Category: New

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)

Neutral Ground 

  “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.” C.S. Lewis, @CSLewisDaily 

Wow. Just contemplate this statement for a minute. In case you don’t know C.S. Lewis, he was a committed atheist for years before he surrendered to God:

“You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen  [College, Oxford], night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” (Source: Wikipedia.org)

Lewis was a scholar and a prolific writer, who took his Christianity seriously and wrote in such a way as to introduce a Living God to unbelievers and believers alike. I think most everyone is familiar with his Narnia series, and it is a wonderful, imaginative and fanciful way to show the principles of Christianity to those who wouldn’t see them, otherwise.  J.R.R. Tolkien did the same thing with his Lord of the Rings books. If you are unfamiliar with the writings of either of these men, I would highly recommend them! This scripture from the Psalms seems to reflect on them: 

  “Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing Your instructions. Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me Life through Your Word.” – Psalms 119:29‭, ‬37 NLT

I realize that fantasy doesn’t appeal to everyone, so rest assured that both authors wrote many other books on Christianity and our relationship with Christ. 

Looking at the term “neutral ground,” I consider the route I traveled the past couple of days, driving from Tucson AZ, back to the Oklahoma City area. Coming up out of Tucson, we (me and the pups) took the scenic route through the Santa Catalina mountains, then on through the Salt River Canyon. One word describes it for me: Breathtaking! Our Creator God took the desert and decorated it with dozens (hundreds?) of species of cacti and grasses and trees in fantastic shapes and colors you won’t see anywhere else in the world. The monsoons began while I was in Tucson, so everything was brilliant shades of green. The trip through the canyon is awesome. Yes, it is a steep grade (mostly 8%) and switchbacks, and if you have never experienced anything like it, well, you should! At the rest stop at the bottom of the canyon, you can walk across the old bridge and watch as the river roars through, and literally crane your neck backward in order to see the top of the canyon on either side. How can anyone stand there and NOT see the Hand of God? At the same time as I am worshipping my God,  I have to stop and think about the statement by Lewis. “…. Every square inch is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.” God created an incredible, breathtakingly beautiful earth, and Satan turns it around and tries to corrupt it. The canyon is gorgeous  – and treacherous. The desert is the same, full of fantastic plants and animals – which the enemy has crammed with dangerous reptiles and plants which can cause serious damage. It’s like a glimpse of heaven and hell smashed together. 

Coming out of the canyon, you’ll see a completely different kind of desert, then through pines and firs as the road continues into the White Mountains. I love this route in large part because of its contrasts. When you leave the White Mountains and come out into red rock Painted Desert country, there is a whole new world of contrasts. Towering bluffs and mesa after mesa … red rocks and colors stacked on top of each other.  It’s Tony Hillerman and Louie L’Amour country, and it is all beautiful. Anyone who thinks anything called “desert” is drab and colorless hasn’t really looked! Driving east on the interstate goes through so many types of country it would take volumes to describe it all. None of it is neutral ground. Throughput my entire trip, the struggle of the enemy against the Creator is so obvious. I see the beauty God and poured out for us, and I see how hard Satan is striving to make it ugly. For myself, I refuse to let the enemy ruin any of it for me. 

It all comes down to choice. Do we allow the enemy to come into our lives and spoil them, or do we choose God? It will NEVER be easy when you choose God, because the enemy will just concentrate harder on making life miserable. Finding JOY in the pain and the ugly is only possible through God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I choose the ground, every square inch, and every split second, claimed by God!

(All scriptures quoted are from http://bible.com/116/NLT)

Christ’s Love

  “Either way, Christ’s Love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for EVERYONE so that those who receive His NEW Life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, Who died and was raised for them.” – 2 Corinthians 5:14‭-‬15 NLT 

Does anyone else struggle with these verses? It isn’t that I don’t believe them, because I do, complete. I suppose my struggle isn’t really the words that Paul writes, but rather with the people I know who profess to be Christian. I’ve said it before, and I will reiterate it again: I am NOT perfect. I fail miserably at being a Christian, and continually slide into sinful behavior. I want to live for Christ, and I strive to do so. I’ve said that so that I can present my dilemma. If a person professes to be a Christian, and they believe they are a child of the Almighty LORD, how can they curse with abandon, lose their temper, make rude gestures at others who irritate them, and/or continue with behavior that are blatantly un-Christian?

I understand backsliding. Been there, done that; still do it. I also believe that the Gospels preach that we are ONCE saved. There are no do-overs. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, it’s a done deal. I cannot become unsaved. 

  “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have LIGHT from the LORD. So live as people of Light! For this Light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the LORD. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the LORD wants you to do.” – Ephesians 5:8‭-‬12‭, ‬17 NLT

I understand broken people. I believe that our GOD  uses brokenness to show how brightly His Light can shine through the cracks. Once we have fallen into the darkness of the enemy, we crack and fade. Through the redemption of our LORD, we are pieced back together… and He leaves cracks and holes for the new Light of Jesus to shine through. It’s a beautiful sight to see! So where does this leave us, with the professing Christian who lives like any other person instead of striving to let go of the old man and embracing the new? It is not for me to judge, or even to speculate whether that person has been born again in Christ Jesus. That judgement belongs to the LORD. The only way I know to deal with these people is to pray…. and that is a HUGE  thing to be doing. The power of prayer is astounding. 

If you are like me, and you have family and friends who profess Christ but don’t live Christ, I hope you’ll join me in prayer for them to see where the Light is coming from, and realize that they are hiding it from the world with their behavior. “Jesus Loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

  “Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the LORD in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to GOD the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5:18‭-‬20 NLT  (http://bible.com/116/eph.5.8-17.NLT)

I Am Rich

Every time I read this verse from Matthew, I look around me and see how tremendously God has blessed me! Whether it was my little 600 sq ft trailer in NM, or my beautiful home I’m in now… When I let go and let God, life is good. He provides for me. It’s when I become complacent, and ‘forget’ to put Him first that things start to go downhill. It is so easy to be distracted by all the things around me; the trying to keep up with others.

  “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” – Matthew 6:21 NLT 

For the past few days, I have been privileged and blessed to spend time with my Mom. Just the two of us (well, with her AND my 2 little dogs!) It has been a time of remembering and blessing, and a special treat for me because I live far enough away that it is difficult to be here. I have been reminded that our time here on earth may be (is) limited, but we are assured of an eternity  together in heaven. I remember, LORD, that ALL I need is YOU. Your Word, Your Love, Your acceptance. Keep my mind centered on You. Our relationships here on earth are important, but it is the relationship we have with Christ that is MOST important. No matter how strong or how tattered our human relationships may be, here is the one that literally counts for all. This next scripture from the Revelation of John may be the most important thing you ever read. It can change your life – here on earth AND for eternity….
  “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. GOD Himself will be with them.  And He also said, “It is finished! I AM the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the Water of Life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their GOD, and they will be My children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” ” – Revelation 21:3‭, ‬6‭-‬8 NLT (http://bible.com/NLT)
    Billy Graham – “God says that only those who hunger after righteousness will receive it. God thrusts this heavenly manna on no one. You must desire it, above everything else. Your yearning for God must supersede all other desires. It must be like a gnawing hunger and a burning thirst. Almighty God, my soul is parched and I’m so hungry without the spiritual food You so desire to give me. Take away anything in my life that would cause me not to give You pre-eminence.”

It’s that easy. A simple prayer – God, I know I’m a sinner. I acknowledge that Your Son Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah,  and my only salvation. I open my heart and mind and soul to You, Lord. Come into my heart today. Save me, Lord Jesus. YOU are the ONLY way to God. Amen.

How can we beat an offer like that?

HOPE Springs Eternnal

You might hear this phrase frequently in our house. We currently have 2 small dogs who know quite well that they don’t get “people” food, and they definitely don’t get fed from our plates…. yet you can clearly see that “hope springs eternal,” especially from the smallest one. He sits and watches our every move, hoping we’ll relent and give him a bite. (It hasn’t worked yet!) Unlike my little dog, my Hope really DOES spring eternal, because my HOPE comes from God and not mankind.

  Jesus replied, “I tell you the Truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of GOD. … The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit. … No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. … For this is how GOD Loved the world: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE. … There is NO judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in GOD’S One and Only Son.” –John 3:3‭, ‬8‭-‬8‭, ‬13‭, ‬16‭-‬16‭, ‬18 NLT (from http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.3-18.NLT)

Where do you find nope in your life? My prayer is that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, as I have. He is the ONLY way to find true peace and hope in this world, in spite of the curve balls that the enemy continues to throw at us. The LORD knows our frustration and our concerns, and He wants us to give them to Him so that He can deal with them…. in HIS time. He knows how worried I can let myself become since I lost my job over a year ago and still haven’t been able to find a new one. I have to consciously choose to be content and to rest in His Arms, and trust in His timing. For a control freak, I assure you that is no small feat! 

GOD is Good, all the time. He has blessed me beyond anything I could ever imagine. My true treasure is in Him, and no matter how hard life becomes,  I know that He has my back. I can rest assured in Him.

Why? Why ME?

I know this life is temporal, and we have a limited amount of time on earth. I have had this tendency, especially when I was younger, to think my physical body was indestructible. I could do physical labor all day, party well into the the  night, and get up the next day to do it all again. As I get older, I begin to realize that the enemy is behind all of the discomfort and pain we experience, not God. I’m beginning to understand why my Dad would get so frustrated that he couldn’t do what he was used to doing, and would have to allow someone else to do things for him. We think we are so self-sufficient that we can do it. Pull ourselves up the bootstraps and get it done. Ha. No longer! But listen to what Paul says on this subject:

  “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16‭-‬18 

  “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” – Galatians 5:16‭-‬17 

It doesn’t matter what the pain is, and it doesn’t really matter how the pain came into our lives. These is an absolutely breathtakingly amazing and awesome future for us when our physical bodies give up and we get to see Jesus! It’s HARD to let go of control, even when we just imagine that we have it. We think we know better than the GOD of the Universe…. how misguided we are. There’s only one way to know – REALLY know – that we will spend our eternity with Jesus. 

  “But EVERYONE who calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved.’ King David said this about Him: ‘I see that the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts His praises! My body rests in Hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the Way of Life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to G6od, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts of the Apostles 2:21‭, ‬25‭-‬28‭, ‬38 

Where will you spend eternity? I pray it is with Jesus Christ and all of the saints who precede us into heaven!

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

Father of my Father

Father of my Father

Oh, I pray this day comes soon!

  “Rise up, O GOD, and scatter Your enemies. Let those who hate GOD run for their lives. Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of GOD. But let the godly REJOICE. Let them be Glad in GOD’S Presence. Let them be filled with Joy. Sing Praises to GOD and to His Name! Sing loud Praises to Him Who rides the clouds. His Name is the LORD – Rejoice in His Presence! FATHER to the fatherless, DEFENDER of widows – this is GOD, Whose dwelling is Holy. GOD places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them Joy. But He makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land…. Praise the LORD; praise GOD our SAVIOR! For each day He carries us in His Arms. Our GOD is a GOD Who saves! The SOVEREIGN LORD rescues us from death. But GOD will smash the heads of His enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.” – Psalms 68:1‭-‬6‭, ‬19‭-‬21

Many of us are saying “When, LORD? When will we be free; when will we have this Joy You speak of? And when will our enemies be crushed and perish, since so many of them seem to be the ones who prosper th most in this world? ” A thousand years to us is but a day to the LORD, so consider that it has only been a couple of days since Jesus died and rose from the grave. 

  “LORD, through ALL the generations You have been our Home! Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are GOD. You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals!” For You, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours.” Psalms 90:1‭-‬4 

When you feel most hopeless, completely mired down with despair, you are not alone…. IF you have accepted Jesus as Savior and allowed the Holy Spirit into your life. I’ve dealt with those feelings, and it was only through the Grace of our Glorious GOD that I made it through them (with a lot of help from the doctors that the LORD has given the talent to help others). I absolutely cannot imagine experiencing all that without GOD on my side! Even when our spouse cheats or abandons us; losing our livelihood, our home, our “stuff” through experiences out of our control; losing a child or beloved family member to death…. The LORD will sustain us, IF we allow Him to. Far too often, we react to bad things by blaming GOD, when we should be looking at the enemy and swath of destruction, Satan’s joy. Satan’s excitement and satisfaction comes from us rejecting GOD; from us blaming our LORD, rather than him. When we turn away from GOD, I imagine he and his demonic beings are doing a little happy dance. BUT, he will get his just rewards:

  “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse [see, I TOLD you there are horses in heaven!!] was standing there. Its Rider was named FAITHFUL and TRUE, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war…. On His robe at His thigh was written this title: KING of all kings and LORD of all Lords. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast – miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” – Revelation 19:11‭, ‬16‭-‬16‭, ‬20 

  “And He (The LORD) also said, “It is finished! I AM the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the Water of Life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their GOD, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” – Revelation 21:6‭-‬8 

Have you received the Water of Life? Because if you have, we’ll get to meet in heaven with Jesus and all of the saints and our loved ones who have gone before us. HALLELUJAH!
 (All scriptures quoted  http://bible.com/NLT)

I Search For You

 “In the night I search for You; in the morning I earnestly seek You. For only when You come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.” – Isaiah 26:9 

The ultimate oxymoron: If I know that God is always with me, why do I have to look so hard to find Him?

My humble opinion is that we spend so much of our energy and our lives searching, because we have a preconceived idea of WHO and WHAT He is. The problem is that our construct doesn’t match up with the very real and Holy God Who is in front of us…. at least, that’s how it appears to me. Don’t think I’m pointing fingers, because this is an observation I have made concerning my own life; I’ve corroborated my theory by watching others.

It makes me wonder why we try to hard to make our lives, and the lives of others, so difficult and so often painful. Here is what King David had to say about it: 

  “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD GOD, my GOD, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” – 1 Chronicles 28:20a 

If we choose to believe that God is indeed the Be-all and the End-all, instead of the puny little god that we try so hard to make Him in to, we can gain the assurance we so desperately need. It’s incredibly simple, yet so difficult for us. Thus the difficulty.  We have to CHOOSE to trust that what we cannot see; some ONE Who is beyond all that is humanly conceivable. But when we DO choose: 

  “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a GLORIOUS, INEXPRESSIBLE JOY. The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:8‭-‬9 

Imagine that!

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

God’s Plan

  ” “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.” ” – Jeremiah 29:11‭-‬13 NLT

What are God’s plans for our lives, and how, exactly, do we determine what they are? I’m reading the “Chop Chop” series by L.N. Cronk. It’s written about people living their lives and searching for God’s wisdom and guidance throughout. These are written like real people, who have emotional and physical issues; who struggle with the “WHY?” do bad things keep happening to us. It’s both entertaining and thought provoking, happy and tearful. It’s about getting out of the way and letting our God have control. It’s about how difficult it can be to relinquish our grip on a situation, thinking that WE can control it better than God is able to. It’s about hearts and desires and human fragility, and it’s about how our LORD is truly the Great Physician. It’s about struggling to figure out God’s plan for our lives.

I relate on so many levels with some of the characters. I have never been very good about putting my God first in my life. I have a serious problem understanding what it is He really wants of me. (And I’m SURE that failure to understand has absolutely nothing to do with my fierce stubbornness!!)

Look at the people around you, even within your household. Do you really know what struggles they might be facing?  Are you quick to make a judgement call on someone, and to pass off their issue as no big deal? I realize that there is a LOT of angst out there that I don’t understand – that I CAN’T understand, because I haven’t experienced whatever that person has experienced. Christians need to be cognizant of that, and empathize or sympathize or sometimes, just be quiet. And PRAY. Always pray, whether it is out loud or in a whisper or silently. In our places of employment, it’s often difficult to know what’s going on with someone to understand why he is habitually late, or she misses a lot of work. Your boss maybe decides you should know how to solve an issue or fix it without any help, but really you are so frustrated you cannot even think.

Guilty. Yes, I’m guilty, and I have been both “hired hand” and “boss”……. And I still don’t have a handle on what God has planned for me. Are YOU in His plan today? It’s certainly something to think and to pray about today.

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