Month: June 2016

Sweet Revenge!

People hurt people. Unfortunately, that’s a byproduct of having free will. I’ve been deeply hurt over my lifetime, emotionally and physically. I have hurt others. We all have the scars to prove it! As long as we are alive and on this earth, we will continue to be hurt. Sad but true. Even the people who love us, and that we love, will continue to hurt us. We will continue to hurt others. Betrayal is a fact of life. That doesn’t make any of this right; it’s just truth. 

​”Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.” – Proverbs 20:22 NLT (http://bible.com/116/pro.20.22.NLT)
Oh, but I WANT the revenge….. 

I have to wait. I actually want to let God take care of the people who have wronged me (and who I have wronged), because: “It is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has known what God has prepared for those who love him.” (Isaiah 64:4)  – 1Cor 2:9 

God will judge, then He will be with us in the new world. EVERYTHING, EVERYONE will be new… No sorrow. No aches & pains, no disease, no disfigurement, no hunger or thirst. No mosquitoes, no ticks, nothing poisonous. Nothing scratchy or itchy, no ‘fashion police’. No abusers, and no more criminals. No discrimination or judgment for us after the Great White Throne judgment day, where GOD gives the ultimate vengeance to the wrongs we suffer here on earth. (SOOOOOOO thankful Jesus is standing up for me in front of this Judge!!!) 

“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing.” – 2 Corinthians 5:6‭-‬7 NLT (http://bible.com/116/2co.5.6-7.NLT)

I am confident in Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. His angels surround us. I am ready – come back, Lord Jesus, come back! Maranatha….

The POWER of Christ

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s Love?
Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For Your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” )
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who Loves us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from GOD’S Love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the Love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our LORD.” – Romans 8:35‭-‬39 NLT
(http://bible.com/116/rom.8.35-39.NLT)

What a fantastic scripture!

How can I possibly add to this? If life were left to me, I’d not only be dead, but trapped in the depths of hell as consequences for my actions. Fortunately, life is not under my control, regardless of how many times I’ve tried to make it that way. No, God is in control, and He is not me. Thank You, Jesus!

Over the years, I have made some really bad choices. When I say I should be dead, I’m not exaggerating. Things I’ve done, well, I’m astonished to have survived. There were close calls, and interestingly, they didn’t really serve as wake-up calls. No, I counted myself “lucky.” How do you feel about “luck”? I have to the conclusion that luck does not exist. Neither does coincidence. Everything is part of a plan, an overview, that we humans can’t see. The master plan. It contains what we consider flaws – but there aren’t any flaws. The problems, the situations we find ourselves in, can be consequences for our own actions, but they can also be consequences of the original sin of Adam and Eve. Yep, we get to deal with those consequences, too. Free will isn’t necessarily the great thing we like to think it is. After all, it was my great thinking that got me into those messes in the first place!

God did not cause the bad. The choices we make determine who gets to orchestrate the consequences. Don’t get me wrong, children  suffering is never okay. God doesn’t condone hurting children, or anyone or anything else! We blame Him for the evil in the world; abuse, torture, cancer… God doesn’t cause any of these. We can only blame ourselves for setting evil loose in the world. Dang that free will! God hurts when we hurt, and that’s why He made such a sacrifice to send Jesus, His SON, to die once and for all to save us from our sins. Our bad choices. Can you imagine giving up your child so that he or she could be tortured and ridiculed and killed for someone else’s children? Children who were wicked and sinful, where your child was obedient and beautiful?

I can’t! And yet that is exactly what God did so that we don’t have to deal with the ultimate consequences of our choices, our sins, which is eternal death in an obscene, unimaginably horrible place. All we have to do is to reach out to Jesus. We can be forgiven and receive eternal LIFE just by asking Him to be the Lord of our lives. Doing so doesn’t mean nothing bad will ever happen again; in fact, just the opposite is true because the evil one, Satan, takes every salvation as a personal challenge to beat us down. He knows he can’t win, and once we accept Christ, he has lost us forever. Being a poor loser, his goal becomes making us as miserable in this life as he can. He takes innocent souls and heaps misery and illness and disaster on us, trying to get us to blame God and to renounce His Supremacy over all. Remember, he doesn’t win! (Read the back of The Book. It’s FABULOUS!)
“… nothing can ever separate us from God’s Love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” – Romans 8:38 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rom.8.38.NLT)

Hallelujah and Amen!

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Wealth, Success, and Wisdom

King Solomon is said to be the wisest – and richest – man who ever lived. He knew that it was crucial for him to give honor and praise to the Lord, and to give God the credit for his success.

“True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.” (NLT) or
“Humility is the fear of the Lord ; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (NIV) – Proverbs 22:4 (http://bible.com/111/pro.22.4.NIV)

Do you require financial wealth to consider yourself a success? Do you need the recognition of man through your job?

I’m not super intelligent. I don’t have lots of money, and right now I don’t even have a paying job. By the world’s standards, I can’t be counted as successful in business. There aren’t a ton of trophies or certificates lining the walls of my home. I should have died years ago, based on the decisions and consequences of them in my life. But check this out!

I am already a success in God’s eyes. He has given me wealth beyond measure in family and friends. When I lost everything, including my right to be a mother, He carried me and provided for me – although I certainly didn’t see it at the time!

God is Provider and Healer, Comforter, Savior, and King. Yahweh, Jehovah God, Almighty King. He is also our Advocate when we stand before the judgement throne of God. Don’t know about anyone else, but there’s no way I want to be judged for my life without Jesus standing up for me!

I pray you’ll open your heart today and let Him be yours. Amen!

My Strength

“I can do ALL this through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13 NIV (http://bible.com/111/php.4.13.NIV)

No matter what I am facing, I can rely on the LORD. David faced lions and bears as a shepherd, and he faced a giant of a man whose stated goal was to kill David and devastate David’s nation. Noah faced crowds of jeering people for years as he built his ark. Joseph faced Pharaoh and spoke truth that should have gotten him killed; Daniel did the same to Nebuchadnezzar. He faced lions in a pit, and he was thrown into fire with his companions for not bowing to the king. Abraham was told to kill his son Issac and offer his body as a sacrifice. Job lost everything. The Apostles were hunted and killed.

God delivers us! No matter what is going on, no matter what we are facing in our lives, God is good. Sometimes it means that we lose our physical health, or even our lives, but look at the big picture. Regardless of what man can do to this shell, I belong to to the Most High God, King and Ruler of the entire universe. Whatever I suffer on earth will be more than compensated with an eternity with Jesus.

If you are worried and afraid, there is a way to contentment and peace. Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves of Who is in control….. and I can promise it’s not me, and it’s not you. If justice and peace were left up to us – well, look at the world as we know it, and there’s the answer to how well we are doing! I am looking forward to the new heaven and the new earth that we have been promised when Jesus returns. That’s when life becomes good!

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He’s reaching out for your hand. Are you going to take it?

Failed

Why did I ever think “I” could do life on my own? Did I really believe that I was smart enough & strong enough?

I hate the idea of failure, but then, what IS failure? One definition is: “lack of success:
synonyms: lack of success, nonfulfillment
an unsuccessful person, enterprise, or thing. Synonyms: loser, underachiever, ne’er-do-well, disappointment…

These words all come from the enemy to erode away our self worth, and God disagrees! He created us in His image, and He created us to succeed, not to fail. It’s a constant battle to remember that I am NOT a failure in God’s eyes!

I am fabulously made. I am beautiful… doesn’t matter what the world says. I am a success in God’s eyes, and I am perfect in His sight under the healing, covering, and protection under Jesus’ blood!

“Give praise to the LORD. Give praise to God our Savior. He carries our heavy loads day after day. Selah” (Psalm 68:19)

Think on this. Let JESUS cover you today!

Laughing IS Good Medicine

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 NIV (http://bible.com/111/pro.17.22.NIV)

There is so much negatve news swirling around us, and so much ugliness and evil in the world, I wonder how we manage to function under it. We are covered up in ads for facelifts and body sculpting; this machine/diet/surgery for a perfect body; this beverage and that outfit and this furniture to be accepted as part of the crowd…. Stabbing, mugging, rape, home invasion, pedophiles, kidnapping, robbery. Instead of being the occasional news item, these are what we hear about day in and day out. Add on to that, the lies and misinformation that pours out of the government, local and state and federal. It used to be that we taught our children to go to an authority figure for safety, and it’s becoming a risk even there.

Any wonder that antidepressants and “feel-good” meds and drugs and alcohol are skyrocketing? Who doesn’t want to escape from all that? Our spirits are being crushed under the pressure of the enemy. What can we do about it? By ourselves and on our own? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Stay crushed.

HOWEVER….

There is Good News; no, INCREDIBLE news!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have Eternal Life.” – John 3:16 NIV (http://bible.com/111/jhn.3.16.NIV)

We don’t have to do this on our own!

“For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:4‭-‬6 NIV (http://bible.com/111/1th.1.4-6.NIV)

If you are feeling hopeless, helpless, trapped; there is an answer, and it’s so simple it’s almost unbelievable. Really. All you have to do is ask Jesus to save you.

Talk to Jesus. You can pray these words “Jesus, I believe You are the One and Only True and Living Son of God. You are the Savior of this world. I confess my sins to You, Lord Jesus. Cast out the evil in me. Come into my heart, be the Lord of my life, right now, this moment I accept Your Salvation. Amen!”

And the people and the angels will shout Hallelujahs; even the earth rejoices when a soul comes to the Lord.

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“Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones!” – Isaiah 49:13 NIV (http://bible.com/111/isa.49.13.NIV)

Amazed.

I love the story of creation! “Then the LORD GOD formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:7 NIV (http://bible.com/111/gen.2.7.NIV) Isn’t that the coolest image?

Picture God sitting there, cross-legged in the Garden, next to the stream, as He scoops His Hand into the mud and clay, and sculpts the first man! The image that comes to my mind is Michaelangelo’s David. Physical strength and beauty just radiate from the image. God took raw, unformed clay, and gently molded and shaped it until it was beautiful in His eyes. Then God breathed on His creation, and Adam took his first breath – opening his eyes to be staring into the eyes of God. Wow. I can’t even begin to comprehend the awe and the wonder and the love Adam must have experienced at that moment. PURE Love…. we can experience that Love, too. I have been bathed in that Light, and the absolute Mercy and Grace and Forgiveness that flows along with it are absolutely incredible, awesome, and completely indescribable! It’s like trying to explain the Grand Canyon to a deaf and blind person.

I stand in amazed in His Presence! 

1
I stand amazed in the presence
  Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
  A sinner condemned, unclean.
Refrain
  How marvelous! How wonderful!
  And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful!
    Is my Savior’s love for me!
2
For me it was in the garden,
  He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.”
He had no tears for His own griefs,
  But sweat-drops of blood for mine.
3
In pity angels beheld Him,
  And came from the world of light
To strengthen Him in the sorrows
  He bore for my soul that night.
4
He took my sins and my sorrows,
  He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
  And suffered, and died alone.
5
When with the ransomed in glory
  His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
  To sing of His love for me.

The United Methodist Hymnal Number 371
Text: Charles H. Gabriel
Music: Charles H. Gabriel

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And All of Creation.

My three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” – Genesis 1:26 NIV
(http://bible.com/111/gen.1.26.NIV)

God created the heavens and the earth. Then He created all living things, both plant and animal, and finally man, to care for and tend to His creation. What a privilege we were handed! To be the caretakers and grooms of God’s Garden. Every day, we are given opportunities to step up and be His people, His servants, just as Jesus was. We can show our care for His land, His animals, and most importantly, His people. I’m not a member of the Sierra Club or Earth First, and I don’t support extremist animal organizations like the HSUSA or PETA (well, actually I am – People who Eat Tasty Animals!). God instructed us through Adam and Eve to go out and care for His creation.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it…. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” – Genesis 2:15; 3:21 NIV

We can each individually take care of what is around us, whether it is in the inner city or out on a ranch. Take care of the animals and land, even a tiny parchment of lawn, as if it all belongs to God – because it does! Look at the amount of waste you generate, and see what can be done to reduce it. It is really trash, or is it something that can be composted or reused? Note: composting is a scary subject. It shouldn’t be! Even in a tiny apartment I was making compost for my plants.

My point is this: We need to take better care of the area around us. All of us are responsible. If there is a problem, look at it as a challenge or an opportunity to do things differently.

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God gave us a gorgeous garden patch. Let’s all pitch in and work on our beautiful world!

Christian and Being PC – ???

I am a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus; Son of the Almighty God Who spoke the universe in existence. Second, but very important, I am a Patriot. I probably offend a lot of people as I speak my beliefs, and if I haven’t offended you yet…. hold on because I  probably will.

What does it mean to be a Christian? For a lot of people, it means they believe there is a God, and He has a Son named Jesus. Being a Christian is so much more than that! We aren’t capable of being good enough for God’s forgiveness, and we cannot earn our way into heaven. There isn’t a mortal man who can intercede for us. There is only ONE way, and it is by accepting Jesus as my personal Savior. Jesus wasn’t a good man, and He wasn’t a prophet. He is the Son of God, Who left a glorious and indescribably beautiful place next to His Father, to come to earth and live as a man. His purpose in coming was to be beaten and humiliated and to die on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins. He did it for your sins, too.

As a young child I recognized the truth of Jesus Christ as the One way, the ONLY way, to salvation. I wanted to know that I would be with my Daddy forever. As I became an adult I walked away from the Truth, letting circumstances and decisions take me away from God. Many years later, I  confessed my sins and let the Holy Spirit clean out the closets of secrets in my heart. I’m far from perfect, but I know the Truth and I have to proclaim it. Unless you accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, part of the Triune God – the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the supreme Advocate, and as your personal Savior – you won’t be in heaven for eternity. You will spend it in hell. Eternity is a long, long time, and I want you there with me!

I’m a Christian Patriot. This country was founded on Christian principles. It was done by imperfect men (there aren’t any other kinds) so there were, and still are, plenty of injustices. As a Christian Patriot, it is my responsibility to uphold the ideals set forth in the Constitution of the United States. I wish the elected leaders would do what they have sworn to do, but unless they are a Christian, I don’t believe they are capable of it. We are to support the downtrodden, and to help the weak and the frail. We are to love others – that doesn’t mean let them walk over us, and it doesn’t mean we love or support  their actions. Being a Christian will never be easy as long as we are on this earth, and I look forward to the new heaven and the new earth with Jesus! Love others…. it may be the alcoholic or drug addict, could be the person you know who is cheating on their spouse; your friend who steals from the boss by padding their hours or taking office supplies home to use, lying to get what they want…. there are many ways to sin besides the “big” ones. If we are not living in God’s law, we are living in sin, and I am as guilty as anyone. Jesus said that if you even have the THOUGHT, then you are guilty.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 5:43-44 NIV (http://bible.com/111/mat.5.43-44.NIV)

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It’s easy to be politically correct these days…