Month: July 2017

Morning Attitude

Ah. There’s something about that first swallow of hot coffee in the morning, almost indescribable. Of course, if you aren’t a coffee drinker, you’re probably making a face and thinking, “yes, I can describe it – disgusting!” I bet there’s another beverage of choice that gives you that feeling, though. Hot tea, iced tea, milk, Dr. Pepper or Coke (and etcetera….) Maybe it’s just a good long drink of water. It’s a kind of relief that washes over us (ha! No pun intended!); it gives us the feeling that now we can maybe face the day. I confess; I have a morning attitude. Coffee first, THEN talk. I saw the perfect quote the other day, and I’m making it into a sign for my kitchen. “I drink coffee for your protection.” Those who know me well know how true it is. It’s like my mouth doesn’t work, and that’s probably good because my brain can’t dig out anything good.

The other thing I absolutely need every morning is time with God. I know that He doesn’t care if my mouth works or not, He cares that I spend time with Him. When I miss my morning time with Him, my morning attitude morphs into an all day attitude …. and it isn’t pretty. Just like my body needs that “wash” of coffee, my attitude needs to be washed daily by God’s Word and His Mercy. It still amazes me sometimes just how drastic my attitude adjustment can be. Does your attitude need to be adjusted? Spending time with the LORD is every bit as vital to our wellbeing as anything we can drink or eat. Our souls need nourishment, too.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7‭-‬8 (http://bible.com/111/jer.17.7-8.NIV)

GOD IS NOT DEAD

It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that I am able to survive & thrive here in this world. When I try living life without Jesus, I am a miserable mess. I spent years searching for happiness, as the song says, “Looking for love in all the wrong places…” What about you? Are you searching for that elusive happiness – the perfect man/woman, car, job, clothes, things… acceptance? Having so much ‘fun’ that you can ignore the misery you feel? I can tell you unequivocally, with total assurance, there is only one path to happiness – ONE Way, and it is through Jesus.

“I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling…. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what GOD has prepared for those who love Him.’ ” 1 Corinthians 2:3,9

Think of the best situation, the absolutely, most breathtaking place you can imagine. Have you been to awe-inspiring places? Seen beauty that is beyond words to describe? Well, imagine those places and things, and heaven will be thousands, no, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of times better! I can hardly wait…. I will get to see Jesus, face to face! I’ll see my earthly Daddy, and my Grandma, and other friends and family who have already gone. Will I see YOU there?

ANSWERS

“This is what the LORD says, He who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is His Name: ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:2‭-‬3 (http://bible.com/111/jer.33.2-3.NIV)

God says to us “Call to Me and I WILL answer you….” Seems like a pretty straight forward statement. I wonder why we question it so often, but really, I already know the answer. We question it, because we don’t get the answer we think we want. God ALWAYS answers prayer. ALWAYS. The first problem is that we ask for blessings on a decision we’ve already made, but we decide (WE decide) that God should agree with it. After all, He’s too busy to deal with every decision we make, right? Wrong. He is aware of, and cognizant of, every single thing that takes place on earth and in the heavens. EVERY. SINGLE. THING.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26 (http://bible.com/111/mat.6.26.NIV)

Another problem we create is that we, in our infinite wisdom, think that we can make better decisions concerning our lives than God is capable of. After all, it’s MY life, so I know better, right? Wrong again, and oh, how wrong.

“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.” Matthew 6:31‭-‬32 (http://bible.com/111/mat.6.31-32.NIV)

“For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the Face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12 (http://bible.com/111/1pe.3.12.NIV)

God sees all we do, and He has an answer for each one of our prayers. Sometimes He says yes, sometimes He says no, and sometimes He says wait. Not ‘maybe’, but ‘wait’. Big difference. Of course, being the impatient, ‘I want it NOW’ people (humans) that we are, we often decide that instead of ‘wait’ God really means that we should just make the decision without His blessings and move on with our lives. Guilty as charged, and let me assure you, from ample real life experience….. when God says to wait, it is in your best interest to put on the brakes and WAIT, because every decision we make has consequences. Some turn out well, while others… well, let’s just say that I have had quite a few epic fails in my life because of my decisions. When I let God steer my life, it is SO much better!

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7 (https://psalm.bible/psalm-37-7)

I still get impatient and want answers NOW, and then I remind myself that sometimes, waiting IS the answer. Ugh.

Trudge, Plod, Slog

Definition: To walk slowly and with heavy steps, because of exhaustion or harsh conditions.

I love to people watch. At a social gathering, or out in public, I often wish I could be the fly on the wall so that I could observe, uninterrupted. (Of course, another part of me wants to be right in the thick of it all. Quite the dilemma, at times, to see which side of me wins!) One observation that I have made many times is that there are so many people who are trudging through life; heads down and shoulders bowed by the weight of their lives. Only this morning, I caught myself doing the same thing…. trudging, plodding, slogging through the house like the entire weight of the world was on me. (In my defense, I hadn’t had my coffee yet!!) Over and over in scriptures, Jesus says not to worry.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear….” Luke 12:22 (http://bible.com/111/luk.12.22.NIV)

Look up the word “worry” and you’ll find many references in the Gospels and in Peter’s and Paul’s letters to the churches in the New Testament. As a Christian, I know in my head and my heart that nothing can be gained by worrying. That’s not to say that I should never be concerned, or that I should just sit back complacently and expect God to provide for me. Plodding through life is a widespread disease, fostered and nurtured by the enemy. When we are overcome with fear and guilt and worry, is it any wonder that we are trudging through the day? Keep this in mind as you face the day:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And GOD IS FAITHFUL; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (http://bible.com/111/1co.10.13.NIV)

As Christians, we are NEVER alone. We NEVER have to face the day alone. We NEVER have cause to worry. As for my trudging through the day… that is the enemy trying to beat me down. Day to day life can get pretty rough to deal with, but you know what? Even when the enemy wins a skirmish and life becomes more difficult, I know the ultimate outcome. Satan might THINK he has won in my life, so I just have this reminder for him:

“So the LORD GOD said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.” Genesis 3:14 (http://bible.com/111/gen.3.14.NIV)

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of GOD, but merely human concerns.” Matthew 16:23 (http://bible.com/111/mat.16.23.NIV)

And finally:

“And the devil*, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:10 (http://bible.com/111/rev.20.10.NIV) *Satan, Lucifer, the (fallen) morning star….

FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN! No more trudging through life, because I have Jesus!

Heaven

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23‭-‬24 NIV (http://bible.com/111/psa.139.23-24.NIV)

I don’t understand David. He was raised up from being a sheep herder, one of the lowest jobs there were, to king over Israel. Power and wealth were his, and he has “anxious thoughts?” Really? At first glance, it appears that he has it made. He is favored of God and man, and there is nothing he needs. Instead of focusing on all that he had, he looked out and saw a desirable woman – a married woman, at that. Disregarding all of his own beautiful wives and concubines, he wanted somethingthat belonged to someone else. He had EVERYTHING he could possibly need, but he wanted more. Sound familiar? I can look at my own life and see similarities. I’m certainly not wealthy by American standards, but I am comfortable. I don’t have everything I want, but we have a nice house and groceries and the bills are (mostly!) paid. I look around me and I am surrounded by memories, yet I want more. I get anxious about how we’ll get by financially, but God blesses us constantly!

It is so incredibly easy to fall into the “more stuff” attitude that seems to rule America and a lot of the world. We have so much already, but it is never enough. Like the psalmist, we should be on our knees asking God to search our hearts and take away our anxious thoughts. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior as I have, you have – WE have – all that we could ever need. I like the way C.S. Lewis puts it:

“If we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.” – #CSLewis | #TheGreatDivorce

And yet we spend our lives grasping those stupid “souvenirs” …..

Perfect Love

  “There is no fear in love. Instead, PERFECT Love drives fear away. Fear has to do with being punished. The one who fears does not have perfect love.” I John 4:18 NIV
It reminds me that there is no perfect love on earth other than Christ’s Love for us. We try… There are good, even great, marriages out there that we can look to for inspiration. A parent’s love for their child can come close to God’s Perfect Love. We can find inspirational love in looking at people who serve others in so many different ways. There are many examples of love in this world, but even the greatest falls far short of the Perfect Love the Jesus demonstrates for us. If we can’t achieve it, then who can?

Many – and I would say, MOST of us spend our lives searching for that perfect love. We become enmeshed in a marriage with an abusive spouse. We settle for acquaintances instead of friends. We neglect our children in our search for the perfect job, or while seeking to advance our careers. Even in the most loving human relationships we hurt each other. We are afraid of being hurt and in doing so we hurt those around us. Mostly unintentionally, but every day, hour, minute we hurt someone one either through omission or commission. That’s a sad commentary on the human race, but take heart! JESUS loves us with a PERFECT LOVE. He will NEVER leave you or forget you. He will never hurt you! No matter what hurts life, the enemy, throws at you, Jesus is at your side IF you want Him there. I don’t have words to express my gratitude for His Unfailing Love!

No punishment, no condemnation. Just LOVE. Kneel at the throne of Jesus today.

  “And so we know and rely on the Love God has for us. God IS Love. Whoever lives in Love lives in God, and God in them. This is how Love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is NO FEAR in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:16‭-‬18 NIV


(http://bible.com/111/1jn.4.16-18.NIV)

And The Greatest of These

 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. …. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬8‭, ‬12‭-‬13 

Beautiful words; words to live by. Just as Jesus pointed out, and written about by Paul, we are to be united as the body of Christ in LOVE:

  “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” – 1 Corinthians 12:12‭-‬14 

A Christian is, by definition, in love with the Savior. As Christians, we should be striving to apply that love in every area and every aspect of our lives. Why is it so difficult to love each other? We let so many things get in the way of our love. People, places, things. They will NEVER be enough, and they will ALWAYS disappoint. Welcome to our world. Skin color, economic status, country of origin, whatever …. don’t even bother trying to deny your prejudice. We all suffer from from that disease! It is through our LORD, Jesus Christ, that we can overcome prejudice and live Love. Faith, Hope, Love. ONLY available through Jesus! Hallelujah and Amen!

Let it out so that love can wash over you AND all the people around you.

(Scriptures are from  http://bible.com/111/NIV)

Depression – It’s ALL In Your Head!

So, this post may be focused towards women, but it applies to everyone. 

Over the years, I’ve gone to multiple doctors with a litany of symptoms including fatigue, extreme lethargy, unexplainable aches and pains (and more). They would tell me that there was nothing wrong with me physically; therefore, whatever was bothering me was probably just menopause (really? At age 30???) and definitely was just in my head. Women get stuck with that diagnosis frequently. I have to say:

Bosh. Poppycock. Bologna! 

Turns out the docs were right…. although they were also terribly wrong. It wasn’t menopause, but it was in my head. I battled undiagnosed depression for years. It was only in the last few years that it was recognized and diagnosed, so for many of those years, life was a Catch-22 for me. I knew there was something wrong. There were so many times I fought my way through the fog and ‘molasses’, just to collapse into bed or the couch. If not for my animals and the knowledge that they depended on me, I could have just stayed down for days on end. It was all in my head…. so why wouldn’t my body behave??? My body responded like a sloth, and the effort to do ANYTHING took such effort, why bother trying? Obviously (but only obvious to me), if I were such a failure, really, why stick around? When I would drive somewhere, the pull of bridges and overpasses could be really strong. Who would care that I was gone?

  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have Life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10 NIV

I know without a doubt that those thoughts comes straight from the enemy! He is a thief, and he does everything he can to steal our joy and destroy lives. God has given us physicians so that they can help us, not harm us, and any doctor who dismisses us with “It’s all your head” is NOT helping. Whether consciously or not, they are furthering the agenda of the enemy with those words. I already felt worthless; to have a DOCTOR tell me there’s “nothing” wrong, when I could FEEL the wrong inside me…. let’s just say it didn’t help at all! I finally saw a doctor who recognized my physical symptoms for what they really were. I was depressed, not physically ill. At first I resisted the notion. Why would I be depressed? That’s just an excuse for lazy people, right?

No, not at all. After ruling out any underlying physical conditions, this was the conclusion, and she put me on antidepressants. Ugh. There is such a stigma attached to taking these things, especially among the Christian community. I have heard all of the platitudes. “Have more faith. You aren’t praying hard enough. With God on your side you can just push through it. It’s all in your mind; let God have it.” I’ve been prayed over and annointed…. and I still battle depression. I believe that God can heal any disease, IF it would further His Kingdom to do so. He hasn’t cured my depression (yet), so I take that to mean that there is a reason for my depression, I just don’t know what it is – and I don’t need to know. Depression is a real disease, just as much as any physical disease. If you had cancer, do you want people telling you you don’t have enough faith, and to stop taking your meds? I believe that our Great God, Creator God, has given the knowledge to our researchers and doctors to help people with ALL types of diseases, including depression. If you have never experienced it, God Bless you and I pray you never will! It can be debilitating and difficult to diagnose. If you, too, suffer from this insidious disease, then my prayer for you is that your doctor will see it and treat it for what it is.

In all those years, even in the depths of my denial and rebellion and depression, and little voice in my head was constantly reminding me of this:

  “I AM the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me….” – John 10:14 NIV

He never left me, even as I tried to leave Him. Like the sheep that was lost, He carried me back to the fold and His Love. He used human doctors and counselors to show me I wasn’t worthless. I will be grateful for modern medicine as long as I live, and for my God, Who never, never leaves me to face the enemy alone. AMEN. 

(Scriptures are from  http://bible.com/111.NIV)

Freedom!

What great words from Paul:

  “It is for Freedom that CHRIST has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from Grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope…. The only thing that counts is Faith expressing itself through Love.” – Galatians 5:1‭, ‬4‭-‬6 NIV

He is specifically addressing the men in the church at Galatians, but the message resounds across gender lines and the centuries since. Gentile men (non-Jewish) were being circumcised when they joined the Christian community, and Paul is pointing out that the practice isn’t necessary. How do I know that He is talking to the men who are not Jews? Simple really. All Jewish males were circumcised when they were 8 days old, not as grown men. But getting to the point: once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, the Law no longer applies. We are set FREE from the physical restraints of the old Law; Moses’ Law, because God sent His Son to be the FINAL blood sacrifice for our sins. The old Law cannot justify us any longer. No matter how “good” we are, or how religious, or pious, Jesus’ sacrifice has already atoned for our sins. For MY sins. Past, present, and future.

DO NOT MISINTERPRET WHAT PAUL OR I AM SAYING! (And no, I am NOT comparing myself to Paul!!)

Our sins are covered by the Blood of Jesus. We have been washed clean, and for that, all I can do is fall on my face in thanksgiving and shout “Hallelujah, Praise the LORD!” JESUS made the ultimate sacrifice so that He could fulfill the Law. There is no reason, nothing to gain, by continuing to sacrifice birds and animals to God. It is a done deal; the Law is complete. All thanks to Jesus, we are FREE. Free from the Law, free from the necessity of blood sacrifice. We cannot be justified by anything other than the Blood of Jesus; therefore, any other blood that is shed is an unnecessary and sad waste of our resources. 

Freedom isn’t free here on earth. Our freedoms as citizens of the United States come from the sacrifice of countless men and women who have given their lives so that we can enjoy our lives and liberty. Our freedom on earth is based on obeying the laws of the land. Our freedom for ETERNITY is also because of someone else’s sacrifice. All that we have to do to obtain that final, essential freedom is to accept the gift of it from Christ Jesus. Being FREE in Christ doesn’t mean we have carte blanc to behave as we please. It doesn’t mean it’s okay to yell at your spouse or children. It doesn’t give us the right to hurt people, whether physically or with words. On the contrary, being truly free through Jesus Christ should make us even more conscientious of our words and deeds as we live our lives to honor Him! As Christians, our lives should be governed by these words Jesus spoke when He was asked what was the greatest commandment of the Law:

   “ ‘Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37‭-‬40 NIV

He broke the Ten Commandments down to two to make it super simple for us to follow. No longer list of do’s and don’t’s. In fact, He didn’t tell us NOT to do anything! He knows that when we keep these two commandments, everything, every thought, will fall right into line. I will continue to sin as long as I am breathing. That, unfortunately, is my human nature. I know – I REALLY know, that I am forgiven, and when I stand in front of God on the day of the Great White Throne Judgment, I have the greatest of the great to represent me. Jesus, my Advocate. 

I’m curious. Are you free? Will you be represented by the Advocate, Jesus, or will the enemy [satan] get to stand next to you and drag you with him into the fiery depths of hell? In the words of the late, great, Martin Luther King, then I will truly be “Free at last, Free at LAST, Thank GOD Almighty, we are FREE at last!” Will you celebrate Freedom with us?

(All scriptures quoted are from  http://bible.com/NIV)