, and that God created Adam and Eve within the garden.

But he created all of creation. He created it lush and green. He created it beautiful.

He created it perfect, all of it, the entire thing. Then he planted a special garden just for Adam and Eve, after he had created Adam. So let's read that again, thinking about that.

Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils. And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden. And there he put the man whom he had formed.

I think that's really special. I know this isn't necessarily on the path of emotions, but if we are truly created in the likeness and image of God, which we just read, that compassion, that love that he had for mankind, first of all, the pattern he used was himself. The very best pattern that he had to give.

So he created Adam and Eve off of the pattern of himself. Everything about him, of man, was patterned after God. So his emotions, here we go, we're talking about emotions finally, his emotions were in Adam and Eve.

His love for Adam is displayed when here he's created the entire world, beautiful, wonderful, lush. And now he's taken and he's created a very special garden just for Adam and Eve. I think that is one of the most overlooked things.

When we talk about God, we say, oh yes, God loves us in the famous John 3, 16 verse, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Yes, that is absolutely outstanding. But from the very beginning, God never had ulterior motives.

God created man because he wanted man. He loved man from the very beginning. So as soon as he created him, he said, this gorgeous creation that I've made isn't good enough.

We have to have something really special. It would be like, you know, having a house with a beautiful yard, and then all of a sudden you come along and say, okay, right here in this back corner, I'm going to make something really spectacular. And so that's what he did.

And he put Adam and Eve there. And that kind of love is all-encompassing. Stumbling over my words there, sorry.

But that kind of love is a love that we can relate to maybe more than giving away our son. I can't hardly wrap my head around that one. That one's too far outside of my wheelhouse.

I have two sons, and I have many grandsons and great-grandsons. So to try to wrap my head around that is difficult. I know it's big.

I know it's huge. I know it's far beyond anything I could do. But I can wrap my head around loving one of my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.

I can wrap my head around wanting to create something super special just for them. A place just for them to live in. It was their home, and it was the best of the best.

Okay, so there was one of our first emotions. It wasn't from Adam and Eve, but it was from God. After he had surveyed everything and said, it's good, it's good.

So let's hop down. So verse 15 of Genesis 2 says, And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend, guard, and keep it. Not as a slave.

Not as a, okay, I've given you this. Now you got to take care of it kind of deal. But let's face it, we all need something to do.

And so he made this fantastic garden. And then he put him in it, and he said, okay, now you can tend it and care for it. And let's face it, at this point there were no weeds.

At this point things didn't die the way they do now. So it was almost like saying, oink, oink, I'm going to give you this garden to tend to. And how easy that would have been.

And Adam would have been in this lavish garden, and he would have flourished tending to these plants and these animals. So now let's hop over to Genesis 3 and go to verse 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good, this is the tree of good and evil that God said don't eat of that tree. Now that's a whole other discussion to wonder why did he even put it in there in the first place? But we're not going to go there today.

That's a rabbit hole I don't want to go down today. When woman saw that the tree was good, pleasant for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate. Up until this point we only had love, we had there was points of respect, there was delight, because this is before she ate of that tree.

So anything that is good and positive, also they were naked as babies, and they didn't have a clue. There was zero shame, absolutely zero shame. So if you can think of any good emotion, that's what they were feeling and experiencing and living in.

They were in the midst of feeling God emotions. Anything that God feels that is positive and rich and nourishing, that's what Adam and Eve were experiencing until then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed thick leaves together and made themselves apron-like girdles. Immediately, immediately shame came.

Isn't that just like the enemy? The very first emotion he piles on when anything goes awry is shame. God never ever ever brings shame, and I want to get this distinction out there very clearly. If you're feeling shame about something you've done or something...

]]> Emotions pt 1 | What were our emotions originally designed to be

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Emotions. We all have them. We were designed with them.

God gave them to us in the very beginning. But what did he plan for our emotions to be? Let's explore that today. Recently, I began to think about emotions.

I think about them often because we are all feeling some kind of emotion every single day, whether it's good or bad, or a mixture of both. And I began to wonder, what exactly did the very first evidence of emotions come to be in the Bible? Also, I think it warrants, once we look at those first emotions, that those emotions should be the emotions that we aspire to have. And once Adam and Eve were removed from the garden, what emotions did they have then? And how do we get back to having the emotions from the garden? So first of all, they only had good emotions.


We know that. But let's read, um, let's start in Genesis 1. Now, let me encourage you, as always, to read everything in its full context. I am skipping around for time's sake, although I may be reading a little more than normal today, because I want you to get a fuller picture here.

And I know sometimes when I begin to read a scripture, you think, now where, what does this have to do with it? But it always goes somewhere, and it ties together. So right now, I am reading from the Amplified Bible, Genesis 1, and I am on 20, verse 26.

God said, let us, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make mankind in our image, after our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.

Verse 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image and likeness of God. He created him male and female.

He created them. Now, then we skip over here to Genesis 2, 1. Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life. The man became a living being, and the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden, which means delight.

And there he put the man whom he had formed, framed, and constituted. Let me stop for just a moment there. Often when we visualize Genesis and the creation, we get a picture in our head of the Garden of Eden, and that God created Adam and Eve within the garden.

But he created all of creation. He created it lush and green. He created it beautiful.

He created it perfect, all of it, the entire thing. Then he planted a special garden just for Adam and Eve, after he had created Adam. So let's read that again, thinking about that.

Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils. And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden. And there he put the man whom he had formed.

I think that's really special. I know this isn't necessarily on the path of emotions, but if we are truly created in the likeness and image of God, which we just read, that compassion, that love that he had for mankind, first of all, the pattern he used was himself. The very best pattern that he had to give.

So he created Adam and Eve off of the pattern of himself. Everything about him, of man, was patterned after God. So his emotions, here we go, we're talking about emotions finally, his emotions were in Adam and Eve.

His love for Adam is displayed when here he's created the entire world, beautiful, wonderful, lush. And now he's taken and he's created a very special garden just for Adam and Eve. I think that is one of the most overlooked things.

When we talk about God, we say, oh yes, God loves us in the famous John 3, 16 verse, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Yes, that is absolutely outstanding. But from the very beginning, God never had ulterior motives.

God created man because he wanted man. He loved man from the very beginning. So as soon as he created him, he said, this gorgeous creation that I've made isn't good enough.

We have to have something really special. It would be like, you know, having a house with a beautiful yard, and then all of a sudden you come along and say, okay, right here in this back corner, I'm going to make something really spectacular. And so that's what he did.

And he put Adam and Eve there. And that kind of love is all-encompassing. Stumbling over my words there, sorry.

But that kind of love is a love that we can relate to maybe more than giving away our son. I can't hardly wrap my head around that one. That one's too far outside of my wheelhouse.

I have two sons, and I have many grandsons and great-grandsons. So to try to wrap my head around that is difficult. I know it's big.

I know it's huge. I know it's far beyond anything I could do. But I can wrap my head around loving one of my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.

I can wrap my head around wanting to create something super special just for them. A place just for them to live in. It was their home, and it was the best of the best.

Okay, so there was one of our first emotions. It wasn't from Adam and Eve, but it was from God. After he had surveyed everything and said, it's good, it's good.

So let's hop down. So verse 15 of Genesis 2 says, And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend, guard, and keep it. Not as a slave.

Not as a, okay, I've given you this. Now you got to take care of it kind of deal. But let's face it, we all need something to do.

And so he made this fantastic garden. And then he put him in it, and he said, okay, now you can tend it and care for it. And let's face it, at this point there were no weeds.

At this point things didn't die the way they do now. So it was almost like saying, oink, oink, I'm going to give you this garden to tend to. And how easy that would have been.

And Adam would have been in this lavish garden, and he would have flourished tending to these plants and these animals. So now let's hop over to Genesis 3 and go to verse 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good, this is the tree of good and evil that God said don't eat of that tree. Now that's a whole other discussion to wonder why did he even put it in there in the first place? But we're not going to go there today.

That's a rabbit hole I don't want to go down today. When woman saw that the tree was good, pleasant for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate. Up until this point we only had love, we had there was points of respect, there was delight, because this is before she ate of that tree.

So anything that is good and positive, also they were naked as babies, and they didn't have a clue. There was zero shame, absolutely zero shame. So if you can think of any good emotion, that's what they were feeling and experiencing and living in.

They were in the midst of feeling God emotions. Anything that God feels that is positive and rich and nourishing, that's what Adam and Eve were experiencing until then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed thick leaves together and made themselves apron-like girdles. Immediately, immediately shame came.

Isn't that just like the enemy? The very first emotion he piles on when anything goes awry is shame. God never ever ever brings shame, and I want to get this distinction out there very clearly. If you're feeling shame about something you've done or something...

]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 1704 Emotions pt 1 | What were our emotions originally designed to be

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Emotions. We all have them. We were designed with them.

God gave them to us in the very beginning. But what did he plan for our emotions to be? Let's explore that today. Recently, I began to think about emotions.

I think about them often because we are all feeling some kind of emotion every single day, whether it's good or bad, or a mixture of both. And I began to wonder, what exactly did the very first evidence of emotions come to be in the Bible? Also, I think it warrants, once we look at those first emotions, that those emotions should be the emotions that we aspire to have. And once Adam and Eve were removed from the garden, what emotions did they have then? And how do we get back to having the emotions from the garden? So first of all, they only had good emotions.


We know that. But let's read, um, let's start in Genesis 1. Now, let me encourage you, as always, to read everything in its full context. I am skipping around for time's sake, although I may be reading a little more than normal today, because I want you to get a fuller picture here.

And I know sometimes when I begin to read a scripture, you think, now where, what does this have to do with it? But it always goes somewhere, and it ties together. So right now, I am reading from the Amplified Bible, Genesis 1, and I am on 20, verse 26.

God said, let us, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make mankind in our image, after our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.

Verse 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image and likeness of God. He created him male and female.

He created them. Now, then we skip over here to Genesis 2, 1. Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life. The man became a living being, and the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden, which means delight.

And there he put the man whom he had formed, framed, and constituted. Let me stop for just a moment there. Often when we visualize Genesis and the creation, we get a picture in our head of the Garden of Eden, and that God created Adam and Eve within the garden.

But he created all of creation. He created it lush and green. He created it beautiful.

He created it perfect, all of it, the entire thing. Then he planted a special garden just for Adam and Eve, after he had created Adam. So let's read that again, thinking about that.

Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils. And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden. And there he put the man whom he had formed.

I think that's really special. I know this isn't necessarily on the path of emotions, but if we are truly created in the likeness and image of God, which we just read, that compassion, that love that he had for mankind, first of all, the pattern he used was himself. The very best pattern that he had to give.

So he created Adam and Eve off of the pattern of himself. Everything about him, of man, was patterned after God. So his emotions, here we go, we're talking about emotions finally, his emotions were in Adam and Eve.

His love for Adam is displayed when here he's created the entire world, beautiful, wonderful, lush. And now he's taken and he's created a very special garden just for Adam and Eve. I think that is one of the most overlooked things.

When we talk about God, we say, oh yes, God loves us in the famous John 3, 16 verse, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Yes, that is absolutely outstanding. But from the very beginning, God never had ulterior motives.

God created man because he wanted man. He loved man from the very beginning. So as soon as he created him, he said, this gorgeous creation that I've made isn't good enough.

We have to have something really special. It would be like, you know, having a house with a beautiful yard, and then all of a sudden you come along and say, okay, right here in this back corner, I'm going to make something really spectacular. And so that's what he did.

And he put Adam and Eve there. And that kind of love is all-encompassing. Stumbling over my words there, sorry.

But that kind of love is a love that we can relate to maybe more than giving away our son. I can't hardly wrap my head around that one. That one's too far outside of my wheelhouse.

I have two sons, and I have many grandsons and great-grandsons. So to try to wrap my head around that is difficult. I know it's big.

I know it's huge. I know it's far beyond anything I could do. But I can wrap my head around loving one of my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.

I can wrap my head around wanting to create something super special just for them. A place just for them to live in. It was their home, and it was the best of the best.

Okay, so there was one of our first emotions. It wasn't from Adam and Eve, but it was from God. After he had surveyed everything and said, it's good, it's good.

So let's hop down. So verse 15 of Genesis 2 says, And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend, guard, and keep it. Not as a slave.

Not as a, okay, I've given you this. Now you got to take care of it kind of deal. But let's face it, we all need something to do.

And so he made this fantastic garden. And then he put him in it, and he said, okay, now you can tend it and care for it. And let's face it, at this point there were no weeds.

At this point things didn't die the way they do now. So it was almost like saying, oink, oink, I'm going to give you this garden to tend to. And how easy that would have been.

And Adam would have been in this lavish garden, and he would have flourished tending to these plants and these animals. So now let's hop over to Genesis 3 and go to verse 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good, this is the tree of good and evil that God said don't eat of that tree. Now that's a whole other discussion to wonder why did he even put it in there in the first place? But we're not going to go there today.

That's a rabbit hole I don't want to go down today. When woman saw that the tree was good, pleasant for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate. Up until this point we only had love, we had there was points of respect, there was delight, because this is before she ate of that tree.

So anything that is good and positive, also they were naked as babies, and they didn't have a clue. There was zero shame, absolutely zero shame. So if you can think of any good emotion, that's what they were feeling and experiencing and living in.

They were in the midst of feeling God emotions. Anything that God feels that is positive and rich and nourishing, that's what Adam and Eve were experiencing until then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed thick leaves together and made themselves apron-like girdles. Immediately, immediately shame came.

Isn't that just like the enemy? The very first emotion he piles on when anything goes awry is shame. God never ever ever brings shame, and I want to get this distinction out there very clearly. If you're feeling shame about something you've done or something...

]]> No We Can Fight But Can We Submit? | Archive Story - Episode 2 1 1 2 2 We Can Fight But Can We Submit? | Archive Story - Episode 2 full e9e15b73-ad09-42d4-bbf1-e01365b3d944 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ We Can Fight But Can We Submit? | Archive Story - Episode 2

Originally written November 7, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

If you have been a Christian for longer than a day you have either heard about or engaged in spiritual warfare. We have an enemy who is out to get us, this we know.

We have armor, we have weapons, we are in a battle.


When Something Hard Hits Us

Life is not easy. Just about the time we think we have it all figured out, something hard hits us and down we go. We get up, check our armer, sharpen our weapons, and stand. We have practiced this over and over. We have memorized important scriptures on spiritual warfare and we believe we are using them.

We study our place of position in Christ Jesus. We love, and we worship. We check all the boxes, and we wait. We fight from a place of victory knowing the battle is already ours. Knowing we have an enemy and knowing how to fight him is essential in our walk with God.

What Really Is The Cause?

But what if there are events or situations in our life that the enemy did not orchestrate? What if a season of hardship is not of the enemy but of God? We know how to fight the enemy, but do we know how to submit to God?

You will get no argument from me that God is a good and gracious God whose love for us is beyond our comprehension. However, as a loving father it is often very necessary for Him to orchestrate situations in our lives where we will have to struggle in order to gain strength.

God's Discipline

Let me be very clear about one thing, God does not bring sickness or disease. God does not discipline with injury or devastation. For those of you out there who have that mindset and live with a deep sadness that you must submit to these events, please know that a loving God would not, could not ever do this to you.

I am discussing something very different. When we know the enemy is attacking we have a long laundry list of things to check off, to do, but when God is orchestrating a difficult situation in our lives for growth, what do we do?

We submit and endure. And I am here to tell you that has proven much more difficult in my own life than fighting.

James 1:2-5 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I am currently going through a difficult season where I know it is orchestrated by God for a purpose. I don't like it and I don't want to rejoice about it. But I choose to persevere. I choose to submit to God in order that a perfect work will be done in my life.

We Fight the Enemy - We Submit to God

Throughout my life I have encountered many situations where I knew the enemy was at play and so I fought, but now that I know God is in charge of this, fighting the source is not an option! I would be fighting against God.

So I submit. And I rest. Let me say that in this situation it has proven to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I am a doer. I want to work it out, fix it, and make things happen. But He quickly showed me that my fixes were short lived and powerless against what He was doing in my life.

The verses immediately following the ones above discuss asking for wisdom. When you feel you might be in a season where God is doing something uncomfortable in your life and you do not know what to do, ask for wisdom, then hold firm while submitting to this season.

James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

So I stop trying to fix it, ask for wisdom, and rest. Let me be so bold to say that this is much more difficult than fighting a battle, but is far more profitable and beneficial in our lives.

Hebrews 4:10-11 10 For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. 11 Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

The above scripture is talking about how we cannot gain salvation by working to obtain it. We must rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

What Does It Really Mean to be Saved?

This is not however the only type of salvation there is. The word sozo which is the Greek word for saved also means 'save from all manner of situations and calamities'. It is human nature to 'work' ourselves out of this fix we are in.

Often this is the right thing to do, especially if we have gotten our own selves there from disobedience, or bad choices. However if you are in a season where you feel salvation is necessary, but that God is the author of the situation, your best and only perfect option is to rest.

When the work He has desired to accomplish in that season has been completed, He will bring salvation from that event.

Be Perfect and Complete Wanting Nothing

I should have put a disclaimer at the top of this blog post that this is not a feel good message, however if you want all that God has for you 'perfect and complete wanting nothing' then let me challenge you to submit, pray, and rest.

Originally published by me here:  https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2018/08/22/we-can-fight-the-enemy-but-can-we-submit-to-god/


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

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]]> We Can Fight But Can We Submit? | Archive Story - Episode 2

Originally written November 7, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

If you have been a Christian for longer than a day you have either heard about or engaged in spiritual warfare. We have an enemy who is out to get us, this we know.

We have armor, we have weapons, we are in a battle.


When Something Hard Hits Us

Life is not easy. Just about the time we think we have it all figured out, something hard hits us and down we go. We get up, check our armer, sharpen our weapons, and stand. We have practiced this over and over. We have memorized important scriptures on spiritual warfare and we believe we are using them.

We study our place of position in Christ Jesus. We love, and we worship. We check all the boxes, and we wait. We fight from a place of victory knowing the battle is already ours. Knowing we have an enemy and knowing how to fight him is essential in our walk with God.

What Really Is The Cause?

But what if there are events or situations in our life that the enemy did not orchestrate? What if a season of hardship is not of the enemy but of God? We know how to fight the enemy, but do we know how to submit to God?

You will get no argument from me that God is a good and gracious God whose love for us is beyond our comprehension. However, as a loving father it is often very necessary for Him to orchestrate situations in our lives where we will have to struggle in order to gain strength.

God's Discipline

Let me be very clear about one thing, God does not bring sickness or disease. God does not discipline with injury or devastation. For those of you out there who have that mindset and live with a deep sadness that you must submit to these events, please know that a loving God would not, could not ever do this to you.

I am discussing something very different. When we know the enemy is attacking we have a long laundry list of things to check off, to do, but when God is orchestrating a difficult situation in our lives for growth, what do we do?

We submit and endure. And I am here to tell you that has proven much more difficult in my own life than fighting.

James 1:2-5 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I am currently going through a difficult season where I know it is orchestrated by God for a purpose. I don't like it and I don't want to rejoice about it. But I choose to persevere. I choose to submit to God in order that a perfect work will be done in my life.

We Fight the Enemy - We Submit to God

Throughout my life I have encountered many situations where I knew the enemy was at play and so I fought, but now that I know God is in charge of this, fighting the source is not an option! I would be fighting against God.

So I submit. And I rest. Let me say that in this situation it has proven to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I am a doer. I want to work it out, fix it, and make things happen. But He quickly showed me that my fixes were short lived and powerless against what He was doing in my life.

The verses immediately following the ones above discuss asking for wisdom. When you feel you might be in a season where God is doing something uncomfortable in your life and you do not know what to do, ask for wisdom, then hold firm while submitting to this season.

James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

So I stop trying to fix it, ask for wisdom, and rest. Let me be so bold to say that this is much more difficult than fighting a battle, but is far more profitable and beneficial in our lives.

Hebrews 4:10-11 10 For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. 11 Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

The above scripture is talking about how we cannot gain salvation by working to obtain it. We must rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

What Does It Really Mean to be Saved?

This is not however the only type of salvation there is. The word sozo which is the Greek word for saved also means 'save from all manner of situations and calamities'. It is human nature to 'work' ourselves out of this fix we are in.

Often this is the right thing to do, especially if we have gotten our own selves there from disobedience, or bad choices. However if you are in a season where you feel salvation is necessary, but that God is the author of the situation, your best and only perfect option is to rest.

When the work He has desired to accomplish in that season has been completed, He will bring salvation from that event.

Be Perfect and Complete Wanting Nothing

I should have put a disclaimer at the top of this blog post that this is not a feel good message, however if you want all that God has for you 'perfect and complete wanting nothing' then let me challenge you to submit, pray, and rest.

Originally published by me here:  https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2018/08/22/we-can-fight-the-enemy-but-can-we-submit-to-god/


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 461 We Can Fight But Can We Submit? | Archive Story - Episode 2

Originally written November 7, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

If you have been a Christian for longer than a day you have either heard about or engaged in spiritual warfare. We have an enemy who is out to get us, this we know.

We have armor, we have weapons, we are in a battle.


When Something Hard Hits Us

Life is not easy. Just about the time we think we have it all figured out, something hard hits us and down we go. We get up, check our armer, sharpen our weapons, and stand. We have practiced this over and over. We have memorized important scriptures on spiritual warfare and we believe we are using them.

We study our place of position in Christ Jesus. We love, and we worship. We check all the boxes, and we wait. We fight from a place of victory knowing the battle is already ours. Knowing we have an enemy and knowing how to fight him is essential in our walk with God.

What Really Is The Cause?

But what if there are events or situations in our life that the enemy did not orchestrate? What if a season of hardship is not of the enemy but of God? We know how to fight the enemy, but do we know how to submit to God?

You will get no argument from me that God is a good and gracious God whose love for us is beyond our comprehension. However, as a loving father it is often very necessary for Him to orchestrate situations in our lives where we will have to struggle in order to gain strength.

God's Discipline

Let me be very clear about one thing, God does not bring sickness or disease. God does not discipline with injury or devastation. For those of you out there who have that mindset and live with a deep sadness that you must submit to these events, please know that a loving God would not, could not ever do this to you.

I am discussing something very different. When we know the enemy is attacking we have a long laundry list of things to check off, to do, but when God is orchestrating a difficult situation in our lives for growth, what do we do?

We submit and endure. And I am here to tell you that has proven much more difficult in my own life than fighting.

James 1:2-5 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I am currently going through a difficult season where I know it is orchestrated by God for a purpose. I don't like it and I don't want to rejoice about it. But I choose to persevere. I choose to submit to God in order that a perfect work will be done in my life.

We Fight the Enemy - We Submit to God

Throughout my life I have encountered many situations where I knew the enemy was at play and so I fought, but now that I know God is in charge of this, fighting the source is not an option! I would be fighting against God.

So I submit. And I rest. Let me say that in this situation it has proven to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I am a doer. I want to work it out, fix it, and make things happen. But He quickly showed me that my fixes were short lived and powerless against what He was doing in my life.

The verses immediately following the ones above discuss asking for wisdom. When you feel you might be in a season where God is doing something uncomfortable in your life and you do not know what to do, ask for wisdom, then hold firm while submitting to this season.

James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

So I stop trying to fix it, ask for wisdom, and rest. Let me be so bold to say that this is much more difficult than fighting a battle, but is far more profitable and beneficial in our lives.

Hebrews 4:10-11 10 For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. 11 Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

The above scripture is talking about how we cannot gain salvation by working to obtain it. We must rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

What Does It Really Mean to be Saved?

This is not however the only type of salvation there is. The word sozo which is the Greek word for saved also means 'save from all manner of situations and calamities'. It is human nature to 'work' ourselves out of this fix we are in.

Often this is the right thing to do, especially if we have gotten our own selves there from disobedience, or bad choices. However if you are in a season where you feel salvation is necessary, but that God is the author of the situation, your best and only perfect option is to rest.

When the work He has desired to accomplish in that season has been completed, He will bring salvation from that event.

Be Perfect and Complete Wanting Nothing

I should have put a disclaimer at the top of this blog post that this is not a feel good message, however if you want all that God has for you 'perfect and complete wanting nothing' then let me challenge you to submit, pray, and rest.

Originally published by me here:  https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2018/08/22/we-can-fight-the-enemy-but-can-we-submit-to-god/


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No Spiritual Intelligence | Knowing What We Shouldn't Know - Miracle Story - Episode 2 1 1 2 2 Spiritual Intelligence | Knowing What We Shouldn't Know - Miracle Story - Episode 2 full 2add1b58-598b-439b-9d8e-7e9efb38b41b https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Spiritual Intelligence | Knowing What We Shouldn't Know - Miracle Story - Episode 2

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

There is much talk today about spiritual intelligence. When I heard Kris Valloton first speak about this, I thought, "I want that!" But then, almost as quickly I heard God say, "Haven't I always given you that?"

I began to think about that and have remembered many times that I just knew something without there being anyway that I could have known it in the natural. My very first memory of such an occurrence was when I was about 10 or 12.


Discovering a Seed Wart

I remember it was in the summer and I had a wart on the side of my foot. It was a seed wart that had three tiny little black dots that were considered 'seeds'. I hadn't shown anyone the wart. I didn't have the internet to do a search about warts. I didn't know of anyone else having a seed wart.

But, on that summer day I remember sitting and looking at that wart. I was sitting on my mom and dad's bed and the sun was shining in the room.

I just knew if I pulled out those tiny little black spots, the seeds, that the entire wart would go away. So, I got a needle and went to work on it. I have always been brave like that. I would always rather have control over my pain and hurting myself rather than give that power to someone else.

My First Surgery

I picked and dug at all three of them until they were all gone. Then I went about living the life of a child. I don't know exactly how long it took, but I just noticed that one day, the wart was gone.

There is no way at that age that I could have known what to do to get rid of that wart. I am sure I was 'wondering' to God as I have always done. I doubt I even knew at the time that was prayer.

I don't remember hearing a word from God. There was no voice, even internal that told me to remove the seeds. I just knew what to do and did it, and it worked!

Unlearning to Hear from God

We spend the first couple of decades putting great effort into learning, training and teaching our brains to hold knowledge. Our emotions are also learning. When a harsh words is spoken, we learn how that feels. We learn what happiness is, and for each of us that may be something different. But, our emotions are also learning.

What if we also taught our children from the very start to learn to 'know' things from God? I get how that brings questions to mind. How do we do that? How do we teach them to know if it is from God or the enemy? Isn't that rather supernatural?

Why yes, it is supernatural. Godly supernatural. We teach them by teaching them about God, the bible and especially supernatural things of the bible. Teach them who God is. Teach them His character.

Childlike Encounters with God

My suspicion is that God has already fully introduced himself to them. I believe that children already experience a level of communication with God that is far more spiritual or supernatural than adults do. Nothing has told them that it is not possible. Then gradually the practicalities of life overshadow the supernatural aspects for them, and memories of those precious encounters with God fade from memory.

But, what if we helped keep them alive? What if we had dialog with them, asking them if they hear God talking to them? If we hear something that causes us to feel uneasy, then we are right there to discuss it with them, keeping them on tract. But, if we never have that dialog, then they will never know the difference and it could be that moment, that conversation that prevents them from seeking adverse supernatural encounters later as teens or young adults.

We are supernatural beings. Let's live that way and encourage our children to as well. If we learn early how to thrive in the Godly supernatural realm, the enemy will not be able to entice away to his.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-2


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Spiritual Intelligence | Knowing What We Shouldn't Know - Miracle Story - Episode 2

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

There is much talk today about spiritual intelligence. When I heard Kris Valloton first speak about this, I thought, "I want that!" But then, almost as quickly I heard God say, "Haven't I always given you that?"

I began to think about that and have remembered many times that I just knew something without there being anyway that I could have known it in the natural. My very first memory of such an occurrence was when I was about 10 or 12.


Discovering a Seed Wart

I remember it was in the summer and I had a wart on the side of my foot. It was a seed wart that had three tiny little black dots that were considered 'seeds'. I hadn't shown anyone the wart. I didn't have the internet to do a search about warts. I didn't know of anyone else having a seed wart.

But, on that summer day I remember sitting and looking at that wart. I was sitting on my mom and dad's bed and the sun was shining in the room.

I just knew if I pulled out those tiny little black spots, the seeds, that the entire wart would go away. So, I got a needle and went to work on it. I have always been brave like that. I would always rather have control over my pain and hurting myself rather than give that power to someone else.

My First Surgery

I picked and dug at all three of them until they were all gone. Then I went about living the life of a child. I don't know exactly how long it took, but I just noticed that one day, the wart was gone.

There is no way at that age that I could have known what to do to get rid of that wart. I am sure I was 'wondering' to God as I have always done. I doubt I even knew at the time that was prayer.

I don't remember hearing a word from God. There was no voice, even internal that told me to remove the seeds. I just knew what to do and did it, and it worked!

Unlearning to Hear from God

We spend the first couple of decades putting great effort into learning, training and teaching our brains to hold knowledge. Our emotions are also learning. When a harsh words is spoken, we learn how that feels. We learn what happiness is, and for each of us that may be something different. But, our emotions are also learning.

What if we also taught our children from the very start to learn to 'know' things from God? I get how that brings questions to mind. How do we do that? How do we teach them to know if it is from God or the enemy? Isn't that rather supernatural?

Why yes, it is supernatural. Godly supernatural. We teach them by teaching them about God, the bible and especially supernatural things of the bible. Teach them who God is. Teach them His character.

Childlike Encounters with God

My suspicion is that God has already fully introduced himself to them. I believe that children already experience a level of communication with God that is far more spiritual or supernatural than adults do. Nothing has told them that it is not possible. Then gradually the practicalities of life overshadow the supernatural aspects for them, and memories of those precious encounters with God fade from memory.

But, what if we helped keep them alive? What if we had dialog with them, asking them if they hear God talking to them? If we hear something that causes us to feel uneasy, then we are right there to discuss it with them, keeping them on tract. But, if we never have that dialog, then they will never know the difference and it could be that moment, that conversation that prevents them from seeking adverse supernatural encounters later as teens or young adults.

We are supernatural beings. Let's live that way and encourage our children to as well. If we learn early how to thrive in the Godly supernatural realm, the enemy will not be able to entice away to his.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-2


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> Sun, 15 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 337 Spiritual Intelligence | Knowing What We Shouldn't Know - Miracle Story - Episode 2

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

There is much talk today about spiritual intelligence. When I heard Kris Valloton first speak about this, I thought, "I want that!" But then, almost as quickly I heard God say, "Haven't I always given you that?"

I began to think about that and have remembered many times that I just knew something without there being anyway that I could have known it in the natural. My very first memory of such an occurrence was when I was about 10 or 12.


Discovering a Seed Wart

I remember it was in the summer and I had a wart on the side of my foot. It was a seed wart that had three tiny little black dots that were considered 'seeds'. I hadn't shown anyone the wart. I didn't have the internet to do a search about warts. I didn't know of anyone else having a seed wart.

But, on that summer day I remember sitting and looking at that wart. I was sitting on my mom and dad's bed and the sun was shining in the room.

I just knew if I pulled out those tiny little black spots, the seeds, that the entire wart would go away. So, I got a needle and went to work on it. I have always been brave like that. I would always rather have control over my pain and hurting myself rather than give that power to someone else.

My First Surgery

I picked and dug at all three of them until they were all gone. Then I went about living the life of a child. I don't know exactly how long it took, but I just noticed that one day, the wart was gone.

There is no way at that age that I could have known what to do to get rid of that wart. I am sure I was 'wondering' to God as I have always done. I doubt I even knew at the time that was prayer.

I don't remember hearing a word from God. There was no voice, even internal that told me to remove the seeds. I just knew what to do and did it, and it worked!

Unlearning to Hear from God

We spend the first couple of decades putting great effort into learning, training and teaching our brains to hold knowledge. Our emotions are also learning. When a harsh words is spoken, we learn how that feels. We learn what happiness is, and for each of us that may be something different. But, our emotions are also learning.

What if we also taught our children from the very start to learn to 'know' things from God? I get how that brings questions to mind. How do we do that? How do we teach them to know if it is from God or the enemy? Isn't that rather supernatural?

Why yes, it is supernatural. Godly supernatural. We teach them by teaching them about God, the bible and especially supernatural things of the bible. Teach them who God is. Teach them His character.

Childlike Encounters with God

My suspicion is that God has already fully introduced himself to them. I believe that children already experience a level of communication with God that is far more spiritual or supernatural than adults do. Nothing has told them that it is not possible. Then gradually the practicalities of life overshadow the supernatural aspects for them, and memories of those precious encounters with God fade from memory.

But, what if we helped keep them alive? What if we had dialog with them, asking them if they hear God talking to them? If we hear something that causes us to feel uneasy, then we are right there to discuss it with them, keeping them on tract. But, if we never have that dialog, then they will never know the difference and it could be that moment, that conversation that prevents them from seeking adverse supernatural encounters later as teens or young adults.

We are supernatural beings. Let's live that way and encourage our children to as well. If we learn early how to thrive in the Godly supernatural realm, the enemy will not be able to entice away to his.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-2


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

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]]> No Jesus Wept | The Real Reason Jesus Wept - More to The Story - Episode 3 1 1 3 3 Jesus Wept | The Real Reason Jesus Wept - More to The Story - Episode 3 full 32735fe1-d3a5-4641-8ec2-6643b2fcef4f https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Jesus Wept | The Real Reason Jesus Wept - More to The Story - Episode 3

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Jesus wept. That is one of the most famous scriptures in the Bible, but the opinions on what he wept about varies greatly. What do you think he wept about? More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode 3. What made Jesus weep, and does he still weep? I believe the humanity that Jesus bore made him weep, and I believe he still weeps over us.


Let's explore John 11. This is the famous scripture where it's the short scripture that says Jesus wept, but let's explore it a little and see what really propelled him to weep, and weep openly as well. So on John 11 verse 4 it says, when Jesus received the message, now this is regarding Lazarus, who was his friend and Martha and Mary's brother, he said, this sickness is not to end in death, but on the contrary, it is to honor God and to promote his glory, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.

Let's skip to 6. Therefore, even when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he still lingered two days longer in the same place where he was. He wanted to make sure that Lazarus had been dead long enough that there would be no dispute at the miracle he was about to perform. Verse 11, he said these things and then added, our friend Lazarus is at rest and sleeping, but I am going there that I may awaken him out of his sleep.

The disciples, and this is verse 12, the disciples answered, Lord, if he is sleeping, he will recover. However, Jesus had spoke of his death, but they thought he was referring to falling into a refreshing sleep. Verse 14, so then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

This is funny, sometimes we just have to be blunt, don't we? Verse 15, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there. It will help you to believe, to trust and rely on me. However, let us go to him.

Verse 17, so when Jesus arrived, he found that he, Lazarus, had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. This made me ponder, if something's two miles away, it doesn't take you an additional two days to get there, or does it? I may be missing something here.

Put it in the comments if you have the answer to that one. Let's skip to verse 25. Jesus said to her, I am myself the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in, adheres to, trusts in, and relies on me, although he may die, yet he shall live. And whoever, excuse me, continues to live and believes in, has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on me, shall never actually die at all. Do you believe this? Verse 30, now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the same spot where Martha had met him.

32, when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she dropped down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Now I am skipping through these scriptures for time's sake, but let me encourage you to read all of John 11. I'm reading out of the Amplified Bible because that's my favorite.

Verse 33, when Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who came with her also sobbing, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. He chafed in spirit and sighed and was disturbed. And let me point out here, they weren't merely crying, like sometimes we cry with, you know, tears will run down our face and, and, you know, we'll weep, so to speak, but they were sobbing.

And we've all sobbed where our body is physically convulsing with sobs as we're crying. They were grieved. And this grief, this pain that Jesus saw his friends in, moved him.

Now, if he had wept over Lazarus' death back when he was notified, if that had moved him, he would have wept at that point, just like we do. When somebody gives us notice that a loved one of ours has died, we at that moment are wrenched, we are grieved, and we sob. But Jesus did not, because he knew he was going to go raise Lazarus from the dead.

And it didn't disturb him. He referred to him as sleeping, because in his mind, he was going to awake from that sleep, and Jesus was going to have him provide a miracle so that they could believe. This was to show them yet again the majesty and Godhead that Jesus was part of.

But when he saw his dear beloved friend Mary and those with her sobbing, grieving, openly, it moved him. He was deeply, deeply moved in spirit and troubled. I believe the troubled part came from the fact that they didn't believe he was going to raise him from the dead right then.

I think, you know, because Martha had said, well, yeah, on the last day you'll be risen with the rest of us. That's not what Jesus meant. Now, these are people that had lived with him for nearly three years by his side, and seen not only the miracles that we see in the Bible that are made note of in the Bible, but it also said that many, many, many other miracles that were too numerous to count were done.

So if they had lived with him every single day, heard his teaching, knew the character of Jesus, and seen the wonders that he had done, and they still didn't understand that when he said he was going to raise him from the dead, that he would. They still had trouble actually believing even after all of that, and that troubled Jesus. But he was deeply moved in spirit because of their pain and because of their grief.

In verse 35 is where we see Jesus wept. Now let's skip to verse 38. Now Jesus again sighing repeatedly and deeply disquieted approached the tomb.

It was a cave, a hole in a rock, and a boulder lay against the entrance close to it. Verse 40, Jesus said to her, did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on me, you would see the glory of God. Verse 41, so they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said to the father, I thank you that you have heard me.

Now I think this is interesting because he's not committed the miracle yet. He's not performed the miracle yet, but he's using past tense. He's confident that God is going to work through him.

Are we that confident when we pray? Thank you father that you have heard my request. Verse 42, yes I know you always hear and listen to me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that you did send me, that you have made me your messenger. So here we see that Jesus wept from seeing the pain of those he loved.

He hated to see their grief. He hated to see the pain that they were in, and he wept openly. He heaved sighs.

He was troubled. He was troubled of their disbelief, and both opinions I've heard about this is one or the other. It said that he wept because of Lazarus death, or they say that he wept because of their lack of faith.

I don't believe any of it had to do with Lazarus death because he was confident he was getting ready to raise him from the dead. I believe he wept from the genuine heartfelt grief of seeing their pain, but he was troubled from their disbelief. Okay, let's go to another scripture here.

Let's go to Luke 19, and again let me encourage you to read these in full context. It will help you to get the full picture, but for time's sake I'm condensing. Verse 41, and as he approached he saw the city, and he wept audibly over it, exclaiming, Would that you have known personally, even at least in your day, the things that make for peace, for freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin, and upon which your peace, your security, safety, and prosperity, and happiness depends.

But now they are hidden from your eyes, for a time is coming upon you when your enemies will throw up a ...

]]> Jesus Wept | The Real Reason Jesus Wept - More to The Story - Episode 3

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Jesus wept. That is one of the most famous scriptures in the Bible, but the opinions on what he wept about varies greatly. What do you think he wept about? More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode 3. What made Jesus weep, and does he still weep? I believe the humanity that Jesus bore made him weep, and I believe he still weeps over us.


Let's explore John 11. This is the famous scripture where it's the short scripture that says Jesus wept, but let's explore it a little and see what really propelled him to weep, and weep openly as well. So on John 11 verse 4 it says, when Jesus received the message, now this is regarding Lazarus, who was his friend and Martha and Mary's brother, he said, this sickness is not to end in death, but on the contrary, it is to honor God and to promote his glory, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.

Let's skip to 6. Therefore, even when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he still lingered two days longer in the same place where he was. He wanted to make sure that Lazarus had been dead long enough that there would be no dispute at the miracle he was about to perform. Verse 11, he said these things and then added, our friend Lazarus is at rest and sleeping, but I am going there that I may awaken him out of his sleep.

The disciples, and this is verse 12, the disciples answered, Lord, if he is sleeping, he will recover. However, Jesus had spoke of his death, but they thought he was referring to falling into a refreshing sleep. Verse 14, so then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

This is funny, sometimes we just have to be blunt, don't we? Verse 15, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there. It will help you to believe, to trust and rely on me. However, let us go to him.

Verse 17, so when Jesus arrived, he found that he, Lazarus, had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. This made me ponder, if something's two miles away, it doesn't take you an additional two days to get there, or does it? I may be missing something here.

Put it in the comments if you have the answer to that one. Let's skip to verse 25. Jesus said to her, I am myself the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in, adheres to, trusts in, and relies on me, although he may die, yet he shall live. And whoever, excuse me, continues to live and believes in, has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on me, shall never actually die at all. Do you believe this? Verse 30, now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the same spot where Martha had met him.

32, when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she dropped down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Now I am skipping through these scriptures for time's sake, but let me encourage you to read all of John 11. I'm reading out of the Amplified Bible because that's my favorite.

Verse 33, when Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who came with her also sobbing, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. He chafed in spirit and sighed and was disturbed. And let me point out here, they weren't merely crying, like sometimes we cry with, you know, tears will run down our face and, and, you know, we'll weep, so to speak, but they were sobbing.

And we've all sobbed where our body is physically convulsing with sobs as we're crying. They were grieved. And this grief, this pain that Jesus saw his friends in, moved him.

Now, if he had wept over Lazarus' death back when he was notified, if that had moved him, he would have wept at that point, just like we do. When somebody gives us notice that a loved one of ours has died, we at that moment are wrenched, we are grieved, and we sob. But Jesus did not, because he knew he was going to go raise Lazarus from the dead.

And it didn't disturb him. He referred to him as sleeping, because in his mind, he was going to awake from that sleep, and Jesus was going to have him provide a miracle so that they could believe. This was to show them yet again the majesty and Godhead that Jesus was part of.

But when he saw his dear beloved friend Mary and those with her sobbing, grieving, openly, it moved him. He was deeply, deeply moved in spirit and troubled. I believe the troubled part came from the fact that they didn't believe he was going to raise him from the dead right then.

I think, you know, because Martha had said, well, yeah, on the last day you'll be risen with the rest of us. That's not what Jesus meant. Now, these are people that had lived with him for nearly three years by his side, and seen not only the miracles that we see in the Bible that are made note of in the Bible, but it also said that many, many, many other miracles that were too numerous to count were done.

So if they had lived with him every single day, heard his teaching, knew the character of Jesus, and seen the wonders that he had done, and they still didn't understand that when he said he was going to raise him from the dead, that he would. They still had trouble actually believing even after all of that, and that troubled Jesus. But he was deeply moved in spirit because of their pain and because of their grief.

In verse 35 is where we see Jesus wept. Now let's skip to verse 38. Now Jesus again sighing repeatedly and deeply disquieted approached the tomb.

It was a cave, a hole in a rock, and a boulder lay against the entrance close to it. Verse 40, Jesus said to her, did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on me, you would see the glory of God. Verse 41, so they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said to the father, I thank you that you have heard me.

Now I think this is interesting because he's not committed the miracle yet. He's not performed the miracle yet, but he's using past tense. He's confident that God is going to work through him.

Are we that confident when we pray? Thank you father that you have heard my request. Verse 42, yes I know you always hear and listen to me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that you did send me, that you have made me your messenger. So here we see that Jesus wept from seeing the pain of those he loved.

He hated to see their grief. He hated to see the pain that they were in, and he wept openly. He heaved sighs.

He was troubled. He was troubled of their disbelief, and both opinions I've heard about this is one or the other. It said that he wept because of Lazarus death, or they say that he wept because of their lack of faith.

I don't believe any of it had to do with Lazarus death because he was confident he was getting ready to raise him from the dead. I believe he wept from the genuine heartfelt grief of seeing their pain, but he was troubled from their disbelief. Okay, let's go to another scripture here.

Let's go to Luke 19, and again let me encourage you to read these in full context. It will help you to get the full picture, but for time's sake I'm condensing. Verse 41, and as he approached he saw the city, and he wept audibly over it, exclaiming, Would that you have known personally, even at least in your day, the things that make for peace, for freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin, and upon which your peace, your security, safety, and prosperity, and happiness depends.

But now they are hidden from your eyes, for a time is coming upon you when your enemies will throw up a ...

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 19 Jesus Wept | The Real Reason Jesus Wept - More to The Story - Episode 3

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Jesus wept. That is one of the most famous scriptures in the Bible, but the opinions on what he wept about varies greatly. What do you think he wept about? More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode 3. What made Jesus weep, and does he still weep? I believe the humanity that Jesus bore made him weep, and I believe he still weeps over us.


Let's explore John 11. This is the famous scripture where it's the short scripture that says Jesus wept, but let's explore it a little and see what really propelled him to weep, and weep openly as well. So on John 11 verse 4 it says, when Jesus received the message, now this is regarding Lazarus, who was his friend and Martha and Mary's brother, he said, this sickness is not to end in death, but on the contrary, it is to honor God and to promote his glory, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.

Let's skip to 6. Therefore, even when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he still lingered two days longer in the same place where he was. He wanted to make sure that Lazarus had been dead long enough that there would be no dispute at the miracle he was about to perform. Verse 11, he said these things and then added, our friend Lazarus is at rest and sleeping, but I am going there that I may awaken him out of his sleep.

The disciples, and this is verse 12, the disciples answered, Lord, if he is sleeping, he will recover. However, Jesus had spoke of his death, but they thought he was referring to falling into a refreshing sleep. Verse 14, so then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

This is funny, sometimes we just have to be blunt, don't we? Verse 15, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there. It will help you to believe, to trust and rely on me. However, let us go to him.

Verse 17, so when Jesus arrived, he found that he, Lazarus, had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. This made me ponder, if something's two miles away, it doesn't take you an additional two days to get there, or does it? I may be missing something here.

Put it in the comments if you have the answer to that one. Let's skip to verse 25. Jesus said to her, I am myself the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in, adheres to, trusts in, and relies on me, although he may die, yet he shall live. And whoever, excuse me, continues to live and believes in, has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on me, shall never actually die at all. Do you believe this? Verse 30, now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the same spot where Martha had met him.

32, when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she dropped down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Now I am skipping through these scriptures for time's sake, but let me encourage you to read all of John 11. I'm reading out of the Amplified Bible because that's my favorite.

Verse 33, when Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who came with her also sobbing, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. He chafed in spirit and sighed and was disturbed. And let me point out here, they weren't merely crying, like sometimes we cry with, you know, tears will run down our face and, and, you know, we'll weep, so to speak, but they were sobbing.

And we've all sobbed where our body is physically convulsing with sobs as we're crying. They were grieved. And this grief, this pain that Jesus saw his friends in, moved him.

Now, if he had wept over Lazarus' death back when he was notified, if that had moved him, he would have wept at that point, just like we do. When somebody gives us notice that a loved one of ours has died, we at that moment are wrenched, we are grieved, and we sob. But Jesus did not, because he knew he was going to go raise Lazarus from the dead.

And it didn't disturb him. He referred to him as sleeping, because in his mind, he was going to awake from that sleep, and Jesus was going to have him provide a miracle so that they could believe. This was to show them yet again the majesty and Godhead that Jesus was part of.

But when he saw his dear beloved friend Mary and those with her sobbing, grieving, openly, it moved him. He was deeply, deeply moved in spirit and troubled. I believe the troubled part came from the fact that they didn't believe he was going to raise him from the dead right then.

I think, you know, because Martha had said, well, yeah, on the last day you'll be risen with the rest of us. That's not what Jesus meant. Now, these are people that had lived with him for nearly three years by his side, and seen not only the miracles that we see in the Bible that are made note of in the Bible, but it also said that many, many, many other miracles that were too numerous to count were done.

So if they had lived with him every single day, heard his teaching, knew the character of Jesus, and seen the wonders that he had done, and they still didn't understand that when he said he was going to raise him from the dead, that he would. They still had trouble actually believing even after all of that, and that troubled Jesus. But he was deeply moved in spirit because of their pain and because of their grief.

In verse 35 is where we see Jesus wept. Now let's skip to verse 38. Now Jesus again sighing repeatedly and deeply disquieted approached the tomb.

It was a cave, a hole in a rock, and a boulder lay against the entrance close to it. Verse 40, Jesus said to her, did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on me, you would see the glory of God. Verse 41, so they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said to the father, I thank you that you have heard me.

Now I think this is interesting because he's not committed the miracle yet. He's not performed the miracle yet, but he's using past tense. He's confident that God is going to work through him.

Are we that confident when we pray? Thank you father that you have heard my request. Verse 42, yes I know you always hear and listen to me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that you did send me, that you have made me your messenger. So here we see that Jesus wept from seeing the pain of those he loved.

He hated to see their grief. He hated to see the pain that they were in, and he wept openly. He heaved sighs.

He was troubled. He was troubled of their disbelief, and both opinions I've heard about this is one or the other. It said that he wept because of Lazarus death, or they say that he wept because of their lack of faith.

I don't believe any of it had to do with Lazarus death because he was confident he was getting ready to raise him from the dead. I believe he wept from the genuine heartfelt grief of seeing their pain, but he was troubled from their disbelief. Okay, let's go to another scripture here.

Let's go to Luke 19, and again let me encourage you to read these in full context. It will help you to get the full picture, but for time's sake I'm condensing. Verse 41, and as he approached he saw the city, and he wept audibly over it, exclaiming, Would that you have known personally, even at least in your day, the things that make for peace, for freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin, and upon which your peace, your security, safety, and prosperity, and happiness depends.

But now they are hidden from your eyes, for a time is coming upon you when your enemies will throw up a ...

]]> No Competently Incompetent | Is Our Own Competence Holding Us Back? - Archive story - Episode 1 1 1 1 1 Competently Incompetent | Is Our Own Competence Holding Us Back? - Archive story - Episode 1 full b34e38eb-8f31-4388-8559-2655a48d79c1 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Competently Incompetent | Is Our Own Competence Holding Us Back? - Archive story - Episode 1

Originally written November 5, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I have felt for many years that our own worst enemy is our own competence. Yes, you heard that right, our own competence.

For each area we grow more competent in, we drift away from relying on God's guiding hand.


The Elijah Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer

On page 45 of the Priscilla Shirer's Elijah bible study book, Priscilla writes: God's people essentially rejected Yahweh as their primary source of provision…. They began to believe that their ability to survive rested squarely in Baal's hands…. Each month, the sky withheld rain was an unmitigated personal strike against the authority of Baal to control nature. (Those were a selection of sentences from that page.)

As I read this page, I felt the Holy Spirit substitute some of her words for me, which confirmed what I had known for years.

God's people essentially rejected Yahweh as their primary source of provision…. They began to believe that their ability to survive rested squarely in their own hands…. Each month the sky withheld rain was an unmitigated personal strike against the authority of their own ability to control their environment.

We can get pretty cocky in a study that talks about serving other gods like Baal. We know that we do not bow down to a graven image. We speak the words of allegiance to Yahweh. But when put in this new light, it somehow seems different.

We may all get up and spend that precious time with God and pray over the small box of things we cannot control. The illness of a loved one, the salvation of another. The bill that is coming due that seems larger than our savings or weekly income.

Leaning on Our Own Ability

Then, with our own competence and ability, we get up and move forward in our day. We are competent to make breakfast, get dressed, drive a car to work, do our job at work, etc. And with each successive day, we grow more able.

We get better at time management. We learn more skills to do our job better. We get promoted. And so forth. By the time we lay our head down at night, our God given ability has carried us through the day. We feel a day well done with all the we have accomplished. And in our slight smugness, we are thankful to God for coming alongside our journey that day, to watch us succeed at what He has given us to do.

For those of you who know me, you know my bag of abilities is great. That is difficult for me to say, because humility tugs in the opposite direction. I've never withdrawn from a new challenge to learn and thus grow.

But, over the last several years, God has led me through a wilderness of drought where I was no longer in control of my environment. I had the skills to obtain wealth and did much of that through the years.

When Our Ability Isn't Enough

I can create a business at the drop of a hat and tell you exactly how to run and market it to succeed. I can tell you how to structure it and who and when to hire, and how to budget and plan for it to grow. I can tell you how to build your website and create the correct SEO strategies. And it will work - for you.

In this drought season, though, it stopped working for me. No matter what skills I pulled out of my bag of God given tricks, I could not control my destiny. The skills, talents, and abilities no longer produced for me the way they always had. God had me in a place of complete dependency on Him, all day, every day, for at least the last 7 years. The abilities I had previously relied on, yes probably even unconsciously worshiped, no longer bore fruit.

There is much more to that story, but it is not the focus of my point here, however it was necessary to bring this teaching of Elijah closer to home. As I was pondering all of this, God reminded me of a time in my life from decades ago.

"I Do It Myself!"

When my middle child, who was my only daughter, was 5, and I was getting her ready to start kindergarten, the main issue I had was getting her to let me teach her to tie her shoes. I kept wanting to show her how, but she kept refusing to let me show her.

Every time she would pull away in defiance and tell me, "I do it myself!" And then go through the motions just wadding up the laces pretending she had done it.

Finally, the evening before the first day of school, I told her that if she couldn't tie her shoes, she could not go to school the next day. She never said a word. She just reached down and tied both of her shoes. I was gobsmacked.

She had had the ability to tie her own shoes, for how long? When had she learned? Since she had the ability to tie them, then why didn't she? Why did she continually walk around with untied shoes until I stopped her and squatted down and tied them for her?

Then I saw it. Rather than tie her own shoes with her own ability, she would rather have that small intimate moment with me, where I leaned in close to her and tied them for her.

Leaning = Less Stress

I am now challenged to stop tying all my own shoes, but rather asking Father to lean in and tie them for me. In that way, I can experience a close, intimate action of leaning on my Father rather than my own ability. Let me challenge you to do the same.

Throughout the day, let's stop amid our impressive abilities and lean on Father. It may surprise us when a new idea or a new skill emerges lovingly in that moment. Maybe a new way of doing something old. Or may just a lovingly intimate touch from our Father.

I dare say that if we learn this new rhythm of living, then our lives will truly come to life vividly with an explosion of new wonder and joy that we have yet to realize.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/competently-incompetent


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Competently Incompetent | Is Our Own Competence Holding Us Back? - Archive story - Episode 1

Originally written November 5, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I have felt for many years that our own worst enemy is our own competence. Yes, you heard that right, our own competence.

For each area we grow more competent in, we drift away from relying on God's guiding hand.


The Elijah Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer

On page 45 of the Priscilla Shirer's Elijah bible study book, Priscilla writes: God's people essentially rejected Yahweh as their primary source of provision…. They began to believe that their ability to survive rested squarely in Baal's hands…. Each month, the sky withheld rain was an unmitigated personal strike against the authority of Baal to control nature. (Those were a selection of sentences from that page.)

As I read this page, I felt the Holy Spirit substitute some of her words for me, which confirmed what I had known for years.

God's people essentially rejected Yahweh as their primary source of provision…. They began to believe that their ability to survive rested squarely in their own hands…. Each month the sky withheld rain was an unmitigated personal strike against the authority of their own ability to control their environment.

We can get pretty cocky in a study that talks about serving other gods like Baal. We know that we do not bow down to a graven image. We speak the words of allegiance to Yahweh. But when put in this new light, it somehow seems different.

We may all get up and spend that precious time with God and pray over the small box of things we cannot control. The illness of a loved one, the salvation of another. The bill that is coming due that seems larger than our savings or weekly income.

Leaning on Our Own Ability

Then, with our own competence and ability, we get up and move forward in our day. We are competent to make breakfast, get dressed, drive a car to work, do our job at work, etc. And with each successive day, we grow more able.

We get better at time management. We learn more skills to do our job better. We get promoted. And so forth. By the time we lay our head down at night, our God given ability has carried us through the day. We feel a day well done with all the we have accomplished. And in our slight smugness, we are thankful to God for coming alongside our journey that day, to watch us succeed at what He has given us to do.

For those of you who know me, you know my bag of abilities is great. That is difficult for me to say, because humility tugs in the opposite direction. I've never withdrawn from a new challenge to learn and thus grow.

But, over the last several years, God has led me through a wilderness of drought where I was no longer in control of my environment. I had the skills to obtain wealth and did much of that through the years.

When Our Ability Isn't Enough

I can create a business at the drop of a hat and tell you exactly how to run and market it to succeed. I can tell you how to structure it and who and when to hire, and how to budget and plan for it to grow. I can tell you how to build your website and create the correct SEO strategies. And it will work - for you.

In this drought season, though, it stopped working for me. No matter what skills I pulled out of my bag of God given tricks, I could not control my destiny. The skills, talents, and abilities no longer produced for me the way they always had. God had me in a place of complete dependency on Him, all day, every day, for at least the last 7 years. The abilities I had previously relied on, yes probably even unconsciously worshiped, no longer bore fruit.

There is much more to that story, but it is not the focus of my point here, however it was necessary to bring this teaching of Elijah closer to home. As I was pondering all of this, God reminded me of a time in my life from decades ago.

"I Do It Myself!"

When my middle child, who was my only daughter, was 5, and I was getting her ready to start kindergarten, the main issue I had was getting her to let me teach her to tie her shoes. I kept wanting to show her how, but she kept refusing to let me show her.

Every time she would pull away in defiance and tell me, "I do it myself!" And then go through the motions just wadding up the laces pretending she had done it.

Finally, the evening before the first day of school, I told her that if she couldn't tie her shoes, she could not go to school the next day. She never said a word. She just reached down and tied both of her shoes. I was gobsmacked.

She had had the ability to tie her own shoes, for how long? When had she learned? Since she had the ability to tie them, then why didn't she? Why did she continually walk around with untied shoes until I stopped her and squatted down and tied them for her?

Then I saw it. Rather than tie her own shoes with her own ability, she would rather have that small intimate moment with me, where I leaned in close to her and tied them for her.

Leaning = Less Stress

I am now challenged to stop tying all my own shoes, but rather asking Father to lean in and tie them for me. In that way, I can experience a close, intimate action of leaning on my Father rather than my own ability. Let me challenge you to do the same.

Throughout the day, let's stop amid our impressive abilities and lean on Father. It may surprise us when a new idea or a new skill emerges lovingly in that moment. Maybe a new way of doing something old. Or may just a lovingly intimate touch from our Father.

I dare say that if we learn this new rhythm of living, then our lives will truly come to life vividly with an explosion of new wonder and joy that we have yet to realize.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/competently-incompetent


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> Sun, 08 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 469 Competently Incompetent | Is Our Own Competence Holding Us Back? - Archive story - Episode 1

Originally written November 5, 2021

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I have felt for many years that our own worst enemy is our own competence. Yes, you heard that right, our own competence.

For each area we grow more competent in, we drift away from relying on God's guiding hand.


The Elijah Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer

On page 45 of the Priscilla Shirer's Elijah bible study book, Priscilla writes: God's people essentially rejected Yahweh as their primary source of provision…. They began to believe that their ability to survive rested squarely in Baal's hands…. Each month, the sky withheld rain was an unmitigated personal strike against the authority of Baal to control nature. (Those were a selection of sentences from that page.)

As I read this page, I felt the Holy Spirit substitute some of her words for me, which confirmed what I had known for years.

God's people essentially rejected Yahweh as their primary source of provision…. They began to believe that their ability to survive rested squarely in their own hands…. Each month the sky withheld rain was an unmitigated personal strike against the authority of their own ability to control their environment.

We can get pretty cocky in a study that talks about serving other gods like Baal. We know that we do not bow down to a graven image. We speak the words of allegiance to Yahweh. But when put in this new light, it somehow seems different.

We may all get up and spend that precious time with God and pray over the small box of things we cannot control. The illness of a loved one, the salvation of another. The bill that is coming due that seems larger than our savings or weekly income.

Leaning on Our Own Ability

Then, with our own competence and ability, we get up and move forward in our day. We are competent to make breakfast, get dressed, drive a car to work, do our job at work, etc. And with each successive day, we grow more able.

We get better at time management. We learn more skills to do our job better. We get promoted. And so forth. By the time we lay our head down at night, our God given ability has carried us through the day. We feel a day well done with all the we have accomplished. And in our slight smugness, we are thankful to God for coming alongside our journey that day, to watch us succeed at what He has given us to do.

For those of you who know me, you know my bag of abilities is great. That is difficult for me to say, because humility tugs in the opposite direction. I've never withdrawn from a new challenge to learn and thus grow.

But, over the last several years, God has led me through a wilderness of drought where I was no longer in control of my environment. I had the skills to obtain wealth and did much of that through the years.

When Our Ability Isn't Enough

I can create a business at the drop of a hat and tell you exactly how to run and market it to succeed. I can tell you how to structure it and who and when to hire, and how to budget and plan for it to grow. I can tell you how to build your website and create the correct SEO strategies. And it will work - for you.

In this drought season, though, it stopped working for me. No matter what skills I pulled out of my bag of God given tricks, I could not control my destiny. The skills, talents, and abilities no longer produced for me the way they always had. God had me in a place of complete dependency on Him, all day, every day, for at least the last 7 years. The abilities I had previously relied on, yes probably even unconsciously worshiped, no longer bore fruit.

There is much more to that story, but it is not the focus of my point here, however it was necessary to bring this teaching of Elijah closer to home. As I was pondering all of this, God reminded me of a time in my life from decades ago.

"I Do It Myself!"

When my middle child, who was my only daughter, was 5, and I was getting her ready to start kindergarten, the main issue I had was getting her to let me teach her to tie her shoes. I kept wanting to show her how, but she kept refusing to let me show her.

Every time she would pull away in defiance and tell me, "I do it myself!" And then go through the motions just wadding up the laces pretending she had done it.

Finally, the evening before the first day of school, I told her that if she couldn't tie her shoes, she could not go to school the next day. She never said a word. She just reached down and tied both of her shoes. I was gobsmacked.

She had had the ability to tie her own shoes, for how long? When had she learned? Since she had the ability to tie them, then why didn't she? Why did she continually walk around with untied shoes until I stopped her and squatted down and tied them for her?

Then I saw it. Rather than tie her own shoes with her own ability, she would rather have that small intimate moment with me, where I leaned in close to her and tied them for her.

Leaning = Less Stress

I am now challenged to stop tying all my own shoes, but rather asking Father to lean in and tie them for me. In that way, I can experience a close, intimate action of leaning on my Father rather than my own ability. Let me challenge you to do the same.

Throughout the day, let's stop amid our impressive abilities and lean on Father. It may surprise us when a new idea or a new skill emerges lovingly in that moment. Maybe a new way of doing something old. Or may just a lovingly intimate touch from our Father.

I dare say that if we learn this new rhythm of living, then our lives will truly come to life vividly with an explosion of new wonder and joy that we have yet to realize.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/inspirational/competently-incompetent


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en

]]> No A Christmas to Remember | My First Healing Miracle - Miracle Story - Episode 1 1 1 1 1 A Christmas to Remember | My First Healing Miracle - Miracle Story - Episode 1 full bd3bd1dd-aba9-4cf9-aa45-f2dbb257ec7f https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ A Christmas to Remember | My First Healing Miracle - Miracle Story - Episode 1

Christmas Eve of 1967 I received the first outright miracle that I remember. I was nine years old.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I lived on a farm in western Oklahoma in a tiny frame house of about 1000 square feet. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and a small added on utility and bathroom, equally tiny.

Being an only child in a very dysfunctional home, I often felt isolated. My father was an alcoholic, and he and my mother fought continually. It provided, at best, a very tense home life. My mother's distress over issues with my father, our poverty, and life in general caused her to be unhappy and short-tempered.

Our relationship, as I look back on it knowing all I do now, was not normal or healthy for either of us. That story is for another day, so let me just assure you that there was a love-hate relationship between my mother and I. At nine, I did love my mother dearly, and continued to love her throughout my life although, in later years often from an emotional distance.

Uncles for Doctors

Both of my mother's brothers were medical doctors. I hated it! Family visits meant shots, and check ups, and were never just a fun visit with my cousins.

I would guess I am in a small minority of children who were chased around a room when it came time for a shot, or argued with the doctor for what seemed like hours when they didn't want their throat swabbed. Needless to say, I always lost and was always furious about it.

Getting sick was more to me than for most children. I hated it with a passion, and so did my mother. I always felt she was angry at me for disturbing her life. But honestly, I think she just had so much to deal with that she could barely stand one more thing. So, her frustration poured out on me. I felt rejected and alone.

A Christmas to Remember

On Christmas Eve of 1967, I developed an earache. By evening it was so horrible I wanted to writhe in pain, but with great self-control, I held in the fact that I hurt. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I would guess somewhere around 8 o'clock I thought I was going to die from pain.

I went into our tiny bathroom, shut the door, and got down on the floor in a prone position. I pulled my knees up to my chest and my forehead rested on my hands, which were resting on the floor.

I cried out to God. Quietly, of course, so it would be just between God and me. I was in excruciating pain and I wanted it to stop. I had suffered for hours and did not want to ruin my mother's evening by telling her I was sick. She was already irritated with my father. I had left them both in the living room having yet another 'discussion'.

So, I cried out with all the fervency a nine-year-old child could muster. It was heartfelt and honest. Then suddenly, as I was praying, the pain just stopped. It stopped so suddenly and completely that it startled me.

I stopped praying and just allowed myself to be quiet to sense if it had indeed stopped. It was gone, completely gone. No pain whatsoever. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I stayed in the bathroom for a while, just gushing with gratitude to Him.

Then, I dried my eyes, washed my face, and went back to the living room. I never told my mother or my father what had happened or that I had been sick.

A Healing Miracle

The healing was miraculous, but let me add more insight to increase the awe of it all. I did not live in what you would call a Christian home. My mother, occasionally, would take me to the little community church in our small town. But more likely she would just drop me off and then go to her friend Maxine's house to work on the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper until church was over.

The little community church did not, I assure you, talk about the miracle working power of God. As an only child, it was a fun and social thing for me to do. I remember the Sunday School classes where we had felt boards, and the teacher told the stories of Moses, Noah, and the greats of the old testament.

So, how did I instinctively know at nine years old, that I could go to God in prayer for healing? I have no idea. How did I know to cry out to Him in a humbled posture of surrender? I have no idea. But, I do know that he was not a stranger to me at that time.


Always Knowing God

He and I knew each other. I never remember a time when I did not know Him. I remember talking to Him as a very young child. When I played, I played and talked to Him. He was always there in my heart and in my mind, and I have no idea how or why.

Through the years, as I have said that I never remember not knowing God, others have responded that He is there with all children. I believe that is so. But, I feel eternally grateful that He was not only there with me, but that I was acutely aware of Him.

I know that the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, led me to cry out to God that evening in prayer for my healing. I pray each and every day that I am led forward with that kind of innocence and childlike faith, always.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-1


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> A Christmas to Remember | My First Healing Miracle - Miracle Story - Episode 1

Christmas Eve of 1967 I received the first outright miracle that I remember. I was nine years old.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I lived on a farm in western Oklahoma in a tiny frame house of about 1000 square feet. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and a small added on utility and bathroom, equally tiny.

Being an only child in a very dysfunctional home, I often felt isolated. My father was an alcoholic, and he and my mother fought continually. It provided, at best, a very tense home life. My mother's distress over issues with my father, our poverty, and life in general caused her to be unhappy and short-tempered.

Our relationship, as I look back on it knowing all I do now, was not normal or healthy for either of us. That story is for another day, so let me just assure you that there was a love-hate relationship between my mother and I. At nine, I did love my mother dearly, and continued to love her throughout my life although, in later years often from an emotional distance.

Uncles for Doctors

Both of my mother's brothers were medical doctors. I hated it! Family visits meant shots, and check ups, and were never just a fun visit with my cousins.

I would guess I am in a small minority of children who were chased around a room when it came time for a shot, or argued with the doctor for what seemed like hours when they didn't want their throat swabbed. Needless to say, I always lost and was always furious about it.

Getting sick was more to me than for most children. I hated it with a passion, and so did my mother. I always felt she was angry at me for disturbing her life. But honestly, I think she just had so much to deal with that she could barely stand one more thing. So, her frustration poured out on me. I felt rejected and alone.

A Christmas to Remember

On Christmas Eve of 1967, I developed an earache. By evening it was so horrible I wanted to writhe in pain, but with great self-control, I held in the fact that I hurt. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I would guess somewhere around 8 o'clock I thought I was going to die from pain.

I went into our tiny bathroom, shut the door, and got down on the floor in a prone position. I pulled my knees up to my chest and my forehead rested on my hands, which were resting on the floor.

I cried out to God. Quietly, of course, so it would be just between God and me. I was in excruciating pain and I wanted it to stop. I had suffered for hours and did not want to ruin my mother's evening by telling her I was sick. She was already irritated with my father. I had left them both in the living room having yet another 'discussion'.

So, I cried out with all the fervency a nine-year-old child could muster. It was heartfelt and honest. Then suddenly, as I was praying, the pain just stopped. It stopped so suddenly and completely that it startled me.

I stopped praying and just allowed myself to be quiet to sense if it had indeed stopped. It was gone, completely gone. No pain whatsoever. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I stayed in the bathroom for a while, just gushing with gratitude to Him.

Then, I dried my eyes, washed my face, and went back to the living room. I never told my mother or my father what had happened or that I had been sick.

A Healing Miracle

The healing was miraculous, but let me add more insight to increase the awe of it all. I did not live in what you would call a Christian home. My mother, occasionally, would take me to the little community church in our small town. But more likely she would just drop me off and then go to her friend Maxine's house to work on the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper until church was over.

The little community church did not, I assure you, talk about the miracle working power of God. As an only child, it was a fun and social thing for me to do. I remember the Sunday School classes where we had felt boards, and the teacher told the stories of Moses, Noah, and the greats of the old testament.

So, how did I instinctively know at nine years old, that I could go to God in prayer for healing? I have no idea. How did I know to cry out to Him in a humbled posture of surrender? I have no idea. But, I do know that he was not a stranger to me at that time.


Always Knowing God

He and I knew each other. I never remember a time when I did not know Him. I remember talking to Him as a very young child. When I played, I played and talked to Him. He was always there in my heart and in my mind, and I have no idea how or why.

Through the years, as I have said that I never remember not knowing God, others have responded that He is there with all children. I believe that is so. But, I feel eternally grateful that He was not only there with me, but that I was acutely aware of Him.

I know that the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, led me to cry out to God that evening in prayer for my healing. I pray each and every day that I am led forward with that kind of innocence and childlike faith, always.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-1


Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


]]> Sun, 08 Mar 2026 07:10:00 -0500 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 439 A Christmas to Remember | My First Healing Miracle - Miracle Story - Episode 1

Christmas Eve of 1967 I received the first outright miracle that I remember. I was nine years old.

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

I lived on a farm in western Oklahoma in a tiny frame house of about 1000 square feet. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and a small added on utility and bathroom, equally tiny.

Being an only child in a very dysfunctional home, I often felt isolated. My father was an alcoholic, and he and my mother fought continually. It provided, at best, a very tense home life. My mother's distress over issues with my father, our poverty, and life in general caused her to be unhappy and short-tempered.

Our relationship, as I look back on it knowing all I do now, was not normal or healthy for either of us. That story is for another day, so let me just assure you that there was a love-hate relationship between my mother and I. At nine, I did love my mother dearly, and continued to love her throughout my life although, in later years often from an emotional distance.

Uncles for Doctors

Both of my mother's brothers were medical doctors. I hated it! Family visits meant shots, and check ups, and were never just a fun visit with my cousins.

I would guess I am in a small minority of children who were chased around a room when it came time for a shot, or argued with the doctor for what seemed like hours when they didn't want their throat swabbed. Needless to say, I always lost and was always furious about it.

Getting sick was more to me than for most children. I hated it with a passion, and so did my mother. I always felt she was angry at me for disturbing her life. But honestly, I think she just had so much to deal with that she could barely stand one more thing. So, her frustration poured out on me. I felt rejected and alone.

A Christmas to Remember

On Christmas Eve of 1967, I developed an earache. By evening it was so horrible I wanted to writhe in pain, but with great self-control, I held in the fact that I hurt. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I would guess somewhere around 8 o'clock I thought I was going to die from pain.

I went into our tiny bathroom, shut the door, and got down on the floor in a prone position. I pulled my knees up to my chest and my forehead rested on my hands, which were resting on the floor.

I cried out to God. Quietly, of course, so it would be just between God and me. I was in excruciating pain and I wanted it to stop. I had suffered for hours and did not want to ruin my mother's evening by telling her I was sick. She was already irritated with my father. I had left them both in the living room having yet another 'discussion'.

So, I cried out with all the fervency a nine-year-old child could muster. It was heartfelt and honest. Then suddenly, as I was praying, the pain just stopped. It stopped so suddenly and completely that it startled me.

I stopped praying and just allowed myself to be quiet to sense if it had indeed stopped. It was gone, completely gone. No pain whatsoever. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I stayed in the bathroom for a while, just gushing with gratitude to Him.

Then, I dried my eyes, washed my face, and went back to the living room. I never told my mother or my father what had happened or that I had been sick.

A Healing Miracle

The healing was miraculous, but let me add more insight to increase the awe of it all. I did not live in what you would call a Christian home. My mother, occasionally, would take me to the little community church in our small town. But more likely she would just drop me off and then go to her friend Maxine's house to work on the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper until church was over.

The little community church did not, I assure you, talk about the miracle working power of God. As an only child, it was a fun and social thing for me to do. I remember the Sunday School classes where we had felt boards, and the teacher told the stories of Moses, Noah, and the greats of the old testament.

So, how did I instinctively know at nine years old, that I could go to God in prayer for healing? I have no idea. How did I know to cry out to Him in a humbled posture of surrender? I have no idea. But, I do know that he was not a stranger to me at that time.


Always Knowing God

He and I knew each other. I never remember a time when I did not know Him. I remember talking to Him as a very young child. When I played, I played and talked to Him. He was always there in my heart and in my mind, and I have no idea how or why.

Through the years, as I have said that I never remember not knowing God, others have responded that He is there with all children. I believe that is so. But, I feel eternally grateful that He was not only there with me, but that I was acutely aware of Him.

I know that the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, led me to cry out to God that evening in prayer for my healing. I pray each and every day that I am led forward with that kind of innocence and childlike faith, always.

Originally published by me here: https://nancyjacksonauthor.com/blogs/miracles/my-life-of-miracles-pt-1


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]]> No Israel & the Jewish People | Is Disagreement Antisemitism? - More to The Story - Episode 2 1 1 2 2 Israel & the Jewish People | Is Disagreement Antisemitism? - More to The Story - Episode 2 full a55ac36b-4e85-4785-8f8b-d00a16f259cf https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Israel & the Jewish People | Is Disagreement Antisemitism

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Israel, the Jewish people, love them, hate them, indifferent toward them. But let's explore today, is there a difference between the Israeli nation and the Jewish people? More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode two. Hello everyone, I wanted to have a quick chat with you today.


I hear a lot of arguing now about Israel and whether or not a person, this person or that person, supports Israel. And there are a lot of reasons for this, but many stem from the Bible. Many stem from the Old Testament of the Bible, where we are told to always support Israel.

Now, there is a distinction between old Israel and the government of Israel today. I support every person, no matter what their nationality is, whether they're Jewish, whether they're American, whether they're Russian, whether they're British. It doesn't matter the nationality of a person for me to love them and accept them.

But when we talk about Israel, we're often not distinguishing between the people in Israel and the government of Israel. It would be the same if somebody said, well, I support all Americans or I support America. Are they supporting the government of America or are they supporting the individual people within the government, within the country? There is a distinction.

And sometimes because we have a biblical history, we don't distinguish when it comes to Israel. When we think of we support Israel, we're thinking we're supporting the old Israel of the Old Testament. Therefore, we are supporting the Jewish people.

But that no longer applies. We can disagree with Israel as a country and what Netanyahu is doing. We can disagree with that while still supporting and loving the Jewish people.

And that is a distinction I feel very strongly that we need to stop and think about. Oh, I am not anti-Semitic if I disagree with a government. I can still love and support the people in Israel and while disagreeing with their government.

And I think that's a distinction we need to stop and think about. And another thing, and this is a personal opinion, and I have talked about opinions the other day, but my opinion is that Israel no longer has the place independently within the Christian church that it used to. Jesus was very adamant to follow me.

You must believe in Jesus, believe in me, and follow me and become a Christian and leave the old covenant, leave the old ways, leave the old rituals and thought process. Everyone who believes in me shall be saved. Everyone.

And he didn't, this is not replacement theology. We did not replace the Jews. Everyone is still the same.

And then he melded us into a new creation. He melded all of those who chose him above all else into a new generation, a new creation. And that new creation follows Christ.

Therefore, we call them Christians. And this is my strong belief. And I know it goes against the grain of so many of my Christian brothers and sisters.

And it seems like every day they're elevating Jews more and more and more. And they're elevating the country of Israel almost into a celebrity status, which I don't think is consistent with the New Testament at all. He wanted them to lay down the old and to pick up the new in Christ.

And that meant laying down all that old. That meant picking up the new, which was there in the new, there was only one thing. And in the new, it was just following Christ, loving Jesus and following what his teachings are.

Now, I want to read a couple of scriptures for you that back up my thought. When I read these years ago, man, I was 100% on board Israel. Yes, go, go, go.

And only because of the Old Testament and what was written there. And I have had friends tell me, well, that says to never end. These are to never end until the end of the age, which is a whole other video we could have here.

But it is very clear in the New Testament where it says that there is no distinction. So let me just read this first one to you. This first one is Galatians 3, and it starts in verse 25.

But now that faith has come, something new in the New Testament, now that something new, that faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer, the guardian of our childhood. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as are baptized into Christ, into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah, you have put on, clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is now no distinction, neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is not male and female.

You are all one in Christ. And if you belong to Christ, are in him who is Abraham's seed, then you are Abraham's offspring and spiritual heirs according to promise. So he took Abraham's seed and melded us into it.

So we are all now Abraham's seed. Abraham had many sons. God fulfilled the promise as he would have sons as many as the grains of sand and the stars in the sky.

And what a lot of people don't talk about is Abraham was married after Sarai died, and he had several more sons. He did have many nations, many, many nations. Jesus came out of Abraham's seed.

He came out of that lineage. So he is part of Abraham's seed. So whoever believes in Christ is now part of that seed.

But Jews must accept Jesus to be part of that special lineage. Okay, that lineage which is in Christ. Let me read another scripture.

Romans 10, and I'm going to start at verse 9. Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and in your heart believe, adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ, and so is justified, declared righteous, acceptable to God. And with the mouth he confesses, declares openly, and speaks out freely his faith, and confirms his salvation.

The scripture says no man who believes in him, who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in him, will ever be put to shame or be disappointed. No one, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all of us, and he generously bestows his riches upon all who call upon him in faith.

For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, invoking him as Lord, will be saved. So there again, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek. I'm going to read another scripture.

Colossians 3, and I'm going to start at verse 11. In this new creation, all distinctions vanish. This is a big proponent in the New Testament.

All distinctions, all dividing lines, they all vanish. There is no room for, and there can be, neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, nor difference between nation or alien, barbarians or syntheans, who are the most savage of all, nor slave or free man, but Christ is all and in all. Everything and everywhere to all men, without distinction of person.

Clothe yourselves, therefore, as God's own chosen ones, his own picked representatives, who are purified and holy and well beloved by God himself, by putting on behavior marked by tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling and lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways and patience, which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes with good temper. Be gentle and forbearing with one another. If one has a difference, a grievance, or complaint against another, readily pardoning each other, even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you forgive.

And above all these, put on love ...

]]> Israel & the Jewish People | Is Disagreement Antisemitism

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Israel, the Jewish people, love them, hate them, indifferent toward them. But let's explore today, is there a difference between the Israeli nation and the Jewish people? More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode two. Hello everyone, I wanted to have a quick chat with you today.


I hear a lot of arguing now about Israel and whether or not a person, this person or that person, supports Israel. And there are a lot of reasons for this, but many stem from the Bible. Many stem from the Old Testament of the Bible, where we are told to always support Israel.

Now, there is a distinction between old Israel and the government of Israel today. I support every person, no matter what their nationality is, whether they're Jewish, whether they're American, whether they're Russian, whether they're British. It doesn't matter the nationality of a person for me to love them and accept them.

But when we talk about Israel, we're often not distinguishing between the people in Israel and the government of Israel. It would be the same if somebody said, well, I support all Americans or I support America. Are they supporting the government of America or are they supporting the individual people within the government, within the country? There is a distinction.

And sometimes because we have a biblical history, we don't distinguish when it comes to Israel. When we think of we support Israel, we're thinking we're supporting the old Israel of the Old Testament. Therefore, we are supporting the Jewish people.

But that no longer applies. We can disagree with Israel as a country and what Netanyahu is doing. We can disagree with that while still supporting and loving the Jewish people.

And that is a distinction I feel very strongly that we need to stop and think about. Oh, I am not anti-Semitic if I disagree with a government. I can still love and support the people in Israel and while disagreeing with their government.

And I think that's a distinction we need to stop and think about. And another thing, and this is a personal opinion, and I have talked about opinions the other day, but my opinion is that Israel no longer has the place independently within the Christian church that it used to. Jesus was very adamant to follow me.

You must believe in Jesus, believe in me, and follow me and become a Christian and leave the old covenant, leave the old ways, leave the old rituals and thought process. Everyone who believes in me shall be saved. Everyone.

And he didn't, this is not replacement theology. We did not replace the Jews. Everyone is still the same.

And then he melded us into a new creation. He melded all of those who chose him above all else into a new generation, a new creation. And that new creation follows Christ.

Therefore, we call them Christians. And this is my strong belief. And I know it goes against the grain of so many of my Christian brothers and sisters.

And it seems like every day they're elevating Jews more and more and more. And they're elevating the country of Israel almost into a celebrity status, which I don't think is consistent with the New Testament at all. He wanted them to lay down the old and to pick up the new in Christ.

And that meant laying down all that old. That meant picking up the new, which was there in the new, there was only one thing. And in the new, it was just following Christ, loving Jesus and following what his teachings are.

Now, I want to read a couple of scriptures for you that back up my thought. When I read these years ago, man, I was 100% on board Israel. Yes, go, go, go.

And only because of the Old Testament and what was written there. And I have had friends tell me, well, that says to never end. These are to never end until the end of the age, which is a whole other video we could have here.

But it is very clear in the New Testament where it says that there is no distinction. So let me just read this first one to you. This first one is Galatians 3, and it starts in verse 25.

But now that faith has come, something new in the New Testament, now that something new, that faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer, the guardian of our childhood. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as are baptized into Christ, into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah, you have put on, clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is now no distinction, neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is not male and female.

You are all one in Christ. And if you belong to Christ, are in him who is Abraham's seed, then you are Abraham's offspring and spiritual heirs according to promise. So he took Abraham's seed and melded us into it.

So we are all now Abraham's seed. Abraham had many sons. God fulfilled the promise as he would have sons as many as the grains of sand and the stars in the sky.

And what a lot of people don't talk about is Abraham was married after Sarai died, and he had several more sons. He did have many nations, many, many nations. Jesus came out of Abraham's seed.

He came out of that lineage. So he is part of Abraham's seed. So whoever believes in Christ is now part of that seed.

But Jews must accept Jesus to be part of that special lineage. Okay, that lineage which is in Christ. Let me read another scripture.

Romans 10, and I'm going to start at verse 9. Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and in your heart believe, adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ, and so is justified, declared righteous, acceptable to God. And with the mouth he confesses, declares openly, and speaks out freely his faith, and confirms his salvation.

The scripture says no man who believes in him, who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in him, will ever be put to shame or be disappointed. No one, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all of us, and he generously bestows his riches upon all who call upon him in faith.

For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, invoking him as Lord, will be saved. So there again, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek. I'm going to read another scripture.

Colossians 3, and I'm going to start at verse 11. In this new creation, all distinctions vanish. This is a big proponent in the New Testament.

All distinctions, all dividing lines, they all vanish. There is no room for, and there can be, neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, nor difference between nation or alien, barbarians or syntheans, who are the most savage of all, nor slave or free man, but Christ is all and in all. Everything and everywhere to all men, without distinction of person.

Clothe yourselves, therefore, as God's own chosen ones, his own picked representatives, who are purified and holy and well beloved by God himself, by putting on behavior marked by tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling and lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways and patience, which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes with good temper. Be gentle and forbearing with one another. If one has a difference, a grievance, or complaint against another, readily pardoning each other, even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you forgive.

And above all these, put on love ...

]]> Sat, 07 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0600 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 978 Israel & the Jewish People | Is Disagreement Antisemitism

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Israel, the Jewish people, love them, hate them, indifferent toward them. But let's explore today, is there a difference between the Israeli nation and the Jewish people? More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode two. Hello everyone, I wanted to have a quick chat with you today.


I hear a lot of arguing now about Israel and whether or not a person, this person or that person, supports Israel. And there are a lot of reasons for this, but many stem from the Bible. Many stem from the Old Testament of the Bible, where we are told to always support Israel.

Now, there is a distinction between old Israel and the government of Israel today. I support every person, no matter what their nationality is, whether they're Jewish, whether they're American, whether they're Russian, whether they're British. It doesn't matter the nationality of a person for me to love them and accept them.

But when we talk about Israel, we're often not distinguishing between the people in Israel and the government of Israel. It would be the same if somebody said, well, I support all Americans or I support America. Are they supporting the government of America or are they supporting the individual people within the government, within the country? There is a distinction.

And sometimes because we have a biblical history, we don't distinguish when it comes to Israel. When we think of we support Israel, we're thinking we're supporting the old Israel of the Old Testament. Therefore, we are supporting the Jewish people.

But that no longer applies. We can disagree with Israel as a country and what Netanyahu is doing. We can disagree with that while still supporting and loving the Jewish people.

And that is a distinction I feel very strongly that we need to stop and think about. Oh, I am not anti-Semitic if I disagree with a government. I can still love and support the people in Israel and while disagreeing with their government.

And I think that's a distinction we need to stop and think about. And another thing, and this is a personal opinion, and I have talked about opinions the other day, but my opinion is that Israel no longer has the place independently within the Christian church that it used to. Jesus was very adamant to follow me.

You must believe in Jesus, believe in me, and follow me and become a Christian and leave the old covenant, leave the old ways, leave the old rituals and thought process. Everyone who believes in me shall be saved. Everyone.

And he didn't, this is not replacement theology. We did not replace the Jews. Everyone is still the same.

And then he melded us into a new creation. He melded all of those who chose him above all else into a new generation, a new creation. And that new creation follows Christ.

Therefore, we call them Christians. And this is my strong belief. And I know it goes against the grain of so many of my Christian brothers and sisters.

And it seems like every day they're elevating Jews more and more and more. And they're elevating the country of Israel almost into a celebrity status, which I don't think is consistent with the New Testament at all. He wanted them to lay down the old and to pick up the new in Christ.

And that meant laying down all that old. That meant picking up the new, which was there in the new, there was only one thing. And in the new, it was just following Christ, loving Jesus and following what his teachings are.

Now, I want to read a couple of scriptures for you that back up my thought. When I read these years ago, man, I was 100% on board Israel. Yes, go, go, go.

And only because of the Old Testament and what was written there. And I have had friends tell me, well, that says to never end. These are to never end until the end of the age, which is a whole other video we could have here.

But it is very clear in the New Testament where it says that there is no distinction. So let me just read this first one to you. This first one is Galatians 3, and it starts in verse 25.

But now that faith has come, something new in the New Testament, now that something new, that faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer, the guardian of our childhood. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as are baptized into Christ, into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah, you have put on, clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is now no distinction, neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is not male and female.

You are all one in Christ. And if you belong to Christ, are in him who is Abraham's seed, then you are Abraham's offspring and spiritual heirs according to promise. So he took Abraham's seed and melded us into it.

So we are all now Abraham's seed. Abraham had many sons. God fulfilled the promise as he would have sons as many as the grains of sand and the stars in the sky.

And what a lot of people don't talk about is Abraham was married after Sarai died, and he had several more sons. He did have many nations, many, many nations. Jesus came out of Abraham's seed.

He came out of that lineage. So he is part of Abraham's seed. So whoever believes in Christ is now part of that seed.

But Jews must accept Jesus to be part of that special lineage. Okay, that lineage which is in Christ. Let me read another scripture.

Romans 10, and I'm going to start at verse 9. Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and in your heart believe, adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ, and so is justified, declared righteous, acceptable to God. And with the mouth he confesses, declares openly, and speaks out freely his faith, and confirms his salvation.

The scripture says no man who believes in him, who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in him, will ever be put to shame or be disappointed. No one, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all of us, and he generously bestows his riches upon all who call upon him in faith.

For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, invoking him as Lord, will be saved. So there again, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek. I'm going to read another scripture.

Colossians 3, and I'm going to start at verse 11. In this new creation, all distinctions vanish. This is a big proponent in the New Testament.

All distinctions, all dividing lines, they all vanish. There is no room for, and there can be, neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, nor difference between nation or alien, barbarians or syntheans, who are the most savage of all, nor slave or free man, but Christ is all and in all. Everything and everywhere to all men, without distinction of person.

Clothe yourselves, therefore, as God's own chosen ones, his own picked representatives, who are purified and holy and well beloved by God himself, by putting on behavior marked by tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling and lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways and patience, which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes with good temper. Be gentle and forbearing with one another. If one has a difference, a grievance, or complaint against another, readily pardoning each other, even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you forgive.

And above all these, put on love ...

]]> No Opinions | Where Do They Come From & Are They Important? - More to The Story - Episode 1 1 1 1 1 Opinions | Where Do They Come From & Are They Important? - More to The Story - Episode 1 full bc22567a-2881-4790-a5e0-838414f86e14 https://www.nancyjacksonpodcast.com/ Opinions | Where do they come from & are they important | More to the Story with Nancy Jackson

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Opinions, what are they really? Are they valid? Are all opinions valid? Wars have been fought over opinions, but let's discover what they really are and if they're worth fighting over. More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode one. An opinion, according to the dictionary, is a noun.

Buy me a coffee!


No Commitment . No Membership . No Hassle

It is a thing. Opinions are more than one noun, more than one opinion. An opinion is a view or a judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or even knowledge.

We have elevated our own opinions to the point where we believe always they're true, factual, and based on knowledge. But honestly, an opinion is only as good as the truth behind it. And we fight over opinions.

We fight to the death over them, even though they may be wrong. But because they're our opinion, we have elevated them far beyond where they might need to be. So how do we know if our opinion is the right opinion and something that we should absolutely stand our ground over? Our opinions are formed on experiences and data that we've taken in.

But our opinions are only as good as the data we use to form them. If that data was inaccurate, to say the least, if that data was a lie, then our opinion is not based on truth. So what do we do about that? I once saw on Facebook a young lady post that her opinion was based on fact, that she had researched on the internet.

She had Googled and she had found cited documents exposing this or that. But unfortunately in this day and age, we can cite a document and it can be just as fraudulent as the day is long. And if a document is cited, that just means the person creating the document stands by it or can find some sort of information that backs it up.

Is that information that backs up the document accurate? We don't know. So to say that a document is cited and therefore is valid in forming our opinion may or may not be truthful. It may or may not be accurate.

It may or may not be based on truth and fact. So how do we know if our opinion is a good opinion, an opinion that we need to stand by? First of all, we do need to pray about it. And I know that sounds, oh yeah, pray about our opinions.

No, we really do. Before we go to expound our opinions out there to the world, we need to pray over them. And we need to know that it's not just an opinion that we've dug up information to support.

You want to believe your opinion is correct. Therefore, you go out to the internet or wherever and you dig up supporting documents that will bolster your opinion. But that doesn't mean your opinion is right.

If you have a question about something, research it. Research it fully. Talk to a lot of different people, even people you disagree with.

They may have a morsel of truth that you need to incorporate into your opinion. I didn't say the whole truth. I said a morsel of truth.

But we have sequestered our opinions away. We've held them tight and we've refused to change them, no matter what. Or we get our knickers in a twist and we change our opinion when really we should be holding true to the one we have.

Now I want to talk about how we disrespect others' opinions. It has become vile and violent out there. And people are disrespecting and they're tearing others apart based on an opinion.

An opinion which is just a belief. We don't have the right to do that. I'm sorry.

We do not have the right to be vile or violent against someone else for their opinion. We may not like it. We may hate it.

But we can't hate them. And yes, I get angry when I see the things said. And yes, I get angry when I see the violence seemingly nonsense over seemingly nonsense.

But I still can't hate them. Jesus doesn't hate them. What do we do then? Again, let's go back to prayer.

Let's go back to really fighting prayer in spiritual warfare. Let's really get serious about praying for them. Not this willy-nilly, oh, I pray for John, Susie, or Andrew because they disagree with me.

And I want them to see my opinion is the right one. No, we need to pray that the truth would be made known. We need to pray that scales fall off of eyes, including our own.

Because I firmly believe all of us have a tiny bit of deception somewhere. We don't know it all. None of us do.

I know that may come as a shock to you, but we don't. None of us knows it all. But are you willing to open up your mind, open up your heart to learn more so that your opinion can be modified to be more accurate? I am a questioner.

I'm a very curious person, and I have been for years and years and years. So I ask questions. When something just seems a little not right to me, if two things don't quite line up to me, I start to ask, God, this doesn't seem right.

What's the deal here? This has an element of truth to me, but then this over here has an element of truth. But honestly, they seem diametrically opposed. So how in the world can they both coexist? What is the truth? Show me the truth.

And I have done this my entire life because I want to know the truth. I'm stubborn that way. There have been times I've not wanted to let go of an opinion that I had once I've been shown the truth.

But when God reveals the truth, it becomes very clear. That carries an anointing with it. It carries the ability to drop the scales off of our eyes.

But a lot of us are afraid that we're wrong. We're afraid that we will have to look at something differently. And honestly, I don't believe that all of us are completely wrong, just as I don't believe that all of us are completely right.

I believe we all need a little modification somewhere. But if we hold on so tightly to those opinions that we can't allow God to modify them where they need to be modified, we will all be fighting all the time for the rest of eternity. So I just wanted to talk a little bit about opinions today.

And I wanted to ask you, are you holding on so tightly to your opinion that God can't even work to change it? Are you willing to change your opinion if he shows you the truth? Or are you wanting to just argue and fight and have your own way because you're angry? Think about it today.

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]]> Opinions | Where do they come from & are they important | More to the Story with Nancy Jackson

Listen to my professionally narrated audio books and other podcasts here: AUDIO BOOKS & ALL PODCASTS.

Opinions, what are they really? Are they valid? Are all opinions valid? Wars have been fought over opinions, but let's discover what they really are and if they're worth fighting over. More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode one. An opinion, according to the dictionary, is a noun.

Buy me a coffee!


No Commitment . No Membership . No Hassle

It is a thing. Opinions are more than one noun, more than one opinion. An opinion is a view or a judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or even knowledge.

We have elevated our own opinions to the point where we believe always they're true, factual, and based on knowledge. But honestly, an opinion is only as good as the truth behind it. And we fight over opinions.

We fight to the death over them, even though they may be wrong. But because they're our opinion, we have elevated them far beyond where they might need to be. So how do we know if our opinion is the right opinion and something that we should absolutely stand our ground over? Our opinions are formed on experiences and data that we've taken in.

But our opinions are only as good as the data we use to form them. If that data was inaccurate, to say the least, if that data was a lie, then our opinion is not based on truth. So what do we do about that? I once saw on Facebook a young lady post that her opinion was based on fact, that she had researched on the internet.

She had Googled and she had found cited documents exposing this or that. But unfortunately in this day and age, we can cite a document and it can be just as fraudulent as the day is long. And if a document is cited, that just means the person creating the document stands by it or can find some sort of information that backs it up.

Is that information that backs up the document accurate? We don't know. So to say that a document is cited and therefore is valid in forming our opinion may or may not be truthful. It may or may not be accurate.

It may or may not be based on truth and fact. So how do we know if our opinion is a good opinion, an opinion that we need to stand by? First of all, we do need to pray about it. And I know that sounds, oh yeah, pray about our opinions.

No, we really do. Before we go to expound our opinions out there to the world, we need to pray over them. And we need to know that it's not just an opinion that we've dug up information to support.

You want to believe your opinion is correct. Therefore, you go out to the internet or wherever and you dig up supporting documents that will bolster your opinion. But that doesn't mean your opinion is right.

If you have a question about something, research it. Research it fully. Talk to a lot of different people, even people you disagree with.

They may have a morsel of truth that you need to incorporate into your opinion. I didn't say the whole truth. I said a morsel of truth.

But we have sequestered our opinions away. We've held them tight and we've refused to change them, no matter what. Or we get our knickers in a twist and we change our opinion when really we should be holding true to the one we have.

Now I want to talk about how we disrespect others' opinions. It has become vile and violent out there. And people are disrespecting and they're tearing others apart based on an opinion.

An opinion which is just a belief. We don't have the right to do that. I'm sorry.

We do not have the right to be vile or violent against someone else for their opinion. We may not like it. We may hate it.

But we can't hate them. And yes, I get angry when I see the things said. And yes, I get angry when I see the violence seemingly nonsense over seemingly nonsense.

But I still can't hate them. Jesus doesn't hate them. What do we do then? Again, let's go back to prayer.

Let's go back to really fighting prayer in spiritual warfare. Let's really get serious about praying for them. Not this willy-nilly, oh, I pray for John, Susie, or Andrew because they disagree with me.

And I want them to see my opinion is the right one. No, we need to pray that the truth would be made known. We need to pray that scales fall off of eyes, including our own.

Because I firmly believe all of us have a tiny bit of deception somewhere. We don't know it all. None of us do.

I know that may come as a shock to you, but we don't. None of us knows it all. But are you willing to open up your mind, open up your heart to learn more so that your opinion can be modified to be more accurate? I am a questioner.

I'm a very curious person, and I have been for years and years and years. So I ask questions. When something just seems a little not right to me, if two things don't quite line up to me, I start to ask, God, this doesn't seem right.

What's the deal here? This has an element of truth to me, but then this over here has an element of truth. But honestly, they seem diametrically opposed. So how in the world can they both coexist? What is the truth? Show me the truth.

And I have done this my entire life because I want to know the truth. I'm stubborn that way. There have been times I've not wanted to let go of an opinion that I had once I've been shown the truth.

But when God reveals the truth, it becomes very clear. That carries an anointing with it. It carries the ability to drop the scales off of our eyes.

But a lot of us are afraid that we're wrong. We're afraid that we will have to look at something differently. And honestly, I don't believe that all of us are completely wrong, just as I don't believe that all of us are completely right.

I believe we all need a little modification somewhere. But if we hold on so tightly to those opinions that we can't allow God to modify them where they need to be modified, we will all be fighting all the time for the rest of eternity. So I just wanted to talk a little bit about opinions today.

And I wanted to ask you, are you holding on so tightly to your opinion that God can't even work to change it? Are you willing to change your opinion if he shows you the truth? Or are you wanting to just argue and fight and have your own way because you're angry? Think about it today.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

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]]> Sun, 01 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0600 Nancy Jackson Nancy Jackson 606 Opinions | Where do they come from & are they important | More to the Story with Nancy Jackson

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Opinions, what are they really? Are they valid? Are all opinions valid? Wars have been fought over opinions, but let's discover what they really are and if they're worth fighting over. More to the story with Nancy Jackson, episode one. An opinion, according to the dictionary, is a noun.

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It is a thing. Opinions are more than one noun, more than one opinion. An opinion is a view or a judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or even knowledge.

We have elevated our own opinions to the point where we believe always they're true, factual, and based on knowledge. But honestly, an opinion is only as good as the truth behind it. And we fight over opinions.

We fight to the death over them, even though they may be wrong. But because they're our opinion, we have elevated them far beyond where they might need to be. So how do we know if our opinion is the right opinion and something that we should absolutely stand our ground over? Our opinions are formed on experiences and data that we've taken in.

But our opinions are only as good as the data we use to form them. If that data was inaccurate, to say the least, if that data was a lie, then our opinion is not based on truth. So what do we do about that? I once saw on Facebook a young lady post that her opinion was based on fact, that she had researched on the internet.

She had Googled and she had found cited documents exposing this or that. But unfortunately in this day and age, we can cite a document and it can be just as fraudulent as the day is long. And if a document is cited, that just means the person creating the document stands by it or can find some sort of information that backs it up.

Is that information that backs up the document accurate? We don't know. So to say that a document is cited and therefore is valid in forming our opinion may or may not be truthful. It may or may not be accurate.

It may or may not be based on truth and fact. So how do we know if our opinion is a good opinion, an opinion that we need to stand by? First of all, we do need to pray about it. And I know that sounds, oh yeah, pray about our opinions.

No, we really do. Before we go to expound our opinions out there to the world, we need to pray over them. And we need to know that it's not just an opinion that we've dug up information to support.

You want to believe your opinion is correct. Therefore, you go out to the internet or wherever and you dig up supporting documents that will bolster your opinion. But that doesn't mean your opinion is right.

If you have a question about something, research it. Research it fully. Talk to a lot of different people, even people you disagree with.

They may have a morsel of truth that you need to incorporate into your opinion. I didn't say the whole truth. I said a morsel of truth.

But we have sequestered our opinions away. We've held them tight and we've refused to change them, no matter what. Or we get our knickers in a twist and we change our opinion when really we should be holding true to the one we have.

Now I want to talk about how we disrespect others' opinions. It has become vile and violent out there. And people are disrespecting and they're tearing others apart based on an opinion.

An opinion which is just a belief. We don't have the right to do that. I'm sorry.

We do not have the right to be vile or violent against someone else for their opinion. We may not like it. We may hate it.

But we can't hate them. And yes, I get angry when I see the things said. And yes, I get angry when I see the violence seemingly nonsense over seemingly nonsense.

But I still can't hate them. Jesus doesn't hate them. What do we do then? Again, let's go back to prayer.

Let's go back to really fighting prayer in spiritual warfare. Let's really get serious about praying for them. Not this willy-nilly, oh, I pray for John, Susie, or Andrew because they disagree with me.

And I want them to see my opinion is the right one. No, we need to pray that the truth would be made known. We need to pray that scales fall off of eyes, including our own.

Because I firmly believe all of us have a tiny bit of deception somewhere. We don't know it all. None of us do.

I know that may come as a shock to you, but we don't. None of us knows it all. But are you willing to open up your mind, open up your heart to learn more so that your opinion can be modified to be more accurate? I am a questioner.

I'm a very curious person, and I have been for years and years and years. So I ask questions. When something just seems a little not right to me, if two things don't quite line up to me, I start to ask, God, this doesn't seem right.

What's the deal here? This has an element of truth to me, but then this over here has an element of truth. But honestly, they seem diametrically opposed. So how in the world can they both coexist? What is the truth? Show me the truth.

And I have done this my entire life because I want to know the truth. I'm stubborn that way. There have been times I've not wanted to let go of an opinion that I had once I've been shown the truth.

But when God reveals the truth, it becomes very clear. That carries an anointing with it. It carries the ability to drop the scales off of our eyes.

But a lot of us are afraid that we're wrong. We're afraid that we will have to look at something differently. And honestly, I don't believe that all of us are completely wrong, just as I don't believe that all of us are completely right.

I believe we all need a little modification somewhere. But if we hold on so tightly to those opinions that we can't allow God to modify them where they need to be modified, we will all be fighting all the time for the rest of eternity. So I just wanted to talk a little bit about opinions today.

And I wanted to ask you, are you holding on so tightly to your opinion that God can't even work to change it? Are you willing to change your opinion if he shows you the truth? Or are you wanting to just argue and fight and have your own way because you're angry? Think about it today.

Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here

Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com

Follow me here:

Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyajackson/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyajackson?lang=en


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