Category: Bible thoughts

Wounded – And YOU Can’t Fix It

Yesterday, disciplined; today, wounded. Ugh.

  “An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” – Proverbs 27:5‭-‬6 NLT

When you are running as hard and as fast from God as you can, being disciplined and having friends and family confront you are the last things you want! Any kind of confrontation by family is, to an addict, like sandpaper and salt to an open wound. Until the addict chooses to hear, no one can reach them except the Holy Spirit. I know because I have been there, and because I have witnessed it with countless others. It isn’t just drugs or alcohol that a person can be addicted to. Add in the easy ones – cigarettes, prescription drugs, shopping, hoarding, lying. Then the “bad” things: stealing, burglary; sexual addiction, whether looking at pictures in a magazine or online; even as far as the violent, despicable crimes of rape, mutilation, murder…. did you know that God doesn’t distinguish sin? Any action can become an addiction; an escape from the real world.

Why? Why does God allow this? What causes people to do the things we know aren’t right, and what on earth could allow us to harm others?

There’s only one answer, and it isn’t one many people want to hear. Free will. God gave it to the first humans to pass down through the generations because He wants us to CHOOSE Him. Even the angels have the choice of loving God or leaving Him. 

  “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’ ” – Isaiah 14:12‭-‬17 NLT

Lucifer, the Shining Star of heaven, wanted to be greater than the Almighty, the Creator. When Lucifer chose his desires over God’s desires, he was kicked out of heaven and along with him were the angels who followed him. 

  “Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.” – Revelation 12:7‭-‬9 NLT

Satan has spent all of his time since being thrown out of heaven scheming to beat God. The only way he wins is by turning us away from our Creator LORD, and He is very vigilant about it. Michael threw Satan out of heaven, and it will be Michael at the side of Jesus when He returns for us. I want to live to see that day! There was a time when I dreaded the return of Jesus. I was always aware of the things I was doing that were sin in my life, and for years, I was powerless to change it. That answer to the “Why” questions, that free will, when given to Satan is impossible for us to get back on our own. The next question becomes “Why would anyone give SATAN control over their life???” 

Again, the simple answer is that he makes it look beautiful. Whatever the sin, whatever the addiction, he makes it looks pretty and easy… much easier than the “straight and narrow path” of Jesus. Even though I’ve done it, and left the path of Jesus, I still can’t explain it. It may be narrow, but His path is well lit. Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34 NLT

“Turn from your selfish ways….” And there’s the answer.

We turn away from Jesus because we are selfish and want things OUR way. There are only 2 ways to turn. Toward God, or toward the enemy, Satan. We are FOR Jesus, or we are AGAINST Jesus, and if we are against Him, we have chosen the enemy. Free will. That’s where our friends come in. When we become aware of a friend or family member slipping, getting into something we know is a bad thing, it is our duty as Christians to help them. Carefully, prayerfully, lovingly help. Being careful not to fall ourselves, or to wound unnecessarily. Remember:

  “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” – Luke 6:42 NLT

Discipline with care. Rebuke with more care, and only after much prayer. We don’t want it to hurt the person, just to get their attention turned to God. He is the ONLY cure; our only Salvation. Amen.


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

Disciplined and Loving It

​  “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction…. Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.” – Proverbs 12:1‭, ‬15‭-‬16 NLT

Love discipline, listen to others, stay calm, don’t take offense. In these verses, God isn’t talking about the kinds of “discipline” that abusive, controlling people use. I’ve been there, lived through it, and there is nothing godly or good in abuse masquerading as discipline. 

Whoever wrote these words in Proverbs, whether King Solomon or someone else, managed to reach across the millennia and slap me up side the head. I don’t think I’ve ever taken being disciplined very well. Whether it was being scolded by my parents when I was little, or bosses, or my husband, or friends, I don’t like being told I am wrong. I wrapped myself in self-righteousness and used anger as a shield to protect myself. At first, with my husband, it was to protect myself from his belittling words and from his anger. Holding in all of the fears and anger; unable to really talk to anyone, I became cold and angry. The only way I could cope with it was to withdraw and to control whatever slivers of my life I could. Eventually, nothing I did – in his eyes – was good enough, so I defended myself the only way I could see. Anger. 

When I did talk to anyone, I hid the realities of my life. Both fear of reprisal and pride kept me from reaching out. How could I admit to such a grievous error in letting myself become entangled in such a relationship? Through this first marriage, I came to know myself as a person with no value. Since my pride kept me within myself, I built walls of control and temper around my heart. I know now that those were all lies of the enemy. I still don’t like discipline, and it is too easy to want to always be right. Staying calm when challenged with everyday life, and not reacting in anger when insulted or when someone is rude, can be difficult. Whenever those provocations occur, I try to remind myself that that person could be in pain. Physically, or emotionally or spiritually. We don’t know what they are dealing with in their own lives. We are told by our bosses to keep our personal and business lives separate… but is that really possible? 

To remain calm in the face of insults or confrontations is never easy. It is a process to learn to give up that anger and let the Holy Spirit deal with it. Holding on to anger and resentment doesn’t do anything good for the person who is holding it, and it doesn’t affect the one we are angry at, at all. These three verses may be the ones I need to put on my bathroom mirror as a reminder! GOD is Good. Through thick or thin, good or bad, sickness or health, riches or poverty, hell or high water, He is with me and willing to help me out anytime I ask. Remember, He is a gentleman and He won’t step into the fray without an invitation. 

  “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His Name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your Rod and Your Staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely Your Goodness and UNFAILING LOVE will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” – Psalms 23:1‭-‬6 NLT

GOD will exact justice and revenge on all who have hurt His children, so we have no reason to even try in our lifetimes. Let it go! Until that time, hold tightly to Jesus, our Rock and our Salvation. Amen!

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

No Matter What

​  “I love You, LORD; You are my Strength. The LORD is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Savior; my God is my Rock, in whom I find protection. He is my Shield, the Power that saves me, and my Place of Safety. I called on the LORD, Who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies. God’s Way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a Shield for all who look to Him for protection. The LORD Lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted! He is the God who pays back those who harm me; He subdues the nations under me…” – Psalms 18:1‭-‬3‭, ‬30‭, ‬46‭-‬47 NLT

God loves me. Through feast and famine, divorce, abuse, homelessness or riches; GOD has LOVED me. No matter what – or who, or where, or when – God has always loved me. These verses from Psalm 18 are David’s song to his LORD on the day he was delivered from almost certain death from Saul and all of David’s enemies, and we should probably be singing these praises daily, ourselves. 

The artist Who created the earth and all that is within it chooses to love me; to love US, no matter what. 

I don’t know about you, but I have to confess that it kinda blows my mind. Focus on verse 2: “The LORD is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Savior; my God is my Rock, in whom I find protection. He is my Shield, the Power that saves me, and my Place of Safety.”

He is: Rock, Fortress, Saviour; Protection, Shield, Power, and Safe Place. ALL of God’s Ways are perfect. His desire is to be all of these things for me and for you. I NEED Him to be these things for me. I can’t live without Him. For years, I tried to live without Him, and I kept myself so busy in my sins so that I could ignore just how miserable I really was. Me, self-centered, selfish, stubborn, proud…. and angry, jealous, mean. It all goes together, and it thrills the enemy when we cling to those attitudes and feelings.

Even though I spent my 40 years getting through the “wilderness” of my making, my God never left my side. No matter how hard I fought to ignore His Presence, no matter how loud I screamed to drown out His quiet voice, He was always with me. Did I say “always?” Because I meant ALL ways, ALWAYS, no matter what, with me. He lives and He will give you Life if you will accept it. LIFE. 

  “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.” – James 3:17 NLT

Do you want to be more like God? Can you imagine living life unafraid and joyful, full of peace, with a gentle and giving spirit? From my own experience, I can say without reservation that I know the way. Because I am an imperfect being, the reflection of God’s Holy Spirit is often distorted when His perfection as it comes off me. Still, there are times when He uses me to shine His Light on others, and it humbles me to know it. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, in my power as a person to show His Mercy to others; it all comes from the Holy Spirit. 

  “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. For ‘Everyone who calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved.’ ” – Romans 10:9‭-‬10‭, ‬13 NLT (Joel 2:32)

NO MATTER WHAT….

(All scriptures quoted from  http://bible.com/116/psa.18.1-47.NLT )

Go

​  “Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.” …. “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”  

  “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” …. “Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before My Father in heaven.” 

  “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:1‭, ‬16‭‭, ‬28‭, ‬32‭-‬34 NLT)

Go! Go out into the world and tell people about Jesus. Let’s start with verse 16. We are being sent to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News, to the world, as “sheep among wolves.” Not a pretty picture. Then, to top it off, Jesus says to be “shrewd as snakes” – eeeeewww, gross; and “harmless as doves.” If nothing else, dove can be persistent! In spite of the picture I get from these verses, I find great comfort in verse 28a. 

  “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul.”  

I’ve made the statement (a number of times) that bad guys – thugs, gangsters, etc. – can’t hurt me, to friends who then try to correct me and tell me that I can be hurt. We are both correct. Someone might hurt this physical body, even kill me, but that isn’t what drives me. This body is temporary (thank GOD!) but my soul is eternal, and it belongs to God. I don’t want to be hurt, and I don’t like to hurt. I know that when I have been physically hurt in the past, I’ve done my share of crying and complaining. Maybe more than my share! The difference then and now is that I am no longer living in fear of hurt. I don’t consciously put myself in harms way, but I don’t cower in fear, either. 

I am confident that whatever happens, I will live on with Jesus, forever and a day. 

Going back to the scriptures, the last verse here is one of my favorite quotes from Jesus. He was humble and didn’t brag, and He allowed Himself to be arrested and tried, flogged and ridiculed, and hung on a cross. He also cleared the temple in Jerusalem, His Father’s house, in righteous anger, of all of the scammers who were selling goods there. He was humble, but He was not weak! Verse 34:

  “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”

I don’t carry a sword; I carry the protection of my LORD. (A little target practice never hurts, either….)

The command stands. Jesus doesn’t tell us all to leave home and go to faraway places. Some of us need to stay home to reach neighbors and friends and family. Don’t be afraid of what man can do to you. When GOD sits on the great white throne and passes justice, everyone who has done evil to His children will face His wrath. If you have ever seen a human father or mother protecting their kids, just imagine how much greater is God’s protection and judgment! I can hardly wait!

  “Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven….  And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of My followers, you will surely be rewarded.” (Matthew 10:32‭, ‬42 NLT)

(http://bible.com/NLT)

I Am Rich

Do you realize that if you have indoor plumbing, a home (whether one room or a mansion), more clothes than what you are currently wearing, food, and transportation, you are in the top 15% of the world’s population in wealth? According to an article dated 20 July 2016 at http://www.investopedia.com, and income of $32,400 (that’s $11.60/hour) puts you in the top 1% of the world in wealth. The top ONE Percent. That’s a staggering statistic!

Maybe you don’t feel wealthy because you are struggling financially. (I am, so I can relate.) We are bombarded through television and social media, billboards, signs, and peer pressure to buy more, buy bigger, have the newest… do you wonder why check cashing businesses and pawnshops and “We Buy Gold” businesses are thriving? Bankruptcy and divorce lawyers? Why so many houses are in foreclosure?  We become so focused on that newer, shinier, next thing or person, we build ourselves mountains of depth, creating deep levels of discontent and worry and stress, and these things destroy us. 

I am not immune! 

Keeping up appearances is something I struggle with just like so many people, but I am sure of one thing: I do NOT want to end up like the rich man in Luke 16. Read the whole chapter! 

“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.” – Luke 16:25 NLT

Recognize how blessed you are. Be thankful for what you have, especially family. 

http://bible.com/NLT

Guilt

 “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” – James 3:16 NLT

As I sit here reading my Bible, I am listening to a woman on the radio talk about meeting her birth mother for the first time, and finding out it was someone she had known through her church all of her life. She described it as being awkward, and feeling obligated to maintain communication even though she didn’t want to. Then she talked about how grateful she was that her birth mother had given her the best parents she could imagine having. It’s possible to be angry and grateful at the same time.

The birth mother did an amazing thing. As the birth mother of a child who was given up, I see this from the other side from the child. It is incredibly difficult, letting your child go, even when you know they are going to a couple who will be excellent parents, able to provide emotionally and financially for the child. 

Watching from the sidelines, it would be easy to let jealousy and selfishness grow. It was something I dealt with. When I made the decision to let her go, I had to promise I would not come back in a year or 10 years and say “Okay, I have it together now, I want my child back.” While I was trying to survive the horrible decisions and situations I was in, I watched my child thrive and be happy. She had a mom and dad who loved God, each other, and her. After a couple of years, they had a baby and she became a sister. They presented a stable, well taken care of family picture. 

Yes, I was jealous. They had, and were, everything I wanted for myself and wasn’t able to achieve. Just as James points out, the jealousy I felt was accompanied by much disorder and evil. My life was ugly…. why should they have what I wanted, when I couldn’t? 

The answer lay in Jesus Christ. 

  “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” – James 3:13‭-‬18 NLT

While I was being earthly and unspiritual, and being attacked on a demonic level, the adoptive parents were putting God first and “reaping a harvest of righteousness.” If they had known how deeply in trouble I was, I know they would have done whatever possible to help me. Instead, I hid in the darkness of my life, lost in denial, until I almost died from the consequences of my sin. Oh, I repented for a time, but the lure of Satan is strong . Where God is a gentleman, the enemy is a liar, crafty, underhanded, cheating and lying to snag us. He wants us away from our Lord, and he wants us to seek revenge against God.

Remember that! God created us with free will. He knew, even while He was fashioning the clay in His hands, that there were many millions and billions of humans whom Satan would deceive into following him, rather than God. Why would He give us free will so that we could throw it back in His face? Why, indeed. The Creator wants us to CHOOSE Him on our own. He will not coerce or force us. When we make the conscious decision to follow Christ, and we look to heaven instead of ourselves for wisdom, He rewards us with peace. Glorious Peace!

  “But the Wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.” – James 3:17 NLT

Words to live by.

(http://bible.com/116/jas.3.13-18.NLT )

Poverty, or Wealth Beyond Words

Poverty or wealth; what a question. Who would willingly choose financial poverty over wealth? I think my parents came close. Being a pastor in small towns in Oklahoma certainly didn’t provide monetary wealth or even a comfortable existence. I remember Mom giving us saltine crackers with grape jelly for a snack because there was no other food in the house, and bologna sandwiches for lunch. I’m sure it concerned her greatly, with several little mouths to feed. I was little enough that life was an adventure. We never went hungry because God, through the congregation, always provided food. (NO welfare!) We wore hand-me-downs, but we were always clean (“Soap is cheap. There’s no excuse to be dirty!”) and we always had something to wear. We lived in old, shabby houses. I loved the old houses, but for my parents, they were something less than pleasant to deal with. I thought they were great fun!

Sharing the Word, and serving the congregation, was a priority for Dad. I can’t imagine having a happier, more loving, childhood. We had struggles, but we went through them as a family. We were wealthy, even though we were poor. It’s like verse 44 in this passage. When the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke in parables to the people, this is His reply:

  “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:   ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts   and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it…. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:13-17,44 NIV

My parents were like the man who found the hidden treasure. Giving up a lucrative business partnership with his dad and brothers and going out to preach the gospel, I guess that is effectively choosing poverty over financial wealth. In the joy of finding Jesus Christ, the real treasure, they gave up the financial gain of the business and “bought” the mission field of rural Oklahoma. How many of us would willingly walk away from our financial security to follow Christ?  That is the age-old question Jesus asks. 

  “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:38‭-‬39 NIV

Financial poverty can be spiritual wealth, if chosen for the right reasons. Sometimes, we are stuck in poverty as consequences of our bad choices in life. There’s no joy in this kind of poverty! I spent a number of years in pretty severe financial poverty, and today I am not financially wealthy, by any kind of financial reckoning, but I am incredibly wealthy in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  I have a tremendous wealth in family and friends, and I am blessed to have a comfortable home and companionship. How about you – are you wealthy, or are you stuck in poverty? 

(All Scriptures are from http://bible.com)

Trust – Not So Much!

​  “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord , the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” – Isaiah 26:4 NIV

Trust. That’s a tough one for people who have been mislead into trusting deceivers, liars and cheaters. Why would we trust someone like that? Like the ultimate liar and deceiver, Satan, they become skilled at their deceptions, pulling in those who are innocent, or hurting, and those needing someplace – someone – to put their faith. 

The following passage is called “The Cost of Following Jesus.” Without that complete trust that Isaiah talks about, we’ll find it difficult, at best, to follow Christ. 

  “As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”   He said to another man, “Follow me.”  But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”   Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”  Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” ” – Luke 9:57‭-‬62 NIV

Parts of me want to protest, and say “No! That’s too harsh.” I can’t even comprehend that level of trust. There are great examples throughout history of this complete trust. Starting with Matthew, who was by all accounts a successful tax collector, and Luke, a physician, to Florence Nightingale or Mother Teresa… they left comfortable lives to follow Christ. The idea of walking away from my family, especially when my dad died, without a goodbye, well, I can’t imagine how much pain it would have caused me.

So does God really expect all the people who accept Jesus as their Savior to just walk away from their homes and jobs and families? 

I don’t believe so, although many do choose that path. Look at the many foreign missionaries who give up their lives here in the U.S. to serve in nations and impoverished areas, full of physical dangers and spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit speaks to each person to show us our personal mission field. For some, it is becoming a missionary. For others, it may mean pastoring a church, or serving in other roles within the body to provide or maintain a place to worship in. School teachers have a vast mission field. It might be the witness you provide at your job, or to family members. Whether you are a janitor or CEO of a major company, if you claim to be a Christian, your mission field is right there. 

Trust in the LORD. Don’t bow to the world and let it shake you. God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, will never leave us or forsake us. No matter how badly we have been treated, or mistreated, God is Supreme,  and He Rules…… I’ve read the back of the Book, and I KNOW Who wins!!

(http://bible.com)

Can You Hear Me Now?

  “​My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.  I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” – Job 23:11‭-‬12 NIV

First, let me tell you that this scripture from Job does NOT describe me! No, I’ve been pretty much the opposite of these words for most of my adult life. It isn’t anything I’m proud of, but it is true. To me, there is a distinct dichotomy. I believe in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. I believe in the Trinity, the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I know that the Bible is the Word of God, spoken through man, as a guidebook for us to live by. I believe in my heart that all of these things are true…..yet for years I lived as if they were all at lie.

There are many people living the same way right now, knowing the Truth yet living the lies of our enemy, Satan. These are people who, like I  did, profess Christianity with their mouths while living lives full of anger and deceitfulness, backstabbing and envy, ambition over family, infidelity, and so on. The lies of the enemy are powerful, blatant, and loud. He drowns out the Words of God with his smoke and mirrors, every time we give him an opening. Satan has mouse bones….. know what those are? A mouse can squeeze through openings that are entirely too small for their body to fit through. Somehow, they are able to manipulate their way through these tiny cracks in order to get what they want. Satan is like that. If we give a tiny opening, and we are not guarding our hearts, he will sneak in for the attack. 

Satan is subtle when he needs to be, and loud and obnoxious when he can get away with it. I know this from my own life, up close and personal. It has also been evident in the lives of people I chose to associate with…. not such good choices.

The only way to escape the hold that the enemy has on us is to immerse ourselves in God’s Holy Word. We have to spend time in prayer, and we have to stop everything long enough to hear what our LORD  has to say. The still, small voice of God can be easily drowned out by the cacophony of life. This is why it is imperative, as Christians, to take a few minutes out of every day to spend them alone with our Lord. I certainly don’t have my best days when I skip my God-time in the mornings. It doesn’t matter when you carve out your time, as long as it is done.

  “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:3‭-‬4 NIV 

FYI- I am NOT claiming to be like Paul, as one approved by God! I am simply and prayerfully writing my thoughts, hoping that perhaps a word will reach someone who needs it. The last sentence is accurate. I am not aiming to please people, but God. 

God is asking us, “Can you hear Me now?” Can you?

(Artistry by God; Photo by Mark Campbell, Carmel CA 03/2017)

http://bible.com/111/job.23.11-12.NIV