Category: Thankfulness

Words of Life

What a wonderful, life and love filled world it would be if we could just follow a few simple words!

“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the LORD, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Parents, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them …. ” Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT

Simple words, easy to understand; not always easy to follow when the parents don’t honor the LORD with their lives. I know so many struggling people, in church, in the recovery programs, and in life, whose parents were far beyond anything worth honoring. Parents who sold their children for sex, parents who abused and brutalized them, even parents who used their own children in satanic rituals. It’s incredible that a parent could treat their child in these ways. Difficult to believe? Absolutely. Even witnessing the physical scars and permanent injuries, and seeing how hard it is for these children, who are now adults, share their stories…. first one-on-one, and then in small, safe groups of people with similar backgrounds, I find it almost impossible to comprehend that a parent could even imagine abusing their child in such a way. Yes, it’s incomprehensible, but it is real.

How do you tell a woman who has been abused her entire life by her earthly father, and often her mother as well, that there is a heavenly Father Who loves her beyond measures? A Father Who will protect her soul for eternity? I have a couple of friends who struggle greatly with this. For one whose parents sold her as a sex slave, and another who was forced to participate in horrific satanic rituals and sacrifices, it’s almost impossible to comprehend a loving Father. So many women (and men) use sex to cover the pain. It becomes a power thing, where she (or he) controls the act, and can even offer a fleeting few moments of physical pleasure. It is a brutal addiction that Satan capitalizes on. He thrives on the pain and addiction, and pushes for more. He is the father of lies and deceit, and he promises the pain will go away if the addict does as he whispers to them. He feeds the lies that she/he is worthless for anything other than the continued abuse. To stop the voices, many sex addicts use alcohol and drugs alongside the sex. Suicide beckons as a permanent escape.

I know that the only escape from the vicious cycle is to surrender everything to Jesus. Stop fighting Him and let Him have the burden. One particular friend wrote that she was tired of fighting, and tired of the constant struggle. I can only encourage her to stop fighting. Stop the struggle. I know it is almost impossible for her to see past the hurt of the past, but I also know that until we let go of the past, we can never move forward. It’s okay to mourn babies we never got to hold or only held for a very short time (and I believe we have to mourn in order to let go) and it’s okay to mourn loved ones who have passed on. There is a season to mourn, and then we must begin to live. She has been holding on to the tragedies and losses of her past so tightly, and for some long, she doesn’t know how to let go.

Come to Jesus, girlfriend. Let Him have your burdens. Open your hands and your heart and allow Him in to clear out the cobwebs. It’s okay to grieve, but move on to the good memories and live life in the now instead of in the past. Revenge is not the answer. Prayer and praise for our deliverance, and thankfulness for our salvation… these are the answer. Come to Jesus.

“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” – Romans 15:4 NLT

CREDITS:

John Lawton, for his glorious, happy paintings; and

http://bible.com for the Scriptures.

Food, Glorious Food!

“The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” – Matthew 4:4 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.4.NLT)

Can you imagine not eating for 40 days? No food, no snacks. I don’t know about you, but most days I have trouble going 6 hours without at least a snack, let alone 24 hours, or a week. 40 days. That’s what Jesus did, and He did it with intention. The scriptures tell us that He did this before He began His ministry, but also this: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.” – Matthew 4:1 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.1.NLT)

He went out specifically to be tempted, and Satan did his best to cause Jesus to give in. He tempted Jesus with hot bread after all those days without food. For me, the smell of bread, fresh out of the oven, is incredibly tempting. Even if I have just eaten, a hot roll or slice of hot bread is hard to resist. Just smelling it makes my stomach rumble in anticipation! When the hot bread didn’t work, Satan went on to another temptation, the ability to fly, really, because he knew – and Jesus knew – that His angels would prevent Him from hitting the ground. I’ve dreamed of flying across the country, and it would be another great temptation for me to submit to. Finally, Satan shows Jesus the world.

“Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to You,” he said, “if You will kneel down and worship me.” – Matthew 4:8‭-‬9 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.8-9.NLT)

Imagine! You are offered the chance to rule the entire earth; could you resist? Really? We know that God created the earth, and that ultimately He will rebuild and reshape it into the perfection it was in the beginning. For now, though, and since Adam and Eve, God the Almighty has allowed Satan to rule because of their choices. So Jesus was offered the world…. He knew that Satan was and is the ultimate liar. Even so, it had to be tempting to take back the world in that instant. Jesus, through all of His temptations, gives us the words to get past the temptations we face daily.

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your GOD and serve only Him.’ ” – Matthew 4:10 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.10.NLT)

Are you faced with a specific temptation today? I encourage you to pray about it, and to let the enemy know you recognize his tricks. Saying the words out loud can be a powerful tool. Satan and his minions can’t see into our heads or know our thoughts, but they have had years, centuries, to learn faces and behavior patterns. Be vocal against the enemy! Call him out, and let Jesus in so that He can stand with you against Satan.

Infinitely, Awesome, Epic …. etcetera

I get so tired of hearing these words. They have lost their true meanings by being trivialized in our every day conversation.

“Don’t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” – #CSLewis

“Oh, that’s infinitely better. What an awesome job. Wow, that’s epic, dude.”

How about this: “The heavens are infinitely bigger than we can imagine. We serve an awesome God, Who in His infinite wisdom has chosen humanity to serve and to be served by Him. The new Heaven and the new Earth will be epic for followers of Jesus. God created the Grand Canyon and the Himalayas with such epic proportions that they leave us breathless and on awe.”

Starting to understand? These 3 words convey so much when used properly. Sometimes, a simple gasp at the sight of the incredible and unmatchable scenery God created for us to view and experience is somehow more appropriate than words. This song tells it so well:

How Great Thou Are

Oh LORD my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art

Our LORD is Infinite, He is Epic, and He is Awesome. I am so glad to be His child! Can I get an Amen today?

Coincidence, or God?

3 years ago today, I posted the following on my Facebook page. 3 days ago, I used that same verse – I had no idea it was going to pop-up in my memories today!

“Psalms 27:14 says to “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.”

What a beautiful, and difficult, verse! We want what we want, NOW. No pain, no sorrow, no hardships.

I want my mom’s eyes to be fixed. I want my friend to not have anymore back pain. I want another friend to be well, and her daughter to be delivered from the prison of debilitating physical pain and emotional bondage. I want my nieces delivered from the physical illnesses they battle. For my friends and family to be whole and well.

God often has other plans; plans that are beautiful…. If we just let Him be in control. “Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” Amen!”

My mom’s eyes are much better; my friend had surgery and has no more back pain. My nieces are much healthier. God is still in control! We have new issues to deal with; financially and physically, but we know that no matter what we are dealing with, God is with us.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.” – Isaiah 40:28 (http://bible.com/116/isa.40.28.NLT)

That’s the promise He gives us!

I Have Sinned

“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord .” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” – 2 Samuel 12:13

If God forgives a man who was an adulterer and a murderer, and elevates him to king – why do you think God won’t forgive you?

“… EVERYONE who believes may have eternal life in Him.
For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s One and only Son.”
John 3:15-18

I think that says it all.

I NEED You, LORD

There’s a hymn we used to sing in church, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” It was written by Annie S. Hawks in 1872, a song that we could all relate to if we just admit our losses and failures. See if you agree.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Oh, yes, I need Him to make sense of the chaos and difficulties, the stumbles and falters, the failures I experience. I was in many ways more fortunate than most. I had an earthly Father who believed and practiced following Christ to the best of his ability, and a mother who made sure we were fed and dressed and well-mannered. We attended church services every Sunday and Wednesday; our churches hosted guest speakers, often in week-long revivals, so we were exposed to Christians from around the world. I learned very early that I needed Jesus, and accepted Him as my Savior very early in my life. Even as I became an adult and made the choice to step into the temptations of the world, I knew in my heart Who was LORD. I have been reminded over and over in the consequences of my choices that God is Supreme. He pulled me out of the depths of sin and depravity more than once. For a season, I would acknowledge His Lordship, and then I would turn my back on my Savior and go my merry way.

It amazes me that He never gave up on me. I’m not proud of my choices, even knowing that the greatest men of the Bible succumbed to temptation as great as mine. It amazes me that God chooses to use the bruised and the broken to follow Him. I think that’s why these words of Annie Hawks resonate in my soul. These words, along with the hymn ” Just As I Am” touch me so deeply. God doesn’t care about our past, or our color, or our financial state, or our physical condition. He cares about ONE thing; He cares about our souls, our heart condition. That’s why, in the Old Testament, the priests made blood sacrifices; to cover the sins of His chosen people. That’s why He sent His Son Jesus, to make the ultimate sacrifice and to cover ALL of our sins, past, present, and future, when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. It’s why Jesus sacrificed Himself. For YOU. For ME. If you were the only person who ever lived, Jesus would have done whatever He did, just for you.

Mind-boggling; simple, but hard.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the Everlasting GOD, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding.” – Isaiah 40:28 (http://bible.com/116/isa.40.28.NLT)

HALLELUJAH!

Wait

Once again, God nails it; He sends me exactly what I need.

“Wait for the LORD.” (Best advice EVER!) –

I don’t like waiting. I’m not very patient. We live in a world of instant gratification. We want what we want, and we want it NOW. Young adults want the big fancy house or apartment, with granite counter tops and all of the amenities. Children want their own phones and computers and televisions and electronics. When they are able to drive, they want their own car; a HOT car, not the parent’s car.

Adults aren’t setting any kind of example, either. A new car every few years (guilty!); credit cards that enable us to live beyond our means; divorces because we are no longer “in love” with our spouse – adultery is rampant, pornography is the norm. Look at the TV shows and movies that are popular. Disrepecting our parents and others is “cool.” We worry and fret over situations and circumstances that we have zero control over.

I am blessed to have my home and friends and family. Yet I find myself lacking contentment at times. There’s so much more I would like to do. Even after a lifetime of knowing that waiting on God is the best way, I still want what I want, now.

“Wait for the LORD….”

John puts it beautifully:

“In the beginning the WORD already existed. The WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD.

He existed in the beginning with GOD.

GOD created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.

The WORD gave Life to everything that was created, and His Life brought Light to everyone.

The LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness can NEVER extinguish it.”

– John 1:1‭-‬5 (http://bible.com/116/jhn.1.1-5.NLT)

Does it get any clearer than this? Let’s try one more from Luke, the physician who followed Jesus and researched the story of His birth in order to give us a factual, historic accounting.

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the LORD appeared among them, and the radiance of the LORD’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.

“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

The SAVIOR – yes, the MESSIAH, the LORD – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

– Luke 2:8‭-‬12 (http://bible.com/116/luk.2.8-12.NLT)

Isn’t this the most insane, most beautiful thing you’ve ever read? Can you even begin time imagine what John and Luke are describing for us? When we take the time to wait for God’s impeccable timing, fabulous things happen. Mary relied on the LORD, when she was a young, pregnant, unwed girl…. because she recognized that God, the Almighty LORD, had given her the most precious gift. Joseph waited on the LORD, and took this girl and the baby she was carrying, and was rewarded by being the stepfather of the Son of GOD! The Bible is full of examples of people – ordinary, sinful, broken people – who waited upon the LORD and we’re rewarded. Joseph who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers; Abraham and Sarah, too old to bear children and yet they had a son; Rahab the prostitute; Noah and his family; king David and his son Solomon….. the list is too long to put it all here. Wait for the LORD..

“Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” – Psalms 27:14 (http://bible.com/116/psa.27.14.NLT)

Help!

Paul wrote this reminder: “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “ – Acts of the Apostles 20:35 (http://bible.com/116/act.20.35.NLT)

How to decide where to help and what to give and what to do…. That is the question. A wise man told us, as Americans, the ‘what.’ John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address inspired children and adults to see the importance of civic action and public service. His historic words, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” challenged every American to contribute in some way to the public good. (https://www.jfklibrary.org)

Easier said, than done. There is so much to assist with today, between the record breaking hurricanes, flooding, draughts, tornados, earthquakes, and massive wildfires. I think every American has been affected in one way or another by all of these catastrophic events. Rising gas and material prices, possible food shortages; even if you have escaped these consequences (so far), most of us know people through friends or family, who are in one or more of the affected areas. I have people on both coasts and in Texas who are being devastated., and it’s difficult not to just load up the truck and take off. However, like thousands of others, I have neither the financial or physical means to do so. What does that leave us to do? The absolute, most powerful tool we have is prayer. Wonderful, glorious, time with our Father. First, we need to praise Him for His goodness, then we can ask the Holy Spirit to intercede and to comfort and protect our people.

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 (http://bible.com/116/2ch.7.14.NLT)

Jesus also taught us:

“Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ” ” – Luke 11:2‭, ‬4 (http://bible.com/116/luk.11.2-4.NLT)

How do we help? We pray.

Diasaster

As I stand out in the backyard, it strikes me – again – how incredibly blessed I am. The weather is as close to perfection as it can be (except for the stupid pollen, which makes my eyes itch like crazy and stuffs up my head!) In spite of the physical and financial challenges, life is good. How can I wrap my head around the destruction in Houston, Puerto Rico, and the many other island countries in the path of hurricanes Irma and Jose? Then there are the fires raging in the northwest, with over 50000 acres involved so far. India, Nepal, Pakistan and southern Asia having massive rains and flooding, Yemen and other countries suffering a desperate lack of food and sanitation because of the bombing and fighting. Homeless and stranded people just trying to survive all over the world.

Makes my head hurt.

What can I, one human being without financial resources, do to help? There is one thing that every single person can do, regardless of our circumstances, good, bad, or indifferent. That one thing is perhaps the single most powerful and important thing we can do.

Pray.

“NEVER stop praying,” or as the NIV says, “Pray continually.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (http://bible.com/116/1th.5.17.NLT) And from the Apostle Paul: “….I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” – Acts of the Apostles 20:35 (http://bible.com/116/act.20.35.NLT)

Simple enough?