Month: June 2018

What Is LOVE?

Seems like “love” to the world means sex, money, position, and prestige. We are constantly on the prowl for this elusive feeling. Once you have experienced even a tiny taste, it is something that is an instant, instantaneous, addiction. Love is more addictive than heroin or cigarettes or alcohol, and it is so much more than just a feeling. We spend our lives chasing “love” and in most cases, missing it entirely. A mother’s love is both fierce and protective, and it is gentle and nurturing ….. at least, it should be. Satan has screwed it up, just as he has perverted every single thing, every single place, every single molecule on this earth.

Should I find out that anybody is messing with any of my kids*, I transform into a mama grizzly! (*My kids consist of any person who is vulnerable or fragile, my nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters, even my Mom. It also applies to my 4-legged buddies.) I’ll never know just how fathers love (since I’m not one 😁 ), but the men whom I admire most are providers and protectors, and they will go to almost any length to care for their loved ones.

The Bible, the Words of our Creator, speak on love in a number of verses and contexts. The Songs of Solomon are beautifully written, telling about the sweet love between two people. (Men, pay attention to those verses! They are dynamite for the love of your life. You can melt her heart, using it as an example.) Paul wrote to the followers of CHRIST in Corinth and Colossae about love.

“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.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬8a NIV

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13 NIV

That last sentence of verse 13 is such a critical part of true love. Without forgiveness, how we possibly be patient or kind to that person? Being unforgiving is so harsh. It ruins relationships at work, between friends, within families, with our children and parents, and our spouses. Whatever was done to you (real or perceived) is nothing to what we have done to JESUS – and yet, He FORGIVES us, 100%, no grudges or plots for revenge. I would lay down my life in a heartbeat, putting myself in harms way to protect my loved ones. The BIG question is this: would I lay down my life for my enemies, for the men who have hurt me? JESUS did.

“This is how we know what LOVE is: JESUS CHRIST laid down His LIFE for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” – 1 John 3:16 NIV

No Matter What (sung by Ryan Stevenson and Bart Miller)

No matter what the end is
My life began with you
I can’t deny what I believe
I can’t be what I’m not
I know, I know
I know this love’s forever
That’s all that matters now
No matter what

(Photo credit Love Dare – WordPress.com )

Loss

I lost my Tigger today. He joined my Rascal and Sugar, and all the other companions I’ve had the privilege to take care of in my life.

He was the first of the feral cat colony I worked with in Oklahoma City who would come to me to be petted. When I moved to another part of the state, he was the first I brought inside to take with me. I got to bring his younger – and much bigger – brother with me as well. They adapted quickly to living indoors and being spoiled, but Tigger was never a really robust, healthy cat. I’m thankful that his brother Patrick is both. I’m glad I got to have given him what I hope was a good life. It makes me sad that he’s gone, but I’m happy he’s no longer sick.

R.I.P. Tigger 2010-2018

Tigger and Patrick

Am I Living ‘Right’?

“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please GOD, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the LORD JESUS to do this more and more.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:1 NIV

Man, this devotion from Right From The Heart 1-Minute Devotions (day 213) really struck home. I’ve spent a lifetime searching for and choosing the wrong mate. Guess I’ve made a career of it, and quite a successful career, too. Over and over, making the same bad choices, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Oh, wait! That’s the definition of insanity! The devotion is titled “Finding The Right Mate.” Here it is:

Everybody wants to make the right choice in choosing a mate. What a nightmare if we don’t. [Side note: I can testify to the nightmare!] What a blessing if we do. If you are in a serious relationship, ask yourself these questions:
* Is this person my best friend? If not, you’re not ready.
* Do we share common faith and values? If not, you’ll have conflict and drift apart.
* Do family and friends affirm the relationship? Choosing a mate means choosing a family.
* Am I willing to make a lifetime commitment? Marriage is not for trying out. That’s a sure road to divorce.
* Do I want this person to be the parent of my children?
* Do I wake up to every day wanting to be with them versus convincing myself why I like them?
If you can say yes to each of these, you may have found the right one. If not, you may want to slow down or even call it off. But most of all, seek God’s will through prayer and be willing to follow His lead in one of life’s biggest decisions.

Out of all my relationships, and they have been many (believe me when I tell you that I am not proud of that fact!), there was one who fit all of those points. We had a good life together until an addiction to pain pills took over his brain and I was forced to leave for my physical safety. He was flawed, and so was I, but we had always worked things out and trusted and relied on each other. The enemy finds our weakest point and exploits it in every way possible, and in this the enemy succeeded in pulling us apart, but I am confident that I will see him again when I leave this physical body.

When we live according to GOD’S Law rather than submitting to our own desires, we will receive the Peace He offers us. That doesn’t mean we will always get what we want. My desire, and my husband’s desire before the drugs took him from me, was to spend our lives together doing a ministry we loved in the form of our Bed & Breakfast. There was a joy in our working together, and I was really angry for a long time at both him and GOD for allowing our dreams to be destroyed by something as stupis as drugs. Even so, I want that connection, that kind of love, again. I have made my peace with my LORD, and I have forgiven my husband for deserting me. As I live my life day to day, I strive to keep my focus on GOD’S desires rather than my own. Some days, it is really hard to trust that He really does have a plan for me, when all I can seem to do is worry about how I will survive this financial nightmare I am in. What I need to focus on is how I can serve my JESUS. Hear what He says:

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” – Matthew 25:45 NIV
“For the SON of MAN is going to come in his FATHER’s Glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.” – Matthew 16:27 NIV

What we do won’t save us, only accepting JESUS as our LORD and SAVIOUR will do that, but what we do does have a direct correlation to our heavenly rewards. I would be content to live in the poorest of hovels in heaven, as long as I am in the Light of His Eternal Glory. ( Although I’d really much prefer not to live in a hovel here on earth…. ) Get the focus off “me” and put the focus on HIM by spending time every day in His Word and in prayer, seeking His Will.

Scary

“Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:15 NIV

Does this scare you, or do you look at it and scoff? It scares me! If I have the choice to walk into a burning lake for eternity – think oil or gas burning on top of the water – or to spend eternity with my LORD, well, it’s an easy choice for me. I’ve seen water burn, where natural gas escaping naturally from the earth had been lit to watch it ‘burn’. (Weird!) I’ve seen water burning in photographs and movies of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attached our ships. It’s horrific to watch. I really have no desire to experience it first-hand! I’m going for the escape clause that JESUS provided us through His incredible Mercy:

“If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9 NIV

Thank you, JESUS, for coming to our aid; for being our Advocate to the LORD! I don’t claim to be a prophet or have a perfect life and relationship with GOD; far from it! The only thing perfect about me is that I am perfectly imperfect, perfectly flawed and broken. All that I can do is proclaim the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, and how He has Redeemed me.

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the FATHER and with His Son, JESUS CHRIST. This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: GOD is LIGHT; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of JESUS, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:3‭, ‬5‭-‬7 NIV

HALLELUJAH. What a powerful statement that last sentence gives. “…. and the Blood of JESUS, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” Does it get any better than that?

Photo credt usiter.com

I Don’t Believe In Ghosts

I don’t believe in ghosts. (I do, however, get a kick out of going on ‘ghost tours’ and visiting ‘haunted’ places, and reading and watching ghost stories.) I have seen spirits. Not ghosts, spirits. What’s the difference, you ask? According to Wikipedia, a ‘ghost’ is defined as “the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living,” and a ‘spirit’ is defined as “a supernatural being, often but not exclusively a non-physical entity; such as a ghost, fairy, or angel.” I do believe in spirits, and I believe that once your earthly body dies, your soul either goes to GOD or to the enemy. The soul does not stick around to ‘haunt’ or ‘communicate’ with us…. but we’ll get into that a bit later. The Bible talks about them, and categorizes them as either angels or demons. GOD created angels, and when Satan, (Lucifer, the Morning Star) rebelled, he took a third of the angels with him to become the demons we are familiar with. These demons possess people, animals, and places, and they manifest themselves in different ways. They are the haunted places that we hear and read about, and they are the ‘ghosts’ we see and feel.

I believe in spirits, in demons, because I have experienced them. I have felt the evil in a room that was used for satanic, demonic reasons; I have seen ‘ghosts’; I have had my person hijacked by demons who controlled me and caused me to do things that would have normally been abhorrent and against my principles and beliefs. Satan and his minions have had thousands of years to find the best ways and means to subordinate humans and lead us away from the LORD. They aren’t mind-readers, but they are very practiced and astute at reading people; they are very good at discovering our weak points to exploit.

What can we do about this? The first, and absolutely most important thing we can do is to accept JESUS as our LORD and SAVIOUR. Really open our hearts, our minds, and our souls to him. I am convinced that the demons were able to work themselves into my life by a couple of things I did which opened doors to them. In junior high, a group of us experimented with an Ouija board. When I asked the board to tell us who it was, it rapifly spelled out ‘s-a-t-a-n’. Of the girls who were there, I know of several who have rejected GOD in their lives. It scared me enough ghat I immersed myself in church for the next few years, but let me assure you, the enemy is crafty and patient. When I left home to attend college, I was drawn into groups who played on the edge. My faith wasn’t strong enough to stand up to the onslaught and I succumbed to the ‘fun’ we were all so busy having. I believe that because my Dad was a pastor, I became a particular target. Playing around with Ouija boards or Tarot cards, seances, contacting the dead…. these are dangerous tools created by the enemy to suck you into his nefarious scheme. There is no ‘playing’, they are intended to be deadly – literally. The enemy’s stated purpose is to turn people from GOD, and when he succeeds with a ‘Christian’ there are demons everywhere doing the happy dance. Despite attemprs over the years to get back to church and a spiritual relationship with GOD, I was drawn deep into the abyss. I almost died a couple of times, but my GOD stepped in and literally saved my life. I suffered, physically, emotionally, and spiritually because of my choices, and I suffered (and still suffer) the consequences of my actions. Angels, sometimes in the form of people and sometimes invisible to me, kept physical death away so that I had the time and the opportunities to find my way back to my SAVIOUR. Not everyone gets that chance, but I have met many survivors of the evil one in my journey, and they know how blessed they are to have escaped. We are NOT victims; we are survivors.

Ghosts? No, not so much. Spirits? Absolutely. I know they exist, both the good (angels) and the bad (fallen angels, aka demons). I have experienced both, up close and personal. The HOLY SPIRIT is one who is always with me now, listening to every word and thought, and gently (okay, sometimes NOT so gently when I veer off the way!) guiding me in the way the LORD GOD would have me go. The LORD GOD, His Son JESUS, and the HOLY SPIRIT are real, alive, and well. They will never, ever steer me to danger, but They will keep me safe when I allow them control of my life. Satan, the enemy of GOD, and all of his creepy little minion spirits are also real and alive, and are constantly harassing and searching for any little crack in our lives to grasp and take us into sin and danger.

Believe in JESUS. He is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life (John 14:6). There is no other way to GOD the FATHER, the Comforter, and to the HOLY SPIRIT, and Eternal Life. Your choice – an eternity of Life and Love with our LORD, or an eternity of death and suffering with the enemy. Do you believe? Even more, do you accept JESUS as your LORD and SAVIOUR?

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, JESUS came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the LORD. A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, JESUS came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to Him, “My LORD and my GOD!” Then JESUS told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” JESUS performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that JESUS is the MESSIAH, the SON of GOD, and that by believing you may have LIFE in His Name.” – John 20:19‭-‬20‭, ‬26‭-‬31 NIV

AMEN and AMEN!

Thank You GOD, I’m Not EVER Alone!

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:2 NIV

I’m so glad we don’t have to do this stinkin’ life journey alone! That statement hasn’t always been true for me. I ran long and hard, trying to get away from GOD. I couldn’t get away from Him, not matter how hard I tried. Once you accept JESUS into your heart, you’ll never be alone again. (“Reckless Love”, sung by Cory Asbury really gets into how much our Creator GOD Loves us!) While I was running and rebelling against everything that is true and right, my GOD never deserted me or turned His back on me. Once His, always and forever His, Hallelujah!

I ran into flood waters and fires and all manner of dangerous situations, and through it all, through all the years I turned my back on Him – He never waivered. He pulled me out of life and death situations; He didn’t let go of me. Stop and think about this: When emergency personnel reach out to rescue a person caught in flood waters, they get wet; they risk everything to save someone who is in trouble. Firefighters run into the flames, and risk being burned or injured themselves for someone they don’t know. Military and law enforcement, firefighters, any emergency personnel – these people are all heroes in my book! If mere men put themselves in danger to rescue me, how much more will my Saviour? He Loves us that much, to save us through His sacrifice. (“I Am Not Alone” sung by Kari Jobe ….

We are promised Hope and Peace and most of all, Love, through our faith in JESUS CHRIST. Paul says it so eloquently in one of his letters to his fellow followers of Christ, many of them brand-new Christians, in Rome:

“Therefore, since we have been Justified through Faith, we have Peace with GOD through our LORD JESUS CHRIST, through Whom we have gained access by Faith into this Grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the Hope of the Glory of GOD. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, HOPE. And Hope does not put us to shame, because GOD’s Love has been poured out into our hearts through the HOLY SPIRIT, Who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:1‭-‬5 NIV

May the Peace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST reside in your heart. Listen to “Because He Lives” sung by Matt Maher – “I’m alive, I’m alive because He Lives …. ” absolutely beautiful!

So, does this picture look like trouble, or what???

Oh, BAM!

My devotion this morning was based on this verse:

“He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.” – 1 Timothy 3:4 NIV

The writer went on to talk about how men are so macho when it comes to sports and athletics, and who pride themselves on their hard work and achievements, are absolute wimps when it comes to leading their families spiritually. I can testify to the truthfulness of this concept in my own experiences. Most recently, I had a good friend who talked a lot about his involvement with his church and how his life revolved his church (we were in different states). We made the decision to become a couple, and he moved several hundred miles to be close to me. After about a month of attending different churches, he decided that none of them were the right ‘fit’, and he quit going. He quit praying at meals; refused to join me in any Bible study or Christ-centered activity. He ‘didn’t need it, he had his own, private relationship with GOD.’ He was very proud of his work and his achievements, but trying to bring GOD back into the relationship was at a dead end. As much as it hurt me, the relationship – and the 20 year friendship – ended after 2 years with him walking out with no warning.

I would love to have a companion to do life with, but GOD has shown me that it must be a man with a strong spiritual life, a man who demands respect – not with words, but with actions. Not a wimp, not self-righteous, or pompous; not wrapped up in being ‘religious’, but loving GOD and loving – and living – life. No phonies, no wimps need apply. Until (and if) GOD sees fit to put this man in my life, I must be content with Him.

“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.” – Job 40:4 NIV

Yes, I am unworthy of any blessings, but my LORD has bestowed many on may despite my lack. Whether I end up alone for the rest of my life, or He sends me a companion, I pray that I remain strong and steadfast in my love and praise for my GOD.

You Shall….. And You Shall Not

I think GOD was pretty clear when He gave Moses and the Israelites the Ten Commandments. Sometimes, though, we need a little nudge or reminder….
* You shall put the LORD GOD above all else. You shall have no other gods before Me. Focus. Read your Bible. Study GOD’s Word. Pray. Share your faith, even when it is scary. Live it.
* You shall put all these things behind the LORD: sports teams, kids, spouse, job, food, drugs, toys (y’all know what I’m talkin’ about here!) You shall not make for yourself an idol.
* You shall watch your language. Be creative with your language rather than cursing the LORD. (Leapin’ lizards! Oh, SNAP! Ah, Snickerdoodle!) You shall not take the Name of the LORD your GOD in vain.
* You shall set aside a day for rest and worship. Remember the Sabbath day. (Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. Just pick one!)
* You shall Honor your father and mother. Respect!
* You shall forgive (He doesn’t say forget, He says forgive.) You shall not murder (no matter how much the person might deserve it!) Leave it to the courts – whether earthly or divine.
* You shall be faithful to your spouse, in heart, mind, and body. You shall not commit adultery. If you are considering it, just stop it now.
* You shall be honest, whether at work or play, and respect other people’s belongings. You shall not steal.
* You shall refuse to listen to or spread gossip, and always be truthful. You shall not bear false witness. That includes lies and half-truths.
* You shall respect the belongings, and the bodies, of each individual. You shall not covet.You shall not covet.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy [generous], your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy [stingy], your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both GOD and money.” – Matthew 6:22‭-‬24a NIV

Not just money, either. You can’t serve the LORD by being immersed in other things. Back to the second commandment, anything we put in front of GOD, whatever it is, is what you are serving. A football / sports team, your career, money, addition, food, family can all be idols we stumble over (mea culpa; I’m guilty of it, also) when we should be focused on our LORD. It all boils back to the basics. JESUS summed it up in these 4 sentences:

“ ‘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

Prayer …. Genuine or Fake?

There was an elderly, hard of hearing gentleman in the church I grew up in, who, when called on to pray, would pray long and loudly. You could almost feel the collective groan that would rise from the youth group. I know he had the utmost respect for the LORD and a genuine love for the people of the church, but as teenagers, we looked at his prayers as an agonizing ordeal. We had no appreciation for the life he had lived, and we didn’t really want to hear the needs of the church itemized. Now, I honestly don’t remember if he prayed for individual people or for the state of the church, the nation, and the world. We mostly tuned him out, preoccupied as we were with who we were sitting by or where the cute boys were sitting, or how long it would be until we could get something to eat. Were his prayers genuine, or was he like the Pharisees praying on the street corners, looking to impress the passersby? I believe he was genuine in his faith and his prayers, but to me, the real question today is how his prayers impacted others. Did he bring people to a closer relationship with GOD, or push them away with his long-windedness?

How do we pray today? When asked to pray, are your prayers designed to impress people? Are they really gossip disguised as prayers? Are they intended for GOD’s ears, or for other people? I like short and sweet, and I try hard to remember what JESUS said about prayer: “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your FATHER knows what you need before you ask Him.” – Matthew 6:7‭-‬8 NIV

Jesus went on to teach His disciples (and us) how to pray. He taught them: “This, then, is how you should pray:  ‘Our FATHER in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly FATHER will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your FATHER will not forgive your sins.” – Matthew 6:9‭-‬10‭, ‬12‭-‬15 NIV (I think that last verse deserves some intense attention from us!)

Pray genuinely, with praise and supplication. Our GOD already knows what we want and, more importantly, He knows what we need. If you are in such a black hole, in such pain that you can’t think, just say ‘JESUS’. The Holy Spirit is here with us to carry even our groans and our cries of distress to the FATHER, and JESUS is there as our Advocate and SAVIOUR. Amen.

Listen to 7eventh Time Down sing “Just Say Jesus”