Do not be deceived!!

The Bible has warned us many times about false teachers and false prophets. They have always been around. With all the technology we have today, they are able to reach more people at one time. Some are quite obvious. Some, not so much. Just because someone has the title "Reverend", "Pastor" or "Doctor" before their name, does not necessarily mean that they are a true believer. Always, ALWAYS, go to the Bible yourself and verify the words they are saying. Pray for discernment. Do research. Get a concordance and look up words you don't understand completely. This is serious business. Just a few verses concerning this matter:

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising , then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.

"For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." Jude 4.

"Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals- these are the very things that destroy them." Jude 10.

(speaking of false prophets) "They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them." 1 John 4:5.

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and and turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4

2 Timothy Chapter 3 says that there will be terrible times in the last days. Verse 2 describes many people of this world today. Verse 5 says that these people will have a form of godliness, but deny it's power. Verse 7 says they are always learning but never able to ACKNOWLEDGE the truth. This is so prevalent today!!!

"If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain." 1 Timothy 6:3-5

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron." 1 Timothy 4:1-2.

Jesus himself said (speaking of the last days), "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be save." Matthew 24 10-13

I am sure that I could find many more, but I've got a sweet baby to tend to. I just felt such an urgency this morning. And please, do not take my word for it. Go and look up these verses yourself if you are not already familiar with them! Read the entire chapters to receive the full context. We must be very diligent in these times, that we are not deceived!

"Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. l

STAND FIRM MY FRIENDS!

The empty space...

How many times have you seen this lately?- A known Christian believer is asked a question about his or her beliefs. He or she answers the question truthfully, and people become outraged, shocked, appalled by the answer!! First of all, I believe that sometimes these questions are a trap. They are asked because someone is looking to stir up controversy surrounding the Christian. Secondly, since when is it not okay to believe in the Bible? A true Christian's entire faith is based on their belief that the Bible is truth. Why are people so shocked when a Christian confesses that they have Biblical view points? Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." My interpretation of this verse is that the Word of God is still relevant. It is not out-dated. It still holds meaning for us today. The same meaning that it held when it was written. Either you believe it, or you don't. You cannot pick out the parts you like and come up with your own ideas as to why the other parts are incorrect. If you do not agree with the entire Bible, then you do not believe in the God that wrote it. The God of the Bible is still the same God today. He has not changed. He still has authority over all creation, whether or not we like it. His Word does divide. It is dividing our country today, now more than ever. It is no longer politically-correct to believe in the Word. If you are against abortion, then you must not think that women should have rights. If you believe in Biblical marriage, then you must hate people who are gay! These are just 2 example of how my personal beliefs have been distorted by the media recently. It is really starting to get on my nerves! Why can we no longer respectfully disagree? Why do we have to mock or demonize people with different views? Just because I have compassion for an unborn child does not mean that I don't have compassion for his mother. Just because I think marriage is between one man and one woman, does not mean that I hate anyone! On the contrary, I love everyone! In fact, every single friend I have is a sinner. I happen to be one too! I do not love anyone any less because of their sin. These are only 2 of the many, many beliefs that are being distorted. I could write a book! Some will argue that God is not very clear about these subjects. It may seem that way. We rarely have political debates over the sins of the 10 commandments. Those are pretty straight-forward. I personally believe that God did this on purpose. He wants us to get into His Word and dig for the truth sometimes. The only way we can truly come to know Him is to do so. If we limited our reading to only a few chapters, we would miss so much of His character and His heart. The last few years, I have done some digging. He has revealed so many things to me that I was unsure of before. Now, I can stand confident in my beliefs. I know why I believe the things I believe and I have Biblical evidence supporting my beliefs. The one thing I lack is courage. It is scary to stand up for your beliefs when you know you will be mocked and hated. And sometimes it will feel like you are standing all alone. I believe that this is all a scheme of the devil to keep us silent. My favorite thing to do, is turn the devil's schemes upside down! My son Mason said that he would kick the devil in the privacy if he has the chance! Ha! When you get into the Word and use it daily, you are hitting the devil where it hurts! We need to pray for the Christians in leadership. Pray that they will have courage in the face of such hatred. Pray for more Christian leaders to rise up. Pray for courage for ourselves. It is not easy to write this blog. Even though few read it, I know that not everyone will agree with it. That is okay, too. I will respect your beliefs, but I ask that you respect mine, too. One more thing, people have been doing their best to remove God from our culture for many many years now. Do they not see what this has done? It is not getting any better. Ask any teacher what they think of this generation of kids coming up. I can't speak for all of them, but I can for a few. It is not good. My oldest son comes home every day complaining about school. Not because of the teachers, rules or work. But because the kids are so disrespectful and unruly that he is miserable! That is not a good sign! Some time and some place we are going to have to draw the line. When you remove God, you are leaving the door wide open for someone else to take His place. Turn on your television and you can already see who is filling in the empty space. It is not good at all. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ~2 Chronicles 7:14.

Just a thought...

Good news! I finally have home internet again! It is even high speed! Now I have no reason to not post a blog everyday.... I will not interject any other excuses right here. I am a work in progress for sure! I am posting rather late tonight. I have been finishing up my homework for Bible study tomorrow (I know! I know!) I just got such a word from it that I had to tell someone! So all 4 or 5 of you, listen up! ;) We are studying the book of Acts. It is about how the early church was formed and behaved. The thing that had wowed me the most is their boldness. They had such great courage. They were literally threatened when they shared about Jesus. Thrown in prison, tortured and killed. They still told everyone about Him anyway! Verse 4:13 says they were uneducated an untrained. There goes that excuse! Verse 4:20 says that they just spoke about what they had seen and heard. I may not be able to answer every single question any one throws at me, but I can tell you what Jesus has done for me! In verse 4:29 they prayed and asked God for boldness. I can do that too. In verse 5:41 they rejoiced that God thought they were worthy enough to suffer shame for Jesus's name. Have I ever done that?... How often do I hold back the Good News because I am afraid of what someone will think? I am afraid of a thought. And these men were not afraid to die. Wow. God still has a lot of work to do in me. I am just thankful that He has not given up on me yet! I really want to be bold and fearless! This blog was a big step for me but I know there is more. I still don't always say exactly what I know the Word is saying to me because I don't want to be controversial and I want people to like me. But, who is that benefitting? And when I am I breathing my last breath, will I really be worried about what people thought of me? What will be important when I am standing before the Lord? Think about it... I also want to share my favorite part so far: At the end of chapter 5 a pharisee named Gamaliel stood up and told all the others to chill out. He named a few other men, who claimed to be somebody and had gathered followers in a revolt. After those men were killed, their followers quickly dispersed and it all came to nothing. Gamaliel told them to leave Jesus's followers alone because if their work was of men, it would come to nothing. "But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it. You will only find yourselves fighting against God." So powerful! Wish I could ask Gamaliel if 2,000 years is long enough to prove that Jesus is the real deal! I'm convinced! :)

New name, same stuff

First of all, once again I am on my phone! It is just too much trouble to go back and correct any grammatical errors! I cannot even believe I just said that! Grammatical errors are my biggest pet peeve! I cannot simply go to the library or someones house to use their computer either. My creativity does not work that way. If I don't finish it in the same sitting as I started, I lose interest. I cannot tell you how many first chapters of novels I have written. I am saving that for when the kids are grown and no one will be harmed if I type for several days straight. Also, I dont know if you can see paragraphs or not. I am separating my thoughts into paragraphs but it is all squashed together after I publish! Almost too much for me to take. Anyhoo: Tonight I just feel led to share a little of my story. I realize that my posts may tend to be redundant, but as long as the enemy is spreading lies, I will continue to spread the truth. I appreciate everyone who reads them anyway! I was a Christian for a very long time before I fully grasped the reality of what that means. I believed that Jesus died and rose from the dead and that He was God's Son. I believed all the Bible stories. I prayed almost every day, mainly for myself and my problems. I read my Bible, mainly when I was having trouble and needed advice. I thought I had all I needed. There were, however, a few issues in the Bible that I didn't agree with. In my mind, I thought that since this book had been written so long ago, that maybe some of God's opinions had changed. I didn't go to church for a period of about 10 years. I didn't really think I needed to. I felt weird about going with a bunch of people I didn't know. My shyness was the main reason for that. When I look back now, I can see that I was just barely getting by and sometimes I also wonder if I was really saved then. I can remember having doubts at times. So, what changed? Why am I different today? Change began when I began a real study of His Word. The more I learned, the more clearly I could see. It was like a veil was lifted from my eyes. I began to pray like never before. I pray all the time now. When something good happens, I give Him praise. When something bad happens to anyone, I lift them up. I have a heart for hurting people like never before. I started wanting to go to church every chance I could. I got over my shyness through 2 Timothy 1:7. "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline." If timidness does not come from God, it can only come from the devil. I could not be writing this right now, if not for that verse. Not only that, I know now that believers NEED the church. There are many many times when the only encouragement I get all week is through the church. You certainly won't get encouragement from this world! I no longer want to do the things I used to. I don't care for partying anymore. I'd rather be home with my husband and kids. I want to be a better wife and mother. I am confident that staying at home is right for my family. Before, I always felt like I wasn't doing anything of value. Now, I know that there is nothing more valuable. I used to dream of a big house and lots of money. Now, I am content with the home that God has provided for us, in a way that only He could. My prayer is that my boys will grow up to be men of God and full of courage. We need lots more of those! Most importantly, I know that His Word is just as valid today as it was 2,000 years ago. I still go to it for advice but I also go to it for wisdom. For, I have found that "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." I also know now that I am saved, no doubt about it. There are days when those old feelings and doubts creep in. I still mess up. I get off track and drift away. But I can now recognize that it is my fault when that happens. God didn't move away from me. I moved away from Him. He isn't going anywhere.

How do I know?

Every time I do it, I swear I'm never going to do it again. It always leaves me feeling angry and sad and disgusted! So then, why do I keep reading the comments after news stories on the internet? I think I am finally done with it for good. What is it that irritates me so? First of all it's the "Christians" who spew their judgements at the first opportunity. Not our job, folks, and that's pretty much why other people dislike us so. Is it wrong that I am judgemental of judgemental people? Probably so... Secondly, it's the jokesters who poke fun at even the most tragic incidences. I'm all for a good laugh but sometimes compassion is classier. But the absolute worst is the hateful atheist person. Not just the ones who don't believe in God but the ones who condemn those of us who do. It makes me wonder what happened to this person? Was there a horrific tragedy? Did he have a run-in with one of my judgemental friends? And why so much anger? How can you have so much hate for something you don't believe is real? How can one go into the world and look at all the marvelous creations and think that it was all just chance? I'm not saying that science is all a bunch of nonsense. My personal belief is that God said "Let there be light!" and there was a big bang and then there was light. God did not go into specifics about how He created everything. Of course, this guy would probably say I'm brainwashed. Thankfully I was taught about God and the Bible from a young age. But I'm an adult now and while I'm no astro-physicist, I am capable of putting two thoughts together and forming an opinion and I've concluded that yes, there is a God! How do I really know for certain that God is real? I know because He has proven Himself to me every single day. I have been taken care of in so many ways that I know it cannot be coincidence or "karma". My life has been full of ups and downs. Sometimes I did not understand, but looking back I see that it was all pary of a carefully constructed plan, divine happenings that led me to where I am today. When I call out to Him, He answers me. No, I don't hear it with my ears, I hear it with my heart. It's not something that can be explained but it is truth. I am not imagining it and I am not delusional. I get so angry when I hear anyone speaking hatred or contempt against my God! Then, I get sad because I know they they don't know my God. To know Him is to love Him. I am thankful that through Bible study and prayer, I have gotten to know Him. I have complete trust in His character, even when I don't understand His plan. The proof is in my heart. So, when I hear this talk, I stop and pray. "Father I am so sorry. It it hurts me to hear these things but I know that it hurts you more even more. Please allow this person feel Your presence. Open their heart to Your truth." And then I feel His peace come over me. And to me that is one more piece of evidence that He is here. It also helps me to have a little word from the Word on these matters: "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels and the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:23-26.

All of us

First of all, let me add a little disclaimer... We don't have home internet right now. I am blogging from my phone and it is a challenge. Please forgive any errors in spelling or grammar. I can barely see what I'm typing and this site does not agree with my phone. Ha! My heart has been so burdened lately by the division between people. From politics to family to friends to co-workers and so on and so on. Judgement, anger and resentment are poisons. Nothing good can come from them. So why are we so quick to go there? What's the point? We are all sinners. Just because someone sins different from you, doesn't mean their sin is any worse than yours. We are all going to have different opinions. That doesn't make mine more important than yours. We all struggle. Someone's life may look perfect from the outside but you don't know what they are struggling with on the inside. I do have a selfish reason for pos,ting this blog. I'm tired of being misunderstood. My only enemy is the devil. I truly care and have concern for everyone in my life. If I don't always show it, it's because I am wore out! Raising three wild little boys is no easy task. Especially when I am on my own most of the time. Some days I am really struggling. SO, if I offend you in any way, please cut me some slack. I promise it was not intentional. Now that I've said all this, I have to take my own advice. I am the worst about getting my feelings hurt too easily. I don't like turmoil and controversy. I want everyone to get along and like each other. How I wish it could be that way! Since it can't, let's all try to love each other. When someone hurts or disappoints you, pray for them. You really may not have a clue of what they're going through. T___alk to them. Be understanding. Don't lash out the first chance you get. We all have bad days. Let's cut each other some slack. After all "Love each other as I have loved you" is the greatest commandment. Thank you, Lord for the people you place in my life. Thank you for the ones that encourage me and the ones who challenge me. I know we must all face challenges. T.at is part of living in this world. But Lord, I pray that as a Christian, I will always look to you for guidance when I'm challenged and that I will always be willing to forgive others as you always forgive me. I love you! In Jesus's name, I pray. Amen.

Itching Ears?

Hello, blog! It's been awhile. So long that I forgot my password and almost wasn't able to log in....

Today's blog has been stewing around in my mind for a few weeks now. I didn't post it earlier, because I really didn't want to. I was kinda hoping something else would come along, but alas, this same message kept coming to me again and again. I really don't want to stop blogging altogether, so I decided to finally sit down and get this one out there and clear my thoughts.

First of all, I have to say that I just realized that I don't envy preachers one bit! I find it very difficult to even write this little blog, without feeling like a hypocrite. As I have said before, I feel so unworthy to write these words, when I know that I am so guilty of not always following the Word, myself. Isn't that the whole point of being a Christian? Following the Word? So, why is it that so many times we will ignore certain parts of the Word? We choose the parts we like and preach about those, and decide that we must have evolved past the parts that we disagree with.

So, what does the Word say about that? "ALL SCRIPTURE is GOD-BREATHED and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...." -2 Timothy 3:16. It doesn't say "some scripture" or "the scripture that you agree with". It says "ALL SCRIPTURE."

Why then, are so many Christians turning away from the truth? Choosing their opinions over God's Word? The Bible has something to say about that too: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."-2 Timothy 4:3-4.

The truth is that it is sometimes hard to understand God's ways. He tells us that it will be. "My ways are not your ways." It is during those times, that we have to suppress our pride and lean on our faith. No matter how evolved or smart we think we are, we will NEVER be smarter or wiser than the Creator of this magnificent universe. He is the Boss! He made us, so He gets to tell us what to do. It's that simple.

All of this being said, we must also remember not to go around pointing fingers! I've got enough on my hands, just trying to keep myself straight. I'm not about to go around knocking people in the head with my Bible and throwing stones at them. 2 Timothy 2:24 also says, "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." Just keep an open heart towards people, so that when they do need your help, you will be able to help them.

I know it is hard to be a good Christian in this world! I struggle with it every day. I am so thankful for my Christian friends and family that give me encouragement. And most importantly, I am thankful for the Word of God! For any trouble that I've have ever had, I have always been able to find comfort, advice and peace in the Word. How could I ever doubt It's magnificence?

Gettin' Ugly!

Do you ever want to just get ugly with someone? Sometimes people are rude, unthoughtful or just down right mean. Sometimes we deserve the way they treat us, but sometimes we don't. It can be a struggle for me to deal with difficult people, 'cause there is a part of me that REALLY wants to get ugly with them!

The thing is, I am serious about my commitment to Christ and I know that gettin' ugly isn't really an option. Jesus doesn't like ugly! 1 Peter 3:9 says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

Okay, so I won't get ugly. But, what if my feelings are still hurt! What if I really did not deserve the way I was treated. Usually, what I really  want to do is sit and sulk about it for awhile.  Unfortunately, that isn't an option either. Ephesians 4:32 says "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

So, what I really have to do is forgive them. Be kind to them, even though they may not deserve it. Be compassionate towards them. Everyone has struggles. If someone is hurting me, they have a reason, even if it has nothing to do with me. Happy people don't go around hurting others purposefully!

When it is hard to forgive someone, I pray. I pray for that person every time the negative feelings come into my heart. Eventually, all the negativity does turn to compassion and love for that person. Sometimes I have to repeat the process all over when they hurt me again!

The important thing is that when you honor Christ with your mouth, you must also honor Him with your actions. It is never easy and I fail many times, but I am serious about my commitment. When I fail, I try again. There will always be unjust people in this world. The truth is, I'm not responsible for their actions. I'm only responsible for my own.

Thank you, Lord for your magnificent Word that ALWAYS has an answer for all of my needs! Thank you for your Spirit that convicts me when I am out of line. Thank you for the people that test me. These people make me lean on You, and the more I lean on You, the stronger I am! I love you, Lord! Help me to always keep your Word in my heart, so that it will light my paths! Amen.

Love & Confidence

I have been a little down lately. I made a commitment to live a better life for Christ a while back. Unfortunately, I am not always good at that! I have been grumpy and impatient lately. I have been stressed and too busy and too worried. I've been snappy. Sometimes downright mean! I haven't written a blog in 2 weeks and I haven't read the Word every single day like I said I was going to. I have been feeling like God was frowning at me and my self-confidence has been quite low.

This morning, when I finally got to be alone for the first time in almost a week, I just wanted to sit and pray and read the Bible. I wanted to tell Him how sorry I am. I asked Him to lead me to the scripture that I needed at that moment.

Suddenly, "1 Corinthians" popped in my head. I have not studied this book much, but I did remember that the 13th chapter is the chapter about love. "Love is patient, love is kind..It is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs...It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." This is how God expects us to act toward one another, but another thought also occurred to me: There is another verse that says "God is love." (1 John 4:8).

God IS love. He doesn't just have love towards us. He IS love. In other words, God is patient. God is kind. He is not easily angered and He keeps no record of wrongs (if you have asked for forgiveness). God always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. AMEN!

He isn't mad at me. He isn't frowning at me. He loves me, unconditionally. I can never be good enough or bad enough to sway His feelings towards me. He loves me just like I am.

Not only that, He also has this same feeling towards the people that I find hard to love. He loves them, unconditionally and He's not mad at them. So, why should I be? Surely, if the Creator of the world loves them, then I am not too good to forgive and love them, also.

I don't know if I am like most Christians or not, but I want to be perfect and I am really hard on myself when I'm not! I feel like the world is watching, waiting to pounce on the least little imperfection. There is nothing I can do about what the world thinks of me. But, I can learn to have more confidence in myself.  I am not perfect and I never will be, but God loves me anyway! He thought I was worthy. He bought me with a price. Why should I doubt His judgement?

Thank you, Lord, for time alone with you this morning. Help me to always remember that you chose me just as I am. I don't have to be perfect to be loved by You. Give me the confidence that can only be found in You. Help me to not worry about the world's opinion of me. Yours is the only opinion that matters! Help me to cast aside my worldly worries and put all of my confidence in You. Remind me of this daily, Lord, because I need it! In Jesus's most precious name I pray, Amen.

Job

This past week I have been reading the book of Job. I have to tell you, it was not an easy book to get through! I really wanted to quit during the middle of the book, but in the end, I learned so much.

Chapter 1 begins with an introduction to Job. He was a very wealthy and righteous man. In fact, he was the richest and most godly man in the entire area. One day, Satan goes before God and God brags on Job. He says, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless-a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil."

Satan answers, by saying that of course Job is faithful! He has always been protected and blessed by God. Satan goes on to say that if God takes away everything Job has, then Job will surely curse God.  God gives permission for Satan to test Job, but he is not to harm him physically.

So one day, Job loses everything. His sons and daughters are killed. All of his animals are killed or stolen. Nearly all of his servants and farmhands are killed. When Job found out about this he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship God. He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" Verse 22 goes on to say, "In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God."

The story gets alot worse from there. God is still pleased with Job because Job has not turned away from Him, so Satan asks to test Job further. He afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His wife tells him to curse God! He tells her she is foolish and says, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

I don't really have the time or space to tell you everything else that happened, so I'll make it short- After all this, Job became pretty depressed. He did not understand why God was allowing all of this to happen to him. (Oh, how easy it is to trust God when everything is going well!) Three of his friends showed up and accused him of sinning. They thought that God was punishing him. Job continues to maintain his innocence, while he is cursing the day he was born and questioning why God was allowing all of this to happen. They go back and forth with this argument  for awhile.

After a few chapters of the back and forth, I was really ready to stop reading! I kept on, though, and I am so glad I did. Just when it was almost too much to take, God showed up! I suggest that everyone read chapters 38-42, because they are awesome! God comes and basically says, "I am God and I know best!" He created EVERYTHING on this earth. He thought out everything down to the last detail, so that life could function on earth. He laid the foundations of the earth. He told the oceans how far they could come. He commands the sun and the moon and the stars. He brings the snow, hail and rain. He makes the lightning appear! He provides everything for the animals he created. He says, "Everything under Heaven is Mine."

In the end, Job repents for not fully trusting God and God blesses him even more than he was blessed in the beginning.

I am so thankful that I did make through to the end of this book. Here are the lessons God revealed to me through it:

1. Sometimes bad things happen to good people! Never assume that because someone is going through a rough time that it is their fault. Sometimes it is their fault, but not always. Don't be like Job's friends.

2. If you are living righteously, Satan wants to destroy you. The closer you move towards God, the more Satan will test you. Hold firm to your faith! Trust and obey.

3. Most importantly, always remember that GOD is GOD! No matter how smart we think we are, He is still smarter. True wisdom comes only from Him! Though we may not understand His plan, we still have to trust. Though His Word, may not always be "politically correct", it is still HIS WORD. It is truth. Yesterday, today and tomorrow. Holding true to His Word will not win you popularity points, trust me. We still have to accept that He knows what He is doing. And since He is the creator, He gets to be boss!

Thank you, God for being who You are! Help me to always put my faith in your Word and to not let my own earthly fears get in the way of trusting You! You created everything in this magnificent universe! Help me to remember that You are the boss! I will never be as wise as You, Lord!

The Message

Why do people like to complicate things so much? Why do we have to make life harder than it really has to be? Why do we make excuses for not doing right, instead of just doing it?!

I am thankful for this time of year when we are reminded more of the simple message of the cross. It is not a complicated message. Yet, people will try to make it as complicated as they can. Why? Sometimes I think that in their minds, if they think it is too hard, then they have an excuse not to follow.

It's simple. God's Son came to earth. He was God and man. He faced all the trials a human could. He felt despair, grief, loneliness, hunger, thirst, pain. He loved people. He healed the sick. He mended broken hearts. He changed lives.  He was betrayed. Beaten beyond recognition. Mocked. He was hung on a cross and He suffered. He died. He was placed in a borrowed tomb by loving friends. On the third day, He came back to life. He was alive! The best part is, He did this for us! So that we could be with Him one day. He wants us to be with Him!

2,000 years later, not much has changed. He is still God. He still feels grief over our sin. He still hungers for our love. He still loves us! He still heals the sick and mends broken hearts. He is still mocked. Still rejected. He is still ALIVE and He still wants us!

When I think of what He did, I cannot come up with an excuse to not serve Him! What is a few hours out of my week spent at His house worshipping Him and studying His word? I owe Him that much. I owe Him my life.

Why would I chose to live a life full of sin instead of a life pleasing Him? There are so many things on earth that bring us happiness for a day and grief the next. It's just not worth it. He is worth it. When life is over and earth is no more, He will be the only thing that remains. None of the other things that we devote so much of our time to, will be here.

I pray that I will keep the spirit of Easter alive in my heart everyday of the year. That I will always be reminded of the sacrifice He made for me, when I am feeling inconvenienced by serving Him.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for loving a world full of sinful people. Thank you for sacrificing yourself for us, even though you knew we would not be willing to sacrifice as much for you. Remind us every day of the message of the cross. You love us and you died for us. It's that simple. You paid the price of our sins! Every sin that has been and ever will be, has already been covered. We only need to accept you! Thank you, Jesus!

The River

I came across a verse this past week that I feel led to share. It came to me at just the right time. I was feeling so discouraged and more than a little grumpy! I was not being a nice person! I was in bad need of a word from God. I wasn't at home though, and all I had with me was a copy of the book my Sunday School class just started reading. I felt like the book wasn't really relative to my problem at the time, but it was all I had. It was there on the page right before Chapter 1 that I found this verse~ "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.... They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit."~Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT).

That was exactly what I needed to hear!What a blessing! The first lesson I learned that day was that if you seek God, He will always give you what you need.

Secondly, He is the River and I am the tree. He is the one who allows me to have abundant life amidst life's troubles. I cannot depend on anyone else for that and no matter how discouraged or grumpy I feel, I still have to produce good fruit. Of course, this is not always easy. We all have bad days. Lately it seems, that discouragements hit me one after another. I cannot allow myself to wallow in disappointment though. God has a plan and He will reveal it when He is ready. I have to truly put my trust in Him and have the faith that He will see His plan through to the end!

Thirdly, I had to reflect on what fruit I should be producing. The Bible is very clear about this part. When we accept Christ, His Spirit comes to live in us. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If the Spirit is in you, these qualities should be present, also!

We are all a work in progress, so of course we will not always, 100% of the time, exhibit all of these qualities, but these are the qualities we should strive for. When we feel negative feelings we need to seek the fruit to replace it! Turn that frown upside down!

Dear Lord, I do trust you! Please help me to not be bothered by discouragement or worried by life's troubles. Help me stay fruitful, even in the difficult times. You are the River of Life! Remind me to always seek you and to turn over any grumpiness, hard-feelings and wrong attitudes to You! Thank you for being everything that I need, always. In Your precious name I pray, AMEN!

Word vs. World

This past week has been an awesome week of study for me. I have been much better about studying the Bible everyday. I didn't study it everyday, but I did do much better! Wednesday night study, Thursday morning study and Sunday school all seemed to follow the same theme this week, as they do most of the time. "How different should we be from the 'world' "? This has been on my mind all last week and I received many insights from my different groups throughout the week.

The fact that we are supposed to be different from the world is very reassuring for me. I've never really fit in quite right anyway. ;-) Let's have a look at what God's Word tells us we should be, as opposed to what the world tells us we should be:

• The World says, "You must be beautiful to be loved." - Psalms 139:13 says, "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb." Romans 8:38-39 says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." There ya go! God created us, just as we are. He loves us just as we are. There is nothing we could ever do and nothing in this universe that could ever make Him stop loving us! That's good enough for me!
•  The World tells us, "You need to make lots of money!"-There is nothing wrong with having lots of money. It is nice! But, it's not really a requirement of being a good Christian. On the contrary, Jesus was poor. He didn't have nice clothes, a car or even a house. He came as the lowest of the low to the lowest of the low, with nothing, and He got by just fine. If He he got by with nothing, then I think I will do just fine without expensive clothes, a nice big house and all that other stuff that the world thinks will make me happy. 
• The World tells us, "Don't let anyone else be better than you!"- This is something I think even the holiest Christian may struggle with. We all want to have the highest achievements and notoriety, even if it is for something we are doing for God. The truth is that God calls us all to be something different. Yes, there are some people out there who seem to be doing great things and getting lots of recognition, but the world also needs janitors, child-care workers, teachers, bus drivers, garbage truck men, etc... The important thing to remember is that God is calling you to do something and whatever it is, that is what He wants for YOU. It won't look like what He is calling someone else to do, but it is still just as important.We should do EVERYTHING we do for GOD's GLORY!
• The World says, "Everybody panic!"-Okay, it's true. This world is in pretty bad shape. There is no end to things we could worry about. The economy, the election, war, poverty, national disasters....the list goes on and on and on. But, what does God's Word say? Jesus himself said, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." AMEN! That is not to say that we shouldn't be concerned for others. Jesus does want us to help where there is need, but He does NOT want us to be anxious about anything. I once read somewhere that the commandment given most in the Bible is "Do not fear." If we are Christians, there really is nothing to fear. God has the whole world in His hands. Our future is secure. Take your worries to the Lord in prayer and leave them with Him. 
• The World says, "Jesus isn't cool."- This verse is one of my favorites, because I am naturally so shy. It has freed me so much from that timidity that I once had. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." verse 8 goes on to say, "So do NOT be ashamed to testify about our Lord..." It can be EXTREMELY difficult to speak about Jesus to those who do not know Him. Especially with friends and family members. No one wants to be made fun of or to be thought of as strange. It's one of the worst feelings in the world. Everything about our culture screams that Jesus isn't cool. He is mocked and ridiculed constantly on television and in secular music. If there happens to be a Christian on television who professes their beliefs, then they are mocked and ridiculed. Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." All of these people who choose to mock God will be judged for that one day. We have no reason to stand by and not profess our beliefs. Yes, we will be mocked, but James 1:2 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." The Bible tells us many times that we will suffer for His name. If you do face persecution for the gospel, be glad! That means that you are doing right. And rest assured that if you are spending eternal life with Jesus, you will be much "cooler" than those that are mocking Him today!

I could go on and on about the differences in the world and the Word, but this is a blog not a book. ;) These were the ones that stood out to me the most this past week. I am so thankful that I no longer have to feel bad about myself for not fitting in. I'm not supposed to fit in! If any of you have been struggling with these issues, I pray that you have found comfort. I am so thankful for a God that supplies me with just what I need. I am different because I was made to be different.

License for Immorality?

"For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the GRACE of our God into a LICENSE for IMMORALITY and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." ~Jude 4.

I came across this verse in my study today. It really jumped out at me. First of all, it was very convicting. How many sins do I keep committing, because I know that I will be forgiven? Secondly, how many people are out there, that seem to be sure of their salvation, yet continue to live an ungodly life?

I lived that way for many years. I felt sure that I was saved. I thought I was going to Heaven, but I did not honor God with my life. I had a relationship with Him, but it was not the relationship that He desired to have with me. We were more of acquaintances than best friends. I had no real desire to change or to grow.

I am so thankful for my grandmother who led me to a Bible study group on Thursday mornings. I doubt that I would have ever gone to it on my own, but she bought me the book and then I felt like I had no choice but to go! It has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, spiritually. I have learned so much. I've met many other young mothers that have the same struggles as I do. They are an encouragement and an example to me. It has brought me so much closer to Jesus. Now, He really is my best friend. 

Living a "good life" is no longer a burden to me. It's something I want to do. I no longer use the assurance of my salvation as a license to do whatever I want. I have no desire to do the things I used to do. I definitely still have a lot to work on, but I am thankful that He opened my eyes and now I can see my sin and what I need to change. James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. No, your good deeds cannot get you into Heaven, but if your faith is genuine, you will want to do good! The two go hand-in-hand.

I urge everyone to look into their own lives. Do you truly desire to live godly? If you know you need to change, don't put it off any longer. The devil will always give you an excuse not to do it today. And you know what? The devil is a liar! There is no excuse good enough. It is so worth the time and effort! I regret the years I wasted. How much farther in my faith could I be, if I had not wasted all that time! 

Thank You, God, for your grace and mercy and for forgiveness. Help us to never take your grace for granted but to always honor You. Thank You for your Spirit that convicts us of our immorality. Thank You for placing in me a desire to live a more godly life. Thank You for the godly people you have placed in my life to guide me in the right direction. In Jesus's name, AMEN!

Where does the time go?

I have to tell you that I love days like these. Rainy, dreary days where I am stuck in the house. It gives me a chance to catch up, to rest or just to sit still for a few minutes. Lately, I feel as if I am constantly GOING. Always spinning my wheels, but going nowhere.

Some days I just feel like there is not enough time in the day to get it all done. Sometimes, I just don't have the energy to get it all done. Yes, I would love to wake up to a spotless house, but by bedtime I am EXHAUSTED and I'd rather go to sleep than clean. How is it that I am constantly "doing" but never getting "done"? Sometimes, it feels completely hopeless.

I have been pondering my time a lot this past week and God has revealed to me a few things. Through another blog this week, He gave me a very comforting word: He would not have given me all of these responsibilities, if  He did not think I could handle them. All of the things He has placed in my life are blessings. My children, family, friends, church and home. These things take up my time the most, but they are also my greatest blessings. First and foremost, He has taught me that I need need to remember to be thankful that I have a full and busy life! It would probably be very boring if I was stuck in the house every single day.

Secondly, I need to be in prayer about my time. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to "pray continually". That means all the time! I have already learned to take all of my other troubles to the Lord in prayer, continually. I don't know why it is just now occurring to me to pray about my time. I constantly ask the Lord to guard my children, marriage, family and friends. I also need to be asking Him to guard my time! Time is one of the most valuable things that the enemy can steal from us. This past week, I was completely exhausted. Even though I had been sleeping well, I could barely hold my head up. As the week went on, my schedule kept filling up more and more. I asked God to please take away anything from my schedule that was unnecessary or unimportant to Him. Bang! Two afternoons freed up! Just like that! He really does want us to come to Him in prayer about everything! Even our time.

The third thing is the one I struggle with the most: Prioritizing my time. Why do I have such trouble with this one thing? In 100 years, it will not matter how clean my floors were. It will only matter what I did for HIM. There is nothing that should take precedence over prayer and study of the Word. Sadly, with everything, else going on, this often gets pushed to the side. That HAS to change.

I want to ask all of you to please pray for me as I am re-prioritizing my life and I will pray for all of you, too! I pray that each one of us will remember that time is a gift and we are to be good stewards of it. Be on guard against the enemy bringing unnecessary distractions into your life.

Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read this! Your support means so much to me! :)

Come As You Are

I have to confess something. It is very scary to write this blog. I still have not gotten over the nervousness of putting it out there. I feel completely unworthy to be writing it. I fear that someone will think it’s stupid. I fear that people will judge me. Someone who doesn’t know me well may think it’s just for show. Someone who knows me too well will think I have no right, considering all of my many past mistakes. I feel like I am completely inadequate. How can I send out these messages when I have no formal education in this area? I have only been studying the Bible in depth for a few years. That definitely does not make me an expert. My main fear is that I will in some way damage the message that I am trying to bring. It is scary!

Just when I think I should probably delete the whole thing and pretend it never was, I remember:  I wouldn’t need Jesus if I was perfect. And if I didn’t need Jesus, then I would have no reason to write this blog. I am only trying to tell the story of what He has done for me. Also, Jesus didn’t come to earth for the blameless. He came for the broken. 

I am reminded of the story in Matthew, when Jesus called Matthew to be a disciple. Matthew was a tax collector. In those days, tax collectors were greatly despised. They were corrupt and often took advantage of the people. When the Pharisees saw Jesus having dinner at Matthew’s house, with Matthew and other sinners, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” To this Jesus replied, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” That is right! If I wasn’t a so sick from sin, I wouldn’t need Him, the Great Physician. 

I am also reminded of the great men in the Bible. David was a murderer and adulterer, yet God said that he was a man after His own heart. Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, says himself that he is “chief among sinners.” There are many more examples, but these are the two that come to mind first.

If God can use these men to do great things, then surely He can use me to write a little blog. And I honestly do feel that He is leading me to write this, as strange as that may sound. 

So, today my message is that when you feel God calling you to do something, don’t hold back. Don’t let your past be an excuse. Don’t let your fear hold you back. Don’t let your sins make you feel unworthy. Don’t even let the busyness of life stop you. (For each blog post I write, I am interrupted an average of 30 times by children and the phone!) You definitely don’t have to be perfect for God to use you. He can use ANYBODY that is willing. Come just as you are! Say “Yes, Lord!”, even it is the scariest thing you have ever done.

Never Stop Growing!

It seems lately I am reminded more and more of how far away I am from where God wants me to be. He is constantly reminding me that He desires more from me. However, I am also learning that I cannot go where He wants me to as long as I am holding on to things that are not of HIM. It would be so much easier to find contentment in where I am at, but I know I was made for more. As a Christian, I should never stop growing. There is always room to grow. God's Word is alive. It is RELEVANT and It always has a message for us if we are listening.

 Lately, It has been telling me that I need to GROW. It is also telling me I have got a lot of issues and hangups that I need to get rid of if I am going to grow. Our natural tendencies are not of God. As humans, we are suspicious, envious, needy, judgmental, selfish, impatient, critical, angry, gossipy, deceitful, sometimes we even delight in seeing others fail. However, Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are qualities that all Christians should possess. Unfortunately, I fall short quite often.

In Romans 7:15 Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do." I can totally relate! In verse 18 he says, " ..I have the desire to do what it is good, but I cannot carry it out." Ditto! I don't want to have these bad feelings and habits. I really want to be good! But, in my natural self, it just isn't possible.

The good news is that we are not alone in this fight of good vs. evil. We cannot be good on our own, but Jesus has given us the ultimate tool against evil. His Spirit. Jesus is the only perfect one, but if we study His Word and desire to keep growing as Christians, His Spirit will guide us and help us to be more like Him.If I will do my part, His Spirit will help me with the rest.

It is not going to be easy, but I do have the choice. Everyday, I have the choice to make. Who am I going to give glory to on this day? Will I choose prayer over gossip? Will I lash out or will I have patience with those that hurt me? Will I be envious or happy when good things happen to others? Will I be judgmental or understanding? Will I be selfish or giving? The choices we make everyday are endless, but if we seek to grow as Christians, we must learn to make the right ones and get rid of our natural sinful tendencies.

Thank You, Lord for creating in me the desire to do more for You! Thank You for convicting me when I am not in Your will. Thank you for the people that You have placed in my life who offer encouragement. Thank you for a wonderful pastor, church family, teachers and Bible study leaders. Thank you for Christian friends and family who can sympathize with me and give me support when I need it. Thank you for all of the tools you have given me to live a Godly life. Please help me to use them wisely. Help me to never stop growing in my walk with You! You are so Good!

Brotherly Love...

Out of all of the relationships in my life, the ones I struggle with the most are the ones with my family. I love my family and I know they love me. Still, we can get under each other's skin like no one else can! No one can hurt you like your family. No one can make you feel more rejected. They don't understand you. And you don't understand them! I have spent countless hours stewing about family situations, just this week! And just when I think the frustration will never end, God sends me a Word!

John 7:5 says, "For even his own brothers did not believe him." What??!! Jesus's own brothers did not believe in HIM! These same brothers grew up in the same house as Jesus. They played together.Worked together. They lived together their whole lives. They witnessed His blameless life, even His miracles. How many times had they heard the story of His birth? Did they think their mother was lying? And yet, they rejected Him.

Jesus's own brothers rejected Him and I think my family relationships are supposed to be perfect? Jesus's brothers did not believe Him and I think my family should be overjoyed to be related to me? Ha! Thank you, God for once again reminding me that I am not perfect. My family is not perfect. We are not always going to get along. There are going to be arguments, hurt feelings and disappointments. But, Jesus knows how we feel. Yes, His family hurt Him, too. We still have to keep on keeping on, just like He did.

Thank you, Lord, for sending me this Word today! Help me to love my family just as You love them. We were all created in Your image. Help me to not let my own disappointments get in the way of what you would have me do. Yes, Lord, you really do understand!

Darlene

This morning as I was pulling into Walmart, I saw a lady in the parking lot holding a sign. I could only read what was written at the very top of the sign, as I was driving by. It said, "Homeless". It broke my heart! It made me wonder about her story. Where was she from? Where was she going? Where is her family? How alone she must be! I felt so thankful at that moment for my husband, who always provides for me, and my family, because I know I will never be at a place in my life where I have no where to go.

I felt God urging me to reach out to this woman. But, I did not want to! I had a lot of things to do! I am not an outgoing person...at all. Still, I felt like He was saying to me, "This is your chance." I hurried through Walmart, as fast as I could, all the while hoping she would be gone when I got back out to the parking lot.

Guess what. She was still there. I prayed for God to show me what to do. I am not good at striking up conversations with people I've known for 10 years, much less complete strangers in Walmart parking lot! He was there with me though. I asked her if I could buy her something to eat. I asked her what her name is. I asked where she was going. Her name is Darlene. She is trying to make it to Florida and hoping to find a job there. I wanted to ask her so much more, but I didn't. I bought her lunch, gave her a few dollars and told her that I would be praying for her. I just wanted her to know that someone does care. Jesus cares for her and now I do too.

Now, I know that I may be the most gullible person in the world. Who knows if Darlene is really homeless. Who knows if she is really headed to Florida. Who knows if she's really looking for a job. But you know what? That is not for me to judge. I don't know her story. But I do know mine. If God gave me everything I deserved, every single day, I'd be much worse off than Darlene!  I am only responsible for my own obedience. And today, I stepped out of my comfort zone and followed Him.


Which leads me to this blog. I don't have a clue what I am doing. I've never written anything for others to read, but I have felt Him telling me to do this for awhile. I don't always have a lot to say, but sometimes I do. Maybe, no one will read this. Maybe, someone will think that I have nothing important to say. Maybe. But for today at least, I'm being obedient. Because, I do want to follow Him even if it means talking to strangers and writing scary blogs. I love You, Lord! Yes, Lord! :)