tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55352834501852865932024-02-19T03:09:37.267-05:00Gifted with Gab!Who knew that this big mouth of mine could ever be used for the kingdom? Who knew that God gave me all these words so that I might share them with someone else? Who knew? Apparently God did. Because He put it in me. And I am so thankful that by His mercy and grace..it can all just pour out to His glory. Let's talk!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-7913265495114362522015-12-04T18:58:00.001-05:002015-12-04T20:05:46.701-05:00Christmas? No thank you!<p dir="ltr">Let me start by making it perfectly clear...this blog post is based on my personal conviction. It applies to me and is in response to a question that I was recently asked about me. This is not an attack on Christmas or anyone who celebrates Christmas.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I am going to warn all my Christian friends up front. You may want to stop reading after this paragraph because my personal truths will collide with some spiritual truths and it may cost you Christmas. It did me. And. It has for several others that have pushed me for an explanation about why I no longer celebrate Christmas. So. For those of you who love the holiday...STOP READING NOW.  </p>
<p dir="ltr">A few years ago I had a discussion with a friend about Christmas. I don't remember what the post was even about. Though I feel certain that it wasn't about Christmas per se but it just sorta went there somehow. I've been searching for it in my "On This Days" but I don't even remember if it was my post...or his post...or even someone else's. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Anyway. He made the point that the Bible said that Christmas trees are wrong. So. I found the scripture that he referenced and I tried to put it in context for him. That Scripture is as follows...</p>
<p dir="ltr">For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple. Jeremiah 10:3-4 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mind you...that it doesn't say "Christmas Trees" but...it does sound a lot like our customs and how we decorate these trees. I'm not going to explain that Scripture here. You can read Jeremiah 10 for yourself. All I want to point out is that the chapter...(the whole book of Jeremiah!)...is teaching on idolatrous behavior. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The fact that I could find no reference to Christmas in the Bible...the fact that I had to go to an outside source to find any information at all about the origins of Christmas...bothered me. If it were something that I as a Christian was supposed to do to honor Jesus...wouldn't God have told me so in His written Word? RED FLAG.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A few years ago, one of my children was out of our home when Christmas rolled around. They did "visit" us during the holidays but they weren't really with us much. Anyway. That Christmas was lopsided. The kids who were still in the home full time got way more gifts than the one who was out of the home did. In fact, we owe that child some things now that they have never gotten to this day. </p>
<p dir="ltr">One of my kids who got a lot was upset by the fact that there was one who got so little.  Child Alot thought that it was unfair and that their sibling would be hurt. Child Alot didn't want Child Alittle to feel like they were loved less because they weren't in the house with us. Now. There was a lot of other things going on in our lives at this time and Child Alittle's needs were actually greater than the other children's wants. So it was more lopsided than we even knew. Turns out Child Alot was showing wisdom about things that God wouldn't reveal to me until much later. </p>
<p dir="ltr">All of that got me to thinking about the fact that my children thought that love for them was tied to or could be expressed by the gifts bought for them. As if love has a price tag. As if one could place a monetary value on any one of them. Another RED FLAG.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. Add all of that to the fact that Christmas was literally making me sick to my stomach. I was faced with spending money I didn't have on things that weren't needed for people who didn't deserve it. RED FLAG. I was faced with trying to blow the Jones out of the water with decorations and lights. RED FLAG. I was faced with playing nice with people I couldn't stand to visit with any other time of the year. RED FLAG. And I was faced with cooking three whole days for a thirty minute meal. RED FLAG. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I had no joy or peace. And I was hard pressed to find any love. Christmas was stressful and frustrating. I was faced with everything for the Christmas Season....but Jesus. And wasn't He supposed to be the whole reason for the season?</p>
<p dir="ltr">It was time for a serious heart check for me. My children were living out what they had learned from me. And if I had been so wrong about so much...could I also be wrong about this too. I had to ask myself what was my motivation behind celebrating Christmas. Was I only celebrating because I always had? Because truthfully, I was NOT celebrating Jesus' birth. I was not overly concerned with good will towards men. I was not thinking about joy in the world. I only wanted it over so I could put my house back in order. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So. I went searching for some answers. There were none to be found in the Bible. In fact...what I did find did not point to Christmas...but away from it. This holiday had become like an idol to me. I was worshipping the tradition. I was serving Santa. And I was not teaching my children to be good stewards of their time, talents, or treasures. I was worse than Scrooge. He didn't believe in the holiday. The holiday was all I believed in. RED FLAG. </p>
<p dir="ltr">None of the information that I found about Christmas...could be supported with any Scripture. And if I can't find it in the Bible...RED FLAG. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Way too many red flags for me. </p>
<p dir="ltr">IN MY OPINION...Christmas is a world tradition that the early Christians started to offset a Pagan religious festival that was occuring around the same time in December. If my goal is to keep myself set apart from the world...if my goal is to not look like it or act like it...why the heck would I engage in a Worldly tradition? </p>
<p dir="ltr">Why is it okay that on manmade holidays...I look just like the World? Trust. If I'm going to do some world mess...it won't be wasted on a holiday!</p>
<p dir="ltr">We get upset when secular artists sing gospel music. Or when people throw the name Jesus into something and try to make an unholy thing holy. That bothers us and we want no parts in it. Well. Christmas has no basis in the Word. And if it has no basis in the Word...that means it has it's basis in the world. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And last I checked...I was called to be in this world...not OF it. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So. I don't celebrate Christmas because IN MY OPINION it is a secular and commercial tradition of men. I don't need to put up a tree or to decorate my house or to sing carols or to exchange gifts to celebrate the birth of my Savior. I celebrate every day by reading His Word, walking in His way, and loving on His children.</p>
<p dir="ltr">That's all I got. And. I am thankful that's all He wants!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. If you still have Jesus in your Christmas...do it all the way up. But as for me...I had to start from scratch!<br><br><br><br></p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-21223552990545291942015-08-01T23:02:00.001-04:002015-08-01T23:02:30.957-04:00Left for dead....<p dir="ltr">I was invited to give my testimony at a women's conference at a local church. And though I was out of town and could not attend...my first thought was..."Good timing God...cause we both know they ain't ready!"</p>
<p dir="ltr">My testimony comes from a time in my life when I was left for dead. Folks were trying to break me. Bruising me. Beating me. Backbiting me. They were trying to kill me. And...almost did...BUT GOD. Enter testimony. It's bloody. And it's gory. And it helped to make me what I am today. And I think that's a big problem for most people. I refuse to be shamed. Or made to feel less than. Because God used it to make me who I am...I refuse to sit in a corner somewhere and just die.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I spent a good bit of the rest of the day trying to clean up my testimony. You see...the enemy almost had me convinced that it was too ugly for polite company.</p>
<p dir="ltr">When I tell you that thing stayed on me. Whew. For nearly 8 hours...that is all I thought about. God and I were going back and forth on that thing. Or. Truthfully...I was going back and forth on that thing. God was oddly silent.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. I asked someone a very simple question...and oddly...they said a whole bunch of nothing. Which turned out to be extraordinarily something. Just not at all what I expected. I was looking for God in the wind. I was looking for God in the earthquake. I was looking for God in the fire. But in true God fashion...He showed up in a small still voice. (1 Kings 19:11-13!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">The person directed me to John 8:1-11...a very familiar story in the Bible. The woman caught in adultery. Remember when Jesus bent down to write in the sand? The Bible never tells us what He was writing. And I firmly believe that when God leaves out minor details...they apply to the individual reading in a major way. Case in point. I imagine that Jesus wrote...the first time..."Their test will be your testimony"...and then..."They came for the show...but they should have stuck around for the Word" the second time He bent down.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Her accusers left....one by one....from oldest to youngest....as the truth of Jesus' words hit them where they lived...in their own sins. There were none with out sin to cast that first stone. And though they wouldn't/couldn't admit it....they knew that Jesus was just who He said He was...so they knew that though they could lie to each other...they could not lie to God!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Anywho....</p>
<p dir="ltr">What struck a chord in me....was how Jesus dealt with her sin. He didn't excuse it, condone it, or ignore it. He simply said to her..."Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Had her accusers stuck with JESUS...continued to walk with JESUS...had they not left after they realized there would be no show...they would have gotten a Word that could have changed their lives. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't miss this...</p>
<p dir="ltr">When you show up for the wrong reasons...you are blinded and deaf to the right reasons...because you're too busy looking out...to bother looking IN.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They missed the blessing in the lesson...."Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." They had her dead to rights. She was guilty. She did it. They knew it. Jesus knew it. And she knew that He knew it. But Jesus KNEW her past the sin to her soul...and that was His concern. Her soul. Not her sin. Grab hold to that. The soul. Not the sin. "Go. And sin no more." </p>
<p dir="ltr">So. My test is a part of my testimony. I can't clean it up for anyone. I can't make it easier to swallow. It is what it is. I know it. Jesus knows it. And I won't sugarcoat it for anyone. Because when you know what God says about you DESPITE your mess...it's hard to care what people say about you TO SPITE you of your mess.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Besides. If I can't be brutally honest about the depths of my BEEN THROUGH...how can I expect people to be able to wrap their minds around my BREAK THROUGH.</p>
<p dir="ltr">God dropped a song in my spirit..."Life and Favor"...by the Reverend John P. Kee and New Life... watch it here... https://youtu.be/x_0E_SmIg3A ...and it goes... </p>
<p dir="ltr">I’m delivered, here’s my story<br>
Life and Favor upon me He brought me out<br>
You don’t know it, let me tell it<br>
Life and favor upon me He brought me out</p>
<p dir="ltr">God of Mercy He who loves me<br>
Life and favor upon me He brought me out<br>
Oh how wondrous is my story<br>
Life and favor He brought me out</p>
<p dir="ltr">Can’t imagine what I’ve gone through<br>
Life and favor upon me He brought me out<br>
Can’t imagine what I’ve gone through<br>
Can’t imagine.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And you know it was a praise party for the rest of the ride home, right? </p>
<p dir="ltr">Side note: There will be those who won't like me after I share my testimony. There will be those who will be offended. There will be those who CONTINUE to hate me. And that's okay. Revelation 12:11 says that we overcome by the blood AND the word of our testimony. And it continues to say that we do not love our lives so much as to shrink from death. Remember...I've been left for dead before.  Death has no sting for me. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Folks need to realize that no amount of pettiness or plots...can kill what God has PURPOSED. You can TRY to leave me for dead...BUT GOD...</p>
<p dir="ltr">Job knew a lil something about being left for dead. The enemy tried it...yes he did...BUT GOD! Job says of God, "You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit." (Job 10:12) Whew...Job, you better tell it!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus continues to say to that crowd who came for the show in John 8:12...“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” I am following Jesus. Which means folks can leave me for dead...but they can't snuff out the light of my life...because Jesus has your girl's light set on FABULOUS!</p>
<p dir="ltr">John 8:1-11</p>
<p dir="ltr">But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” </p>
<p dir="ltr">This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  </p>
<p dir="ltr">And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Then those who heard it,  being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. </p>
<p dir="ltr">When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and  sin no more.” </p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-11868337176509495232015-05-03T18:25:00.001-04:002015-05-03T18:25:31.021-04:00Witch Hunt<p dir="ltr">I've been on a witch hunt. </p>
<p dir="ltr">There. I've said it. Confessed it. And now...I can let it go. Now I can ask God to forgive me for trying to use one of His gifts...discernment...to "get" them. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Because truthfully...if God had revealed to me just who my "mole" was...I would have added to my sin count. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I was already struggling under my anger. Under my unforgiveness. Under my bitterness. I had been "wronged"...and I wanted justice. (Yet ANOTHER sin...because vengeance belongs to God.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Romans 12 is one of the best places to turn when you feel like you've been wronged...and you want someone to pay. (You can read it in it's entirety below the post.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">I was struggling with the fact that my witch/mole was among my brethren...and I didn't feel it was fair that I had to "play by the rules" yet they didn't. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I was stuck on..."how can you runtelit on me...when your hands are just a different dirty."</p>
<p dir="ltr">But God's a good God. He knows all and He sees all. He is with them...just as He is with me...and He doesn't care to hear us rant about who did what...He cares that we know and grow from the thing in us individually ...that made us do what we did individually. </p>
<p dir="ltr">In other words...it's no more my business how God deals with them...as it is theirs how He deals with me. </p>
<p dir="ltr">God wants me to take a look at not what has been done wrong to me...but the wrong I did....</p>
<p dir="ltr">OUCH...</p>
<p dir="ltr">Even if they did an ugly horrible...</p>
<p dir="ltr">What did I do?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Even if they cut me to the white meat...</p>
<p dir="ltr">What did I do?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Even if they did the unforgivable... </p>
<p dir="ltr">(No such thing! Because I have been forgiven too much to withhold forgiveness!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">What did I do?</p>
<p dir="ltr">You get where I'm going, right? </p>
<p dir="ltr">What they did to me...is none of my business. What I do to God is....</p>
<p dir="ltr">If it is possible, AS MUCH AS IT DEPENDS ON [ME], live peaceably with all men. ROMANS 12:18</p>
<p dir="ltr">Amen!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Romans 12:1-21 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-55212427817389666172015-04-26T17:02:00.001-04:002015-04-26T17:02:21.669-04:00Bruce Jenner<p dir="ltr">I went looking for an answer and God's answer was this...."you don't need an answer...you just need to love."</p>
<p dir="ltr">I could close this post right there. Because that sums up the teachings of Jesus on the most important commandmants of them all...</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">But God took me there...to bring me here...so this is where we are going...from the very beginning. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Ready?</p>
<p dir="ltr">I don't watch a lot of TV. I have "my shows" that I only miss for Jesus. Ask my kids. If I'm home...if I don't have to be somewhere for somebody...if there is no church service...I watch "my shows"...and you either sit down...shut up....watch with me...or get out. Friday nights...I have no shows. So the fact that I even watched 20/20 is something of a miracle. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But things fell into place that I was home...and in front of the TV at 9pm...and it fell into my spirit that I wanted to watch the Bruce Jenner interview. Please let the record show...that I do not keep up with ANY of the Kardashians. And the fact that I even know that one of them thinks she broke the internet and is married to that insufferable Kanye...don't even get me started. Anyway...I had no idea who Bruce Jenner actually was until I watched the interview. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So. I watched. And I wept. Like a baby. I was almost embarrassed I was crying so badly. I had no idea what was happening to me. All I knew was that his story just honestly broke my heart. And during a commercial break...I remember praying..."Jesus...what in the world is the matter with me? What in the world is going on?" </p>
<p dir="ltr">And at that point...I knew something bigger than me was happening because I could not take my eyes off the screen. And I was thinking...all these red flags...and you haven't posted anything on FaceBook in nearly 1.5 hours....whoa.</p>
<p dir="ltr">At 10:38pm I posted..."20/20...Bruce Jenner. No premarital sex. No extramarital affairs. No homosexual activities. No sexual attraction to the same sex. I'm not sure how to feel about transgenders. About people who suffer from gender identity crisis. Do I consider it a mental disorder? I honestly do not know. Gotta go to the Lord in prayer on this one..." </p>
<p dir="ltr">And then at 10:59pm I posted..."My heart breaks for him...being hard wired to feel like a her stuck inside of a him. If God knew "him" before he was created in his mother's womb...did He prepare a room for "her" in heaven?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">And that is when all hell broke loose. You can go back through the thread and read all the comments. Be forewarned...it's a lot. I mean an awful lot. But I think that was the whole point of my spending my Friday night in front of a TV watching a program I never watch. </p>
<p dir="ltr">First of all. That question..."If God knew "him" before he was created in his mother's womb...did He prepare a room for "her" in heaven?"...is profoundly deep. Apparently too deep for religious folks.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Put your spiritual glasses on and take a good look at that one. </p>
<p dir="ltr">No matter how badly someone's sin shocks or disturbs you or disgusts you...no matter how differently it looks from yours...it is no surprise to God. And saying that God won't save Bruce Jenner because he has sinned is like saying that God can't save you after you have sinned...that He can't save me after I have. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And if you agree that God can...and praise God...WILL...save Jenner...why take such a hard line over the way he sins. Is anything too hard for God?</p>
<p dir="ltr">My sin gave me my testimony. Yours should have given you yours. Why can't his sin give him his testimony?</p>
<p dir="ltr">If God hadn't reached way down and got me...I wouldn't be able to tell people how God will reach way down and get them. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Who are we to put people in hell that God plans to use for His glory. I don't know that using Bruce Jenner is part of God's plan. But I'm not willing to take the chance that He wants to use him and then be guilty of being the one who throws up a stumbling block against him.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Several people wanted to condemn him...but very few could tell me for what. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Being a homosexual...he is not. Being an adulterer...he is not. Being a transvestite...he is not. Misrepresenting himself to engage in sexual activities...he did not.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Changing his body? Taking hormone therapy. Shaving off his adam's apple. Considering gender reassignment surgery. Several folks said that Jenner was saying that God got it wrong by saying that he was born in the wrong body. Okay. Let's explore that. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. Genesis 5:1-2 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">Amen! and Hallelujah. God created Adam and Eve. Jesus...the one true Son of God...just IS...always has been and always will be...and thank God that He is! </p>
<p dir="ltr">But Adam and Eve fell...and then had fallen children...who had fallen children...who had more fallen children...so on and so forth...</p>
<p dir="ltr">On the fall...Genesis 3.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Since the fall... </p>
<p dir="ltr">Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Psalms 51:5 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— Romans 5:12 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8, 10 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">No. None of the things that we do as a fallen people are a part of God's original design. But we fell. And since the fall...NONE OF US HAVE BEEN BORN ACCORDING TO GOD'S DESIGN. All of us have been born into sin. A rainbow of sin. And just because my sin is yellow...Jenner's is black..and yours is green...and the next guys is purple...no matter the color of our sin...as pretty or as horrific...as light or as dark...we were all born into sin. None of us were cleansed until we were washed by the blood.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Are you telling me that Jesus can wash my yellow sin white as snow...but not Jenner's black sin?</p>
<p dir="ltr">And since we were all born into sin...why couldn't he be born with his? I don't know that he was...but I'm not willing to argue the point with anyone because it doesn't matter if he was born that way...turned that way...or went out and bought a do it yourself kit to be that way. Jesus can turn that thing around.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus was teaching on celibacy...but this spiritual principle can be applied to any sin sickness...now look deeper than what this says. (And please don't assume that I am implying that Jenner's transition is for the "kingdom of heaven's sake"...I am declaring that I don't know what God's plans are for this man.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.” Matthew 19:11-12 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">If you are not able to "accept it"....no worries....it wasn't meant for you to! There are clearly gray areas when it comes to certain actions as it pertains to whether they may or not be sins. We have the 10 commandments. Clear and to the point. But unless it is specifically stated as sin...that's in the gray.</p>
<p dir="ltr">This is clearly one of those areas. It is in the gray areas that I PERSONALLY prefer to throw up my hands and say...I don't know...but let's pray about it. Of course there is 1 Thessalonians 5:22 and Romans 14:16...but when it comes to gray areas...that's risky business because what's gray for me may be black and white for you...and vice versa.</p>
<p dir="ltr">My point is this...the bible doesn't explicitly say NOT to change your body. (Be careful here. Medically necessary or purely cosmetic procedures...also fall into the category of changing your body. And there is that pesky little ritual of circumcision...) </p>
<p dir="ltr">It does explicitly say...</p>
<p dir="ltr">On homosexuality... </p>
<p dir="ltr">You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Leviticus 18:22 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">On transvestites... </p>
<p dir="ltr">“A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 22:5 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">And moving right into those of you who said his sin was lying...Whose isn't? Lying? I'ma grab my mirror while you grab yours.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now for those of you who are reading the word "abomination" and are gearing up to "argue" that his alleged sins are worse somehow because they are abominations...hold that thought...</p>
<p dir="ltr">These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now....You were saying about abominations....(thought so.....)</p>
<p dir="ltr">I don't want anyone to think that I am taking his sins lightly...or making light of them...or trying to say that they aren't sins...I am not. The thing is that I am too busy confessing and repenting of my own sins to hold his over his head. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Does that mean that I would be willing to let him continue in willful sin without calling him on it in love? No! Gender is God assigned and not self determined nor is it based on social standards or ideals. One's biology (male or female) is ultimately not separate from one's gender identity. And the fact that he thinks/feels that it is...whether from birth or as conditioned by things that happened around or to him...is an indication of his sin sickness. </p>
<p dir="ltr">This weekend has been a series of total aha conversations between God and I. Actually. After I had my meltdown yesterday...they've been pretty one sided. I knew that He would answer me. I knew that it would be crystal clear and undeniable. But today...WHOA!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Yesterday...he dropped in my spirit hammers and lighthouses. I was like...WHAT? What has either to do with what I asked You? Hammers? Lighthouses? Really, God?</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. First. The hammer revelation. (Which I wasn't too thrilled about in the end...but it did make sense.) A brother and I got into a very heated confrontation...you can read my posts from Saturday for the details. But IN MY OPINION...he was hiding behind Scripture...throwing rocks in so called love. Not cool with me. So. I picked up some rocks of my own. Apparently...not cool with God!</p>
<p dir="ltr">God showed me that if I went into battle with one hand on my heart...to remember the work He had done in there...and the other hand lifted in praise...I would remember to only lift my hammer against the sin...and never against the sinner. I would be more prone to tell my brother to watch himself while I took aim at the sin...instead of trying to take aim at my brother. OUCH. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. The lighthouse revelation. At first I thought the lighthouse was to be used to prepare the prezi for Pastor's sermon today. I couldn't make it work. So I went a different route. But this morning during church...God showed me that there are times when you can't see the light from the lighthouse. Though the light rotates...when the beam is at 12 and 6...you can't see it at 3 and 9. </p>
<p dir="ltr">When I am a lighthouse...in my flesh...when I am at 12 and 6...the people at 3 and 9 can't see my light. However...when I am a lighthouse...in Jesus...when Jesus is my light...when Christ is in me...and my light shines from the hope of glory...it shines all the time for all to see. Though the lighthouse is the landmark...Christ is the source of my light...that draws people to Him. Left to myself...I'll want to use my light to spotlight some one else's sins. A cold and accusing light. But my light should be warm and inviting...to draw people to the one that can wash all those sins away. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Which finally brings me to Christian bullies....</p>
<p dir="ltr">All believers are called to love our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:39), including those different from us. Christians are specifically called to be people known for their love: "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). You can't be a Christian bully and say that you love me. What?</p>
<p dir="ltr">We can't use the Word as a weapon. Not against saints. Not against sinners. I can't use my light to put the spotlight on you so that I can take a hammer to you. 1 Corinthians 13...the love chapter...says that our gifts are nothing without love. You can know the Word going and coming. You can have gone to the finest seminary and been preaching for 100 years. You can serve on the committee of the committees at your church. You can be the biggest tither and the most faithful member...but unless there is love...all you're doing is making noise.</p>
<p dir="ltr">No. Jesus didn't play when it came to sin. He had a zero tolerance policy. But He never did anything without love. Sometimes His love was tough. Sometimes His love was hard to hear...certainly hard to swallow...but it was love. Unadulterated love. Even to the cross...it was love. He didn't stand over people with a hammer in one hand and the Bible in another. No. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We have to very careful that we don't get that bullying spirit. People can't hear us if all we're making is noise. Even if it sounds really good to us...has some Scripture thrown in to cover our religious butts...even if we talk louder...or put it on repeat...without the love...it's just noise. </p>
<p dir="ltr">(How effective was noise in drawing you to salvation?)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. I still don't know what to make of Bruce Jenner. But I am so glad that it is not my job to make anything of him. It is my job to show him the love that Christ has shown me. Whew! I can soooooo do that!</p>
<p dir="ltr">My prayer for Jenner is that instead of attempting to change his identity...that he realizes he needs to seek his true identity in Christ. My prayer is that someone has enough love when they speak that he is able to hear over the noise that Scripture teaches us that through Christ, we become His children (John 1:12), are adopted by Him (Ephesians 1:5), become one in spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17), and become part of a chosen generation, royal priesthood, and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). </p>
<p dir="ltr">That's my prayer for Jenner. And when God crosses my path with someone who is suffering from his brand of sin sickness...that's what I'll tell them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Because I firmly believe that all of THIS is preparing ME for THAT...maybe not you...or you...because apparently...you can't handle it....</p>
<p dir="ltr">"You don't need an answer...you just need to love."</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-26730249721485801742015-03-13T23:14:00.001-04:002015-03-13T23:23:34.242-04:00Awesome!Your Identity in Christ: https://youtu.be/hsDQEb-qlyMAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-14735292669114923022015-02-01T16:14:00.001-05:002015-02-01T16:14:57.654-05:00I am NOT fussing with you!<p dir="ltr">Why I will never argue with ANYONE about what the Word of God says....</p>
<p dir="ltr">When you go to a restaurant...you are presented with a prepared meal. You made a selection from the menu...let's say some exotic beef dish...that possibly looked good and sounded good and may even have tasted good as you ate it. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But when you get up from the table and go home to put food on your own table...all you have is beef...and possibly a cookbook...but you have no idea how the restaurant took those two things and turned it into a delicious gourmet meal. </p>
<p dir="ltr">You have to do some prep work. Some research. Some shopping. Some pot rattling. Some taste testing to go from raw beef to gourmet meal.</p>
<p dir="ltr">When you go to church...you are presented with a prepared sermon. Your pastor has sought God on that message and God has given Him a Word for His people in His house. And it sounded good and felt good...or not...sitting in that pew.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But when you get out of your seat and and go home to apply that message to your life...all you have are some notes...and hopefully a Bible...but you have no idea how the pastor took those scriptures and turned it into a Spirit filled sermon.</p>
<p dir="ltr">You have to do some prep work. Some Bible studying. Some praying. Some calling out. Some drawing near to God to go from scriptures to revelations. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And I'm sure some of you are saying but I'm no pastor. Maybe not. But I'm talking to saved folks right now. And we've all been called to be preachers. And sometimes we have to preach to ourselves. To our family. To our friends. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But how can we preach...if we haven't put in the prep work. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Which brings me to why I will never argue with ANYONE about the Word of God. </p>
<p dir="ltr">First. One can read the Bible cover to cover...and not be able to tell you what's in it. Oh. They can READ it to you...maybe even quote it...but they can't LIVE it out for you. Because they have not been given revelations. 1 Corinthians 2:10 says..."These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God." And you can't give an answer...for what you do not know. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Second. God is a god of personal relationship. What He has revealed to me FOR me...may not be FOR you...unless He has told me..or you...that it is. We can all be...confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Php 1:6). I can't know what God has started in you no more than you can know what He started in me. So I can't know what His Word speaks to you...nor you me.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Third. The Word of God doesn't need me to defend it. Or you either. It is what it is. God has said it. And there is no adding to it or taking away from it. Not only that...it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail (Luke 16:17). Not to mention that in Luke 9:5...Jesus Himself teaches us that whoever will not receive you...to shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them. All I can do is tell you what the Word says. I can't make you believe or receive it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Finally. It is not my job to make you believe or receive the Word of God. I can't convict you with my convictions...BECAUSE I DIDN'T CONVICT MYSELF. The Holy Spirit in me does all the heavy lifting. And it is my privilege not to stand in His way...not to quench Him. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So. I won't argue with you about what the Word of God says. About anything. And if the Bible doesn't specifically cover something...unless God has ALREADY dealt with me on that issue...or the Holy Spirit in me rises up to address it in that moment...my lips are zipped. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And unless MY OPINION is just a scripture in lay men's terms so you won't know that I'm "preaching" to you...you won't even get that out of me. </p>
<p dir="ltr">John 16:8-15 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-66269626958846860882015-01-27T10:36:00.001-05:002015-01-27T10:36:03.903-05:00Three sides to every story...<p dir="ltr">Before I come to FB or Twitter or IG each day...I always pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are pleasing to God...because though I have truly been gifted with gab...I don't always speak in grace. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Sometimes I struggle with telling the truth IN GRACE...especially when God gives me a Word that I know specifically applies to a person that I've been praying for...but He hasn't told me to give it directly to that person. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Or even when I think the Word is just for me. But He tells me to share it...but I'm like...but God it didn't just happen to me...what about the other people involved...and He says...what about them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So the words get stuck in my throat...but the Word keeps burning in my heart. How many of you know it's easier to cough something up...to spit it out...than to put a fire in your heart out? Especially one set by God!</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. Here goes nothing. </p>
<p dir="ltr">(You'll need to read Genesis 34 for yourself. Because I have a lot to say...I won't post all the Scripture references.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dinah was Jacob's daughter by Leah....</p>
<p dir="ltr">And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. Gen 34:2.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Hebrew translation for defiled here is "humbled her". Now. Other translations offers up that Shechem violated or raped her. But I don't think the rest of the story...(the Scripture)...supports this theory. He was the most honorable of his father's house.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In fact...And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. (Gen 34:3). Then he asked his father to help him wife her at whatever cost her family set. Even to the point of circumcision of all the males.</p>
<p dir="ltr">That doesn't sound to me like a violent act of lust or power against someone’s will...but rather a tender result of conversation and communication that ended in consensual premarital sex. </p>
<p dir="ltr">(And yes...premarital because Jacob gave Dinah to Shechem in marriage. Her hot headed brothers took her from her husband's home. But I'm jumping ahead of myself.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Remember the translation of defiled...humbled her...ok...let's revisit that. The preceding 10 chapters in Genesis basically establish Jacob as "the man"...an estimation which can't help but trickle down to his children. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So. Dinah wasn't violated. She was just taken aback by his bold approach. She had gone to see the girls, remember. Do you think for one minute they didn't do what girls do...and talk about the eligible bachelors? Do you think she didn't welcome the attention of the prince of the country? Even reciprocate it?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. The men folks on the other hand...only saw that someone else...(someone out of their league)...had the audacity to "take" their baby girl. And how did they find out..."Jacob HEARD". Street talk!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jacob was prepared to make a proper love connection that would profit everyone. But his sons, Simeon and Levi, lied and plotted behind fake smiles. Then they killed all the newly circumcised males including Shechem and his father...and stood back as the women and children were taken captive and their possessions ramsacked. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. They hid behind what they thought was a valid cause...“Should he treat our sister like a harlot?” (Gen 34:31)...and they thought they were defending their family honor...but it turns out...it was just IN them to behave that way.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Even when we don't want it to be...it is what it is. And God will be the judge of all of it. You don't get to take matters into your own hands because you don't like the facts. Because you esteem your sins to be lesser than others. And no amount of scheming or treachery will stop you from getting exactly what you deserve. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Genesis 49:1, 5-7, 28 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel."</p>
<p dir="ltr">All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-58611741332904300392015-01-16T07:06:00.001-05:002015-01-16T07:06:32.817-05:00Know when to fold 'em.<p dir="ltr">There comes a moment in all of our lives where we are either all in....or out. </p>
<p dir="ltr">That moment when we lay all of our cards on the table. One by one...face up...as if to say with each shame...with each sin...with both hands in the air...pushed back from the table...fully surrendered...Lord, I fold!</p>
<p dir="ltr">And I don't mean as a bluff. Or to wait for the next hand to try to win big...to recoup your losses. Not because the pot is small...or the ante too big. But because the game is over. Because the addiction to self is killing you...and you know it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Kenny Rogers sings in The Gambler......</p>
<p dir="ltr">If you're gonna play the game, boy<br>
You gotta learn to play it right</p>
<p dir="ltr">You've got to know when to hold 'em<br>
Know when to fold 'em<br>
Know when to walk away<br>
And know when to run<br>
You never count your money<br>
When you're sittin' at the table<br>
There'll be time enough for countin'<br>
When the dealin's done</p>
<p dir="ltr">Every gambler knows<br>
That the secret to survivin'<br>
Is knowin' what to throw away<br>
And knowin' what to keep<br>
'Cause every hand's a winner<br>
And every hand's a loser<br>
And the best that you can hope for is to die<br>
in your sleep....</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. We may not all be gamblers...but we all are sinners. So I know we can all relate. And there has to come a point where we learn to "play" it right. And not just 99% of the time. Because that 1%...can kill us....</p>
<p dir="ltr">The woman with the alabaster box knew when to go all in...she knew when to fold. She didn't care about the pot or the other players. She gave it all up...laid it all out there...and she won it all in the end!<br>
-----------<br>
A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. </p>
<p dir="ltr">As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:37-38, 47, 50</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-86296974119704533902015-01-12T09:24:00.001-05:002015-01-12T09:24:41.378-05:00Looking for love in all the wrong places...<p dir="ltr">He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:16)</p>
<p dir="ltr">A lot of times we try to put God’s life lessons in a little box. Well God’s love is too big for this world so you gotta know it won't fit in your box.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Take for instance the prodigal son. Many of us are quick to say what we would never just run off and squander away our inheritance. We tend to look at the parable literally. Instead of digging into the spiritual implications.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We think that because we didn't leave home or because we didn't demand anything of our parents but the freedom to leave...that we aren't prodigals. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But many of us truly are.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Our misconceptions...and our addictions to instant and self gratification...have us clinging to what the world insists are the keys to success: </p>
<p dir="ltr">• Accumulation of wealth & power<br>
• Attainment of status & admiration<br>
• Lavish consumption of food & drink <br>
• Sexual gratification</p>
<p dir="ltr">These addictions create expectations that can never satisfy our deepest needs... and we are the prodigal son every time we search for unconditional love outside of it's one true source. God.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So we stumble around in the lonely and cold dark...clinging to blind pride to prove that we know a better way. Until in sheer desperation...we go running back home. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus says that He is THE way. Not one of the ways. Not a way. But THE way. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Many of us have gone off looking for love in all the wrong places. We've tried it our way. Wasted a lot of time and energy. Looked high and low. And are at a point where even pig's slop looks good to us. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But don't you settle for less than your Father’s best for you. Go on home. He's waiting to welcome you home with open arms and a feast.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-4873402998265079292015-01-12T07:52:00.001-05:002015-01-12T07:52:30.359-05:00I'm telling God on you!<p dir="ltr">Let me break this down for you...</p>
<p dir="ltr">Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Forgive as I have been forgiven. Got it. Did it. Will do it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. (Matthew 5:39)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Turn the other cheek. Got it. Did it. Will do it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">However....</p>
<p dir="ltr">Then [Jesus] said to the disciples, </p>
<p dir="ltr">“It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” (Luke 17:1-4)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. Don't miss this part. This is very important.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I will forgive you because that's who I am. I will even give you my other cheek. Because that's who I am. And I won't care if you come to me and repent or not because THAT'S NOT ON ME. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But. I will also tell my Father on you. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And I don't just mean in a "Father, forgive them because they don't know what they do" Jesus kind of way. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I mean in a "Father, You said that you would give me victory over my enemies..You said they will fade like grass and wither like green herbs..You said they would be put to shame and be disappointed..You said that I could appeal to you and you would send me legions of Angels to my rescue..and You are not a man that You should lie..so I believe that You will do just what You said You would do because I walk upright and obey your commands" so get them God kind of way.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't think that because I am not reacting to you...because I am not responding to you...that you are getting over. Don't think that because you are throwing rocks but hiding your hands...that you are winning.</p>
<p dir="ltr">You aren't. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Every time you come against me...I go running to God...crying out to God. And if you think He doesn't see right through you...well then you don't know Him. AT ALL.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't get it twisted. God will not be mocked. You will reap just what you sow. And I am sitting back just waiting on God to be God and do what God does. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Me. Anointed. Touch NOT!</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-25191045383551048622015-01-12T07:48:00.001-05:002015-01-12T07:48:57.404-05:00One in Ten<p dir="ltr">"Where are the other nine?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">You can cry out to God and get your blessing...BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS. He will hear you and He will heal you. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But God doesn't want to stop at healing you of your sickness...He wants to deliver you from your sins. But sometimes...it's a two fold process. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And grab a hold to this...that isn't for God's sake. He can heal and deliver in the blink of an eye. But God loves us too much not to teach us how to love Him. So even though we can't EARN our salvation...we do have to WORK it out.</p>
<p dir="ltr">God will set us up for our healing...but we have to remember to come back to Him to send up some praises to get our deliverance.</p>
<p dir="ltr">God will give us what we ask of Him because of WHO HE IS...He will give us what we need because of WHO OUR FAITH IS IN.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't have Jesus asking "Where are the other nine" about YOU!<br>
----------<br>
Luke 17:12-19 NIV</p>
<p dir="ltr">As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” </p>
<p dir="ltr">When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. </p>
<p dir="ltr">One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” </p>
<p dir="ltr">Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-23722823066738261972015-01-11T14:49:00.001-05:002015-01-11T14:49:46.280-05:00Don't lose your Focus!<p dir="ltr">Stay focused! </p>
<p dir="ltr">We have to be aware of both the blessings...and the dangers of God's presence in our lives. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Dangers you might ask. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Yup...Being called by God has enormous benefits...and enormous costs. The stakes are always high. And the cloud of glory that takes over your life...and seeps out into all areas of your life...can be both beautiful and frightening. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And because there are two sides of the chosenness coin...unfathomable privilege and unbelievable responsibility...it can easily go to your head. Even when you THINK you know better. Even if you are the wisest person in the world. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Case in point...King Solomon. The glory of Solomon's kingdom...his stuff and his things...had begun to overshadow his sense of dependence on God. He was in danger of self-sufficiency...the first step in creating distance between us and God. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And just as with Solomon...God will warn us before things get too far out of hand. He will remind us that God's people are not defined by what they have or what they can do but by His presence and calling on our lives and by His Word. God can...and wants to bless us...but only when we play by His rules.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We tend to ride high after we have an encounter with God...and if we aren't careful to stay in God's Word and to be in constant prayer...we begin to feel the sharpness of the duality of our chosenness. The cost of discipleship is high, but the cost of non-discipleship is soooooo much higher.</p>
<p dir="ltr">That's a huge lesson for all of us. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Our dependence on God causes blessings to just rain down on our lives...but it gets tricky when those blessings cause us to forget our original dependence...it is at this point when we miss out on the ways God wants to continue to shower us with His blessings. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We get blinded by stuff and things so we lose sight of His presence. And then...just like Solomon...we turn away from pure and unadulterated devotion to God. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Solomon ended up worshiping at pagan altars and wondering why his life seemed so empty. And it wasn't because his wisdom wasn't valid...remember...that was a gift from God...but It was because he "outgrew" his dependence on God. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Solomon lost his focus. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't lose yours.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-9590379322546306622015-01-03T06:52:00.001-05:002015-01-03T06:52:37.261-05:00Your Invitation was Hand Delivered<p dir="ltr">Please know that Jesus NEVER wasted words. And. Please also note that He always came to TEACH and REACH His people. So. There should never be a time when we read a scripture and say..."That's not me"...rather...we should always meditate and ask..."Is that me?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">"That's not me" doesn't compel us to dig any deeper. We arbitrarily dismiss the lesson to be learned when we have a "not me" attitude. Even when we aren't really sure what the lesson is.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But "Is that me" compels us to seek and gain a deeper understanding of what God is trying to tell us...to fully realize how the lesson is seeking to transform us into a Christ-like image. The "is that me" attitude forces us to examine our own heart and motives.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Case in point. We're all familiar with the parable of the wedding feast/great supper as told in Matthew and Luke. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Well. Let's dig deeper!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Matthew 22:1-14 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. vv 1-3.</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Don't miss this...God has already sent out the invitation...and if you are saved...you have already ACCEPTED the invitation...but when it is time to go, to do, to obey...EXCUSES.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”' v 4. </p>
<p dir="ltr">(Oftentimes we erroneously assume here that Jesus is teaching about people who have refused salvation...but that is not the case. Jesus is teaching about the pastors and leadership who have been sent to engage the church (the saved folks) in corporate matters of the church. Prayer. Praise. Worship. Service.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. vv 5-7.</p>
<p dir="ltr">(But churchfolk...shirk the DUTY of salvation. They tend to put self above the things of God and the people of God...IDOLATRY...which is SIN...and it causes the wrath of God to reign in their lives.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. vv 8-10</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Grab a hold to this because many of us are going to walk into church and find our seat taken and our spot filled. God is looking for a WILLING vessel...not a place holder. And what you won't do...another will. He will get all the glory...with...or without you.) </p>
<p dir="ltr">“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And [the man] was speechless. vv 11-12</p>
<p dir="ltr">(This is so NOT about clothes. Wedding garment here is symbolic of righteousness, faithfulness, and obedience to God...which He has freely made available to you through Christ Jesus. So. There is no excuse for you to show up improperly outfitted for the occasion.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.” vv 13-14</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Darkness...eternal damnation...eternal separation from God and it will be too late to do anything because YOU will have tied your hands and feet. A lot of churchfolk will say "Lord, Lord" but Jesus will have never known them so they won't make it into heaven (Matt 7:21-23).)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. Let's take a look at some important facts that Luke's account of the parable points out.......</p>
<p dir="ltr">Luke 14:18-24 NKJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">But they all with one accord began to make excuses. v 18a</p>
<p dir="ltr">(If everybody else jumps off a bridge...will you too? If the crowd is wrong...if nobody else is willing to make time or put in the effort to do what the pastor has asked to be done...don't be disobedient because everybody else is doing it. If you trust that your pastor is a person of God with a vision from God and an ear to hear God with a heart for God...even if it's just you and him/her...GET BUSY. Corporate prayer? PRAY! Corporate praise and worship? PRAISE AND WORSHIP! Corporate service? SERVE! Corporate fasting? FAST!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ vv 18b-20</p>
<p dir="ltr">(We all have obligations and responsibilities. We all have lives outside of church. But we can't put any of those things above our obligations and responsibilities to God. After all, who blessed us with those things? And YES, our ministry begins at home...but...bring that husband or wife WITH you if at all possible. And if it's not yet possible...seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you (Matt 6:33).)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ v 21</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Remember...you once were poor or maimed or lame or blind. Or all of the above. Don't be the church guilty of turning from their first love (Rev 2:4). Don't be the church guilty of being lukewarm (Rev 3:16).)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” vv 22-24</p>
<p dir="ltr">(It's not God’s will that any of us should perish (2 Pet 3:9). But He will not twist our arms. He will, however, fill His house with willing vessels and get all the glory while doing it. And we will mess around and thrown our invitation in the trash!)</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-79019421518073009932014-12-31T08:56:00.001-05:002014-12-31T08:57:09.744-05:00New You/New Year<p dir="ltr">If in 2014...things didn't quite go as you planned...maybe in 2015 you might want to try something different. Not on a New Year/New You kind of way...but in a New You/New Year kind of way. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Let me explain...</p>
<p dir="ltr">Maybe this year God allowed some things to happen that blew either your mind...or your world apart. Maybe this year you asked God for some things...and what you got didn't look anything like what you asked for.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Maybe like Moses you said, “Now show me Your glory, God!” (Ex 33:18)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord , in your presence." (Ex 33:19a)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And maybe you got a taste of a "good" Word and you stopped listening. Maybe you didn't hang around long enough to let God finish talking to you...to let Him finish His sentence..."I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." (Ex 33:19b)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Maybe God laid it all out for you..."But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Ex 33:20)...and you didn't like what you heard and you thought there was a way to have your cake and eat it too. Surely...you thought...God has it wrong...surely, I can see His face AND live. Surely.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Well. God told you where to go, what to do, and what He would do...Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by (Ex 33:21-22). </p>
<p dir="ltr">But because it didn't look like you thought it should or go like you thought it would...you thought you missed it...or worse...you thought God could not...or would not do it...Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (Ex 33:23)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Stay with me here. Maybe you asked God for something...but when He told you that you would have to go some places and do some things that didn't quite make sense to you...or that you thought weren't the best answer for you...you thought God let you down. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Nope. Let's back up a bit here. Let me ask you a couple of questions about YOU. </p>
<p dir="ltr">In 2014...was God pleased with YOU? In 2014...does God know you by name? These are rhetorical heart questions. You don't need to answer to me. And God already knows. But you may want to have a little convo with yourself.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. In 2014...did you humble yourself before God...to be able to ASK God and then did you position yourself to be able to HEAR God and did you open your heart eyes to be able to SEE God?</p>
<p dir="ltr">And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” (Ex 33:17)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. If in 2014...you missed God...it's okay...THIS IS WHY HE GIVES US A NEW YEAR... "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Is 43:19) </p>
<p dir="ltr">Welcome to 2015. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Possibly the first day of the rest of your life. But. You're going to have to get on some get right. God hasn't changed. He is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb 13:8) And so is His Word. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! (Rom 9:14) If God told you to do something...there is no getting around it. He'll give you a clean slate to work with...but you'll still have to put in the work. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Remember...God doesn't change...For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” (Rom 9:15)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And if things don't start or turn out how you expect them to in 2015...remember...So then it is not of him who wants, nor of him who works, but of God who shows mercy. (Rom 9:16) </p>
<p dir="ltr">This isn't about you, Boo! God does want to use you though. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh [and it goes for ALL of us], “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” (Rom 9:17)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. The take home message from 2014...is the same as it was years ago...the same as it will be years from now (God willing!)...Therefore God has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. (Rom 9:18) </p>
<p dir="ltr">And...Because God knows us oh so well....from Romans 9....</p>
<p dir="ltr">One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” </p>
<p dir="ltr">But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” </p>
<p dir="ltr">Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? </p>
<p dir="ltr">What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? </p>
<p dir="ltr">What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— </p>
<p dir="ltr">As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” and, “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ” ( Rom 9:19-23, 25-26)<br>
</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-79756504383413999222014-12-29T17:36:00.001-05:002014-12-29T17:36:11.531-05:00My Team's Better than Yours<p dir="ltr">My team vs Your Team.</p>
<p dir="ltr">First...I'm Team Jesus...the winning team. And. You're either on my team. Or the WRONG team...the losing team. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And please. Let's keep it 100. It's either Team Jesus or the other. No middle team. No team good person. No team getting it together. No team when I get ready. Nope. Sorry. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me...scatters." Jesus via Luke 11:23</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now. Don't get me wrong...there are some play-play perks on the WRONG team. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And....the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:5-7)</p>
<p dir="ltr">But please remember that the devil is a liar. And is surely peddling the same lie to all your family and friends. And if you aren't Team Jesus...</p>
<p dir="ltr">You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And just in case you're wondering how to counter the lies of the devil...Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ (Luke 4:9)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. This is my point. Why WOULDN'T you want to be Team Jesus. Our perks are genuine and eternal. Just to name a few....</p>
<p dir="ltr">● And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)</p>
<p dir="ltr">● Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)</p>
<p dir="ltr">● And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)</p>
<p dir="ltr">● Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, (Ephesians 3:20)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And my personal favorite....(Deuteronomy 28:1-6)</p>
<p dir="ltr">● If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, </p>
<p dir="ltr">The Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. (Remember how the WRONG team only wants to give you the authority and splendor OF the nations...but God wants to SET YOU HIGH ABOVE! Wow!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. (This is KJV because I like the idea that the blessings will literally run us down...there is no getting away from these blessings.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. (That's everywhere folks!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. (Wrap your mind around this...your CHILDREN and what you put your hands to!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. (Your property! Your possessions! Your profession!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (First everywhere...now...all the time!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">I mean really folks. If you aren't sold on Team Jesus...I just don't know what else to tell you. You're already on A team. Why in the WORLD would you choose to play on the WRONG team?</p>
<p dir="ltr">(And. It is NOT about the perks...it's all about the relationship. But if the perks draw you to Team Jesus...I am not above selling them to you...because God is faithful...HE DOESN'T MIND GIVING THEM ALL TO YOU!)<br>
</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-59317154881546809302014-12-02T16:53:00.001-05:002014-12-02T17:00:31.733-05:00Me by Default<p dir="ltr">Isaiah 30:21 NLT</p>
<p dir="ltr">Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Isaiah 30:21 NIV</p>
<p dir="ltr">Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Have you ever been walking along and suddenly realized someone was calling your name? You look back and you think..I thought I heard someone calling me. Or I thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. And then you realize that they had been trying to get your attention all along.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Or. Have you ever been so caught up in getting your own thoughts and needs across that you've failed to listen to someone else?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Or. Have you watched someone's mouth move but not been listening to what they were saying because you were too busy preparing your own dialogue in your head?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Or. Have you ever not given someone the time of day because you just don't want what they have to say to interrupt what you want to do?</p>
<p dir="ltr">How do I hear from God?</p>
<p dir="ltr">I make a conscious effort to not be the girl I've just described.  I realize that because I can so often and so easily default to being that girl; I have to decide each day NOT to be her. I have to resist the urge to be who the world has programmed me to be.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. I listen for my name. I slow down. I tune in. I shut up.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And then..and only then..can I hear God speak to me. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Sometimes it's through my Bible time. Sometimes while I'm washing dishes. Sometimes while I'm driving the kids to practice. Sometimes when I get a text or an email. Or when I finally make time to visit a friend. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Sometimes. It's when I am doing all of that. Or none of that. Or nothing at all. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What I've come to realize is that God never stops speaking to me. Even when He is silent. God always speaks. I just fail to hear Him.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dear God, please give me an ear to hear you, a heart to receive you, and a life to serve you. In Jesus' name, Amen!</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-59138736531092314132014-11-19T09:05:00.001-05:002014-11-19T09:05:30.910-05:00Define "Okay"<p dir="ltr">"Mama Donna will we ever be okay again?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">Depends on how you define "okay". Will we ever stop hurting...I don't think completely but certainly less with time. Will we ever understand...I think only as much as we can understand more of God. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am sorry I don't have concrete answers for you. All I can tell you is what I know to be true...and that is the Word of God.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And I know you are trying to figure out how that helps you...or even applies to you...well...let me try to break it down for you...and then you just let the Word do the rest of the work.<br>
---------</p>
<p dir="ltr">Psalms 30:5-7 KJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life:</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Even if God is "mad at us"...even better than with our natural parents...it is only for a while and it is ONLY OUT OF LOVE...but here's the thing...Jesus already made it "right"...so there's no grounded or taking your car/phone/allowance...there is "God, I am sorry and I will do better...please show me how." Please understand. I AM NOT SAYING ANYBODY DID ANYTHING WRONG TO CAUSE THESE THINGS TO HAPPEN. I am saying that all any of us can do...is start with us...and work our way out.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.</p>
<p dir="ltr">(I know you cried all night. And you cried all day. And it's been that way for days. Maybe weeks. Maybe years. But. God's timing isn't like our time. A night for Him maybe a blink of His eye. And thank God that it is because it gives us time to get "in His favour". But this weeping...isn't really about the actual crying...as much as it is about the WHO YOU ARE CRYING OUT TO...when we weep BEFORE GOD...we tend to be desperate enough for Him to save us that we are honest about what that really means. And when our hearts are broken...BEFORE GOD...He hears us and He guides us to His truth and peace...THAT joy comes in the morning. And just like the night...we don't know when that is...or how long before it comes...but we know it does.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong:</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Because God is a good God. And because many prayers have gone up before you...FOR YOU...more good things tend to happen than bad. And when things are good...we feel like we don't really need God...but that's because WE FAIL TO REALIZE THAT THINGS ARE GOOD BECAUSE OF GOD. So. In the good times...we're on top of the world...riding high...and we tend to get so caught up in the good times...we tend to think and act like..."it's all good...so I'm good"...NO...God is good!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Here's the deal. When Jesus took his last breath on that cross...the Lord tore this veil that was as thick as your hand is wide and 60 ft long by 30 ft wide...from the top to the bottom. This veil was what seperated all of us from the most holy of holy...from God himself. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us tore this veil...NO MORE SEPERATION...so...grab a hold to this...GOD DOES NOT HIDE HIS FACE FROM US...not anymore...JESUS TOOK CARE OF THAT...God will NEVER leave us or stop loving us. But...and this is the only answer I have for your gazillion questions...WE HIDE FROM GOD. I did it. Your saved grandma did it. Your pastor did it. We all do it...AND THEN WE ARE TROUBLED. God is the same God of all the bible stories you studied as a child. He is the same God of your favorite bible verse. The same God of that song you hear in church that makes you cry like a baby. The same God. And He has not gone anywhere...BECAUSE HE WILL NOT. He doesn't hide from us...our sin shames us into hiding from Him.)<br>
--------<br>
<br>
Will we ever be okay again...APART FROM GOD...WE NEVER WERE OKAY AND NEVER WILL BE.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-58743130382757287902014-10-31T17:48:00.001-04:002014-10-31T17:48:20.954-04:00Just the facts...until my opinion...<p dir="ltr">Ok. So. I was asked this question..."Is an armor-bearer a real position in a church?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">(And because my church doesn't have one...I had to ask what exactly that was...and I had one of my things that make me go hmmm moments.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. My answer...after some research...was this...</p>
<p dir="ltr">The term armor-bearer is found in the Old Testament in the books of Judges (9:54), 1 Samuel (14:1, 6, 7, 12-14, and 17, 16:21, 31:4-6), 2 Samuel (18:15 and 23:37), and 1 Chronicles (10:54 and 11:39).</p>
<p dir="ltr">Armor-bearers were ones who carried the armor or arms of another...usually a person in authority such as a king or a highly esteemed warrior. They were considered right hand men and would even die for whom they were in service. (PERSONAL RED FLAG!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">There is no mention of an armor-bearer in the established church of the New Testament. For a list of church offices specifically mentioned in the Bible please see Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Timothy 3, and Titus 1.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ok. Those are the facts. And I invite you to go to the source...GOD’S WORD...yourself for your own understanding.</p>
<p dir="ltr">However...after presenting the facts...I was asked how I felt about it. So...here goes.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I am not comfortable with the position of armor-bearer (AB) AT ALL. I think it invites someone in authority to get a very big head and possibly exalt themselves over THE HEAD...CHRIST.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Let's go back to who actually had ABs...kings. Why did the people have kings in the first place? See 1 Sam 8:5-9 and Acts 13:21-22. </p>
<p dir="ltr">God never intended for us to have a king...BECAUSE HE IS KING...and look at how Him giving us what we wanted turned out. Even David...God's chosen king after His own heart through whose lineage Jesus came...ultimately failed in this position. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And if you pay attention...none of the "good" kings had ABs. The kings who did ultimately had their power stripped from them by God due to pride which lead to disobedience. Not good.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And I know that just because ABs aren't mentioned in the OT doesn't mean it isn't or can't be a vital part of today's churches. By that argument...one could say the same of the church secretary or praise and worship leader or Sunday school teacher. So that's not why I have a problem with it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And let me just say this. If your church has one...(I already admitted that mine does not)...and that works for you...AND IT GLORIFIES GOD...it works for me. I am not trying to say that your church or belief system is wrong.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But if it over inflates a pastor's ego or his sense of importance...that's dangerous...and not Christ like at all.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus was a very humble servant. Remember He was the same one who washed His disciples feet. The same one who died for you and me. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I honestly can't imagine Jesus having an armor-bearer. </p>
<p dir="ltr">(And this is not an invitation to debate. Every word after HOWEVER...is my personal opinion. And while I am no Bible authority...I am the authority when it comes to my opinion.)<br></p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-31162779455145066162014-10-28T12:40:00.001-04:002014-10-28T12:40:52.625-04:00If only......<p dir="ltr">"If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea." - Isaiah 48:18 (NIV)</p>
<p dir="ltr">If only.......is that the story of anybody else's life besides mine? If only I had paid attention...if only I had listened...IF ONLY...my peace would have flowed like a river...my well-being would be as sure as the waves of the sea...IF ONLY!</p>
<p dir="ltr">When God calls us...when He assigns us...He also GIVES us His word and His wisdom to work His plan...for our good and His glory.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So along the way...God will guide us...He will baby us when we need it...and correct us when we need that too. Sometimes...God will force us to dig deep...to burn off all the gunk...so that all that’s left is what's really in our hearts.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And we all know what scriptures tell us about the human heart…</p>
<p dir="ltr">· It is deceitful– "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it?" - Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)</p>
<p dir="ltr">· It gets sick from rebellion– "Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick." - Isaiah 1:5 (NLT)</p>
<p dir="ltr">· It faints from sin– "The crown has fallen from our head; Woe to us, for we have sinned! Because of this our heart is faint, Because of these things our eyes are dim." - Lamentations 5:16-17 (NASB)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. When we get to the heart of the matter...one of two things happen. We soften and let God continue His work in us and through us...or we stiffen...and here's where that if only comes in.</p>
<p dir="ltr">When we stiffen...we invite hardness of the heart...and that's a sin that leads to hopelessness.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Our own disobedience to God’s ways...makes the going that much harder...and our unrepentant hearts can actually become hopeles...because we tend to set our expectations on and in people, stuff, and things instead of His righteousness.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Proverbs 13:12 (NIV) says: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."</p>
<p dir="ltr">To get our heart's desires...we have to set our hopes on God’s promises, delight in His ways, and submit to His plan...NOT OURS.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. Grab a seat. And let's do a self eval right quick...let's ask ourselves a few tough questions…</p>
<p dir="ltr">· Am I making my heart sick by stubbornly holding onto ungodly people, stuff, and things within my heart?</p>
<p dir="ltr">· Do I sense that God is using circumstances and situations to take me deeper to get those things out of me?</p>
<p dir="ltr">· Have I prayed, “Lord, open my eyes to my stiff or hardened heart!”</p>
<p dir="ltr">· Am I working with God’s plan of redemption and restoration for me...or fighting Him tooth and nail?</p>
<p dir="ltr">(Look...you never even have to admit to me that you even read this post...but God knows...and you know He knows...so you might as well keep it real.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">God’s plan will always involve establishing OUR HEARTS IN HIM before He moves any mountains for us...or before He rains down the big blessings...like a ministry...or a marriage...or a promotion...or a new house...or a fill in the blank with your heart's desire. </p>
<p dir="ltr">God wants our whole heart. Not a piece or a slice. Not on Sundays and Wednesdays only. Not just when it's rainbows and sunshine. Our whole hearts. All the time. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Scriptures tell us…</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?" - Ezekiel 18:31</p>
<p dir="ltr">"I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am The Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart." - Jeremiah 24:7</p>
<p dir="ltr">"I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear Me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them." - Jeremiah 32:39</p>
<p dir="ltr">"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:26</p>
<p dir="ltr">And Jesus is our hope...Jesus is our key to the kingdom. And He is right there for the taking. GOD GAVE HIM TO US...SO WE COULD GIVE OURSELVES TO HIM.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So if you are…</p>
<p dir="ltr">· Looking to get (fill in the blank)...LOOK UP.</p>
<p dir="ltr">· Looking for that perfect (fill in the blank)...LOOK up.</p>
<p dir="ltr">· Looking for God to move mountains and do the impossible...LOOK UP, UP, UP....</p>
<p dir="ltr">And while you're looking up...pull yourself up...draw near to God...for when we come near to Him...He comes near to us.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek The Lord, until He comes and showers His righteousness on you." -Hosea 10:12 (NIV)</p>
<p dir="ltr">"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." -Matthew 6:33 (NASB)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So. You're wondering what to do...where to start...glad you asked...start on your knees...pray God’s Word back to Him…</p>
<p dir="ltr">"With all my heart I want Your blessings. Be merciful as You promised." - Psalm 119:58 (NIV)</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Teach me Your way, Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name." - Psalm 86:11 (NIV)</p>
<p dir="ltr">God is ready, willing, and able to meet you right where you are...all it takes is your open invitation...and your humble submission.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't get stuck holding that "if only" bag...go get your peace and well-being!</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-21706214583521110492014-08-05T18:40:00.001-04:002014-08-05T18:40:14.485-04:00One Thing<p dir="ltr">"They" say that you can tell alot about a person's priorities by how they spend their time and money...(I say why do "they" care about how I spend my time or money as neither belongs to them.)...but let's see what Jesus had to say about that.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Do you know the story of Mary and Martha? This Bible story cuts to the heart of priorities...where we invest our time and our motivation behind the investment.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 38-42</p>
<p dir="ltr">Martha spent her time worried about housekeeping. While Mary sat at Jesus' feet more concerned about heartkeeping. The Bible says that Martha was distracted. And Jesus said she was anxious and troubled.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't get me wrong...serving and providing food for her guests was a good thing...but when it became the most important thing...it became a problem. Matters of her house...took precedence over those of her heart...which in turn made her anxious and worried.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The distractions pulled her focus away from Jesus. The Word made flesh was sitting in her living room yet she was overcome by worldly busyness...so much so that her heart was cluttered and anxious with worldly duties...to the point that she completely overlooked her true duties...those to the Word...those to Christ.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Can you relate to Martha? I know there are sure times when I am guilty of pulling a Martha.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As our to-do lists grow longer and longer...we tend to sacrifice being in the presence of God in order to check items off those lists. We also tend to get caught up in the details of everyday living and familial responsibilities... never pausing long enough to let the Word nourish us.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus said to Martha that only one thing is necessary. David had this to say about that "one thing" in Psalm 27:4...."One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple."</p>
<p dir="ltr">There are lots of things we can do in our day. Some of those things can be really important...life or death things...but nothing, not even good things, should interfere with our relationship and quality time with God.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Only one thing is necessary." All the other things that we think are so important just fade away in the presence of God's glory.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And the truth of the matter is...when God provides the motive...He also supplies the means...which includes the mind, the minutes, and the moolah! So spending time with God won't cut into our busy schedules.</p>
<p dir="ltr">No...my sisters and brothers...lack is not an issue for our God. Not of time. Not of money. Not of anything. Nothing will prevent Him from completing his purposes in and through us. When we remember that He is the "one thing [that] is necessary"...our priorities never get out of order.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-91457044531443913222014-07-28T20:15:00.001-04:002014-07-28T20:15:41.679-04:00Can you tell me how to get to MY Promised Land?<p dir="ltr">Have you ever felt like you have stayed in certain spot waaaay too long? </p>
<p dir="ltr">I have. There have been times in my life when I knew that I was not going anywhere real slow...and to be honest, because I wasn’t looking to leave where I was...I grew content real fast.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But my journey with God has taught me that whenever He speaks and tells me to DO something it is for my good. And He isn't just "playing" God...(He will get the glory whether I move...or not)...Which is why Deuteronomy 1:6 literally speaks to my spirit. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Like the Israelite children, I have heard God tell me to leave where I was at so that He can lead me into my Promised Land. And just like them...I am obeying. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Now I do realize that the Promised Land in this verse deals with a specific territory that God had set aside for His chosen people. But I also realize that my Promised Land and your Promised Land that God has for us may be something totally different. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It may not even be a physical place. It could be a job (whether to start, leave or stay at one), a relationship (starting or leaving one), children (whether or not to have or adopt or foster them), or even your ministry…anything that God is speaking to you about to get you to move into where He wants you to be in your life...is your Promised Land.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In my case, it had to deal with my dream of being a... (yall aint ready for that yet!)...God has really been speaking to me to grab a hold to this dream. No longer will He allow me to sit willy nilly by the sidelines and hope for the best. It is time for me to MOVE and own it...to walk in it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Just as God so emphatically stated to the Israelites at Horeb that it was time to get a move on...He has said it to me in this leg of our divine journey. He has laid out the land before me so I can’t be satisfied settling on the outside looking in. It is time to go out and conquer the world...as my first lady likes to say after each Sunday school lesson. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I will admit that fear had me stuck for several wasted years. I was afraid of opening up to the ever watching eye of my not so approving or adoring public...but I have learned that the beauty of going where God leads me is that He is always with me...so I never have to go alone.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And if He is sending me...that's the only approval I need...(Amen? AMEN!)</p>
<p dir="ltr">His Word reminds us repeatedly that He will always be with us wherever we may go (Joshua 1:7). When you move where God leads..you show Him that you trust Him and because of that trust walk..He will flood you with His presence and His faithfulness every single step of the way. </p>
<p dir="ltr">God will open doors that no man can shut and will ensure that all things work together for your good (Revelation 3:8 and Romans 8:28). </p>
<p dir="ltr">So. Fam...what has God been speaking to you to grab a hold to? What is your Promised Land? Don’t let fear or "good where I am"-edness hold you back. Leave your mountain and go and possess the Land that God has for you.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-6363927517168050302014-07-21T13:23:00.001-04:002014-07-21T13:23:56.272-04:00Ever Just Wanted to Die?<p dir="ltr">“The enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness…therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.” Psalm 143: 3, 4 KJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">Does this sound familiar? What about this?</p>
<p dir="ltr">“But (Elijah), himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; I’m ready to join my ancestors in the grave.” 1 Kings 19:4 KJV</p>
<p dir="ltr">If you've ever found yourself at rock bottom...and you wanted to die...even went so far as to plan to die...YOU ARE NOT ALONE.</p>
<p dir="ltr">One of the all time Bible “greats", the prophet Elijah, found himself digging through the bottom of a total physical, emotional and spiritual black hole..to the point where he asked God to just let him die. He had been hit by his own “triple threat”...Baal, Ahab and Jezebel...and he just didn't want to live anymore.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It happens to the best of us. And if it hasn't yet...keep living...keep fighting for the Lord...chances are...it will. There's no shame in it. You just have to recognize the enemy when you see him..even thru the lens of desperation and fear.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Even after a great victory...you may get hit by a one-two punch by the enemy that steals your worship. And silences your praise. And you may just want to throw in the towel and ask God to let you crawl off and die.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Has this ever happened to you? Has something or someone or some storm or some sorrow shoved you so close to the edge that it made you question God..so much so that life didn’t seem like it was even worth living anymore?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Nope...you aren’t alone. All through the Bible, some of God’s most trusted and faithful friends found themselves in this same pit. </p>
<p dir="ltr">For Joseph: brothers sold him into slavery, taken to Egypt, bought by Potiphar whose wife falsely accused him of attempted rape and had him locked up for years. </p>
<p dir="ltr">For Moses: lead a bunch ingrates toward the Promised Land for 40 long years, lost his temper and he was denied access to Canaan. </p>
<p dir="ltr">For King David: a man after God’s own heart who suffered terrible bouts of depression as written about in some of the Psalms where he throws some of the Bible's greatest pity parties.</p>
<p dir="ltr">No. Elijah wasn't alone. And neither are you.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sure...he felt isolated. In I Kings 19: 10, Elijah had a very real convo with God. “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Elijah poured out his heart to God. And I'm paraphrasing here but he basically said... “God, I stood up for You. I was Your leader. I was there for You. I was Your go-to guy. When nobody else loved You…when everybody else rejected You, I was there! What did I get for all my trouble? This wicked woman says, ‘off with my head,’ and I can’t take it. I’m alone. The whole world is against me and I can’t see or hear You, so I want to end it now. Get me out of here – I can’t handle anymore!”</p>
<p dir="ltr">And yet God didn't pop him in the mouth..and ask Elijah just who he thought he was talking to. Nope. God loved on him..in that small still voice! Then God put Elijah to work on some of his greatest assignments.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Read 1 Kings 19...it's a good read. All facts..no fiction. And if you are feeling down in the devil dumps...do what God had Elijah do. It worked for him...I'm sure it will work for you.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> 1. Reach out to God. Pour out your heart to him. Keep it<br>
100.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> 2. Reach out to other Godly people. God has custom<br>
selected your circle...trust His judgment...lean on<br>
them.<br>
<br>
3. Reach out to others in service. When God sends<br>
you...GO! Make yourself available. Be willing. It may<br>
well be that God has a great work for you that will<br>
blow your mind. </p>
<p dir="ltr">There is no new problem under the sun. Somewhere at some time...someone has been there and done that. And chances are there is a biblical model to guide us...we just have to search it out!</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-11643849882144974362014-07-01T08:17:00.001-04:002014-07-01T08:18:02.283-04:00That's not MY problem!<p dir="ltr">I've spent an awful lot of time in my life worrying. Over this. Over that. Over something. Over nothing. I've lost invaluable time that I'll never get back. I just worried it away.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So, I have adopted the most biblical attitude of "that's not my problem" and decided to dump all my incessant worries at heaven's door. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Sometimes I don't even wait on God to come to the door..I ring the bell..drop it off and keep it moving. Sometimes I hang around for a cup of coffee. Or sometimes I go sit beside His rocker at His feet because I need to talk about it. Sometimes I have to make three or four trips..But..I have learned to leave my worries with Him.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing. I don't know about you, but I don't have any time to waste these days. And worrying is a waste of very precious time. Worrying won't help you solve a problem or bring about a solution, so why waste your time and energy on it?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Matthew 6:27-29<br>
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. (NLT)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Worrying is not good for you. It is self destructive to us in so many ways. It becomes a mental stumbling block that can turn into a very physical road block and make you ill..or fat if you're like me and turn to cooking..and thus eating. It can make us mean and rude.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Proverbs 12:25<br>
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (NLT)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Worrying is the opposite of trusting God. The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer. When we replace worry with prayer we learn to trust.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Matthew 6:30<br>
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (NLT)<br>
<br>
Philippians 4:6-7<br>
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Worrying puts our focus in the wrong direction. When we keep our eyes lifted up in prayer to God..and our hands lifted in praise..we remember his love for us and we tend not to watch the problem or try to put our hands on it by ourselves. We realize we truly have nothing to worry about.</p>
<p dir="ltr">God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us (Jer 29:11!). Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can put our trust in the Lord and focus on his kingdom. God will take care of our every need.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Matthew 6:25<br>
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? (NLT)<br>
<br>
Matthew 6:31-33<br>
So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (NLT)<br>
<br>
1 Peter 5:7 <br>
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT)</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNzi7nSSTVzV8h6rBrvza8wylrWVT_1kOi1bbnO-RHF5dgwEUMaqTh1k8CjWdQJp4UtcGN4uNGFDgkZcd1Yhquq7ZatyePvUteYHlPkPJUc5bppdekosnpwj_TZ9nZQwzXj_EgDuIZKyy/s1600/IMG_141329905712469.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNzi7nSSTVzV8h6rBrvza8wylrWVT_1kOi1bbnO-RHF5dgwEUMaqTh1k8CjWdQJp4UtcGN4uNGFDgkZcd1Yhquq7ZatyePvUteYHlPkPJUc5bppdekosnpwj_TZ9nZQwzXj_EgDuIZKyy/s640/IMG_141329905712469.jpeg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-74072976190645259432014-06-07T01:04:00.001-04:002014-06-07T01:04:31.333-04:00Are you saved....or nahhhh?<p dir="ltr"></p>
<p dir="ltr">If we're honest, we know we don't want to go to hell, but we don't really want to serve God either. We want to have one foot in the world and the other in the Kingdom. We want to straddle the spiritual fence.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A lot of us are spiritual fence straddlers. We're obviously not on fire for God, but of course we can't admit to living for the devil either. We're not willing to abandon God and leave the church, but we're not fully alive and enjoying the abundant life Jesus came to bring. We're smack in the middle. Of the spiritual fence.</p>
<p dir="ltr">This is nothing new. Jesus tells the church at Laodicea, "Some of you are not hot [both feet in the Kingdom], you are not even cold [both feet in the world], you are lukewarm [foot in the Kingdom, foot in the world]." And it will end badly for the straddlers: "There is no life there. I will spit you out of my mouth" (see Revelation 3:15-16).</p>
<p dir="ltr">Paul said much of the same thing to the church of Corinth: he told them that he could not consider them spiritual, but he could not call them worldly either. They were a mixture of the two. They were carnal (see 1 Corinthians 3:1) or stuck in the flesh. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Paul was basically asking these Corinthian Christians if they were saved...or nahhhhh? They were Christians but still straddling that spiritual fence.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Many of us today do the same thing. We want just enough Jesus to get us to heaven, but we want to hold onto a little bit of the world too. We're lukewarm, tepid, not hot or cold, not heavenly and not earthly, not sold out to God and not entirely through renting from the devil. So we get stuck up there on that spiritual fence.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Time to hop down off that fence and kick that or nahhhhh to the curb.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535283450185286593.post-63952782381380071772014-06-03T07:23:00.001-04:002014-06-03T07:23:49.728-04:00Focus Man!<p dir="ltr">Nevermind what they do. What they have done. What they will do. They are not your problem...not your concern. Cast thy burden upon the Lord...</p>
<p dir="ltr">You only have control over you. What you do. What you have done. What you will do. You can only give an account for you. And He shall sustain thee....</p>
<p dir="ltr">So even when you can see what they are doing. Can hear it. Can feel it. Keep your eyes, your ears, your heart...your whole self...focused on Jesus. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. </p>
<p dir="ltr">TRUST IN GOD. People will always disappoint us. It is not in them to give us what we need. TRUST IN GOD. I know it's hard. And it hurts. But. Cast. Be sustained. Be unmoved. TRUST.<br>
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<p dir="ltr">Psalm 55:21-23</p>
<p dir="ltr">The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Cast thy burden upon the Lord , and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16625569034035410920noreply@blogger.com0