I Am STRONG …… (Um, no, not really)

“I can do it myself ….. pull yourself up ….. anything you can do, I can do better ….. I am woman, hear me roar ….. don’t be a whiner, just do it …..”

Any of these sound familiar to you? Like so many societies before us, we preach self-sufficiency and to depend only on ourselves. Well, just let me ask you this : how’s that workin’ out for you? For me, not so good. Depending on my strength, and being dependent on another person, has let me dig a hole of debt and despair bigger and deeper than I was in before; deep enough that I can’t possibly get out on my own. Paul addresses this in a letter to the Corinthians, where he references back to the exodus of the Jewish people as they left Egypt.

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And GOD is Faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” – 1 Corinthians 10:12‭-‬13 NLT

I’ve been proud of my strength. Working in different areas of tne building trades, I strove to be as good as any man on the crew. No, I always wanted to be seen as better than any man…. “as good as” wasn’t good enough. I stocked 50# boxes of nails and screws, and 80# buckets of drywall mud, I loaded lumber and plywood and sheetrock; I carried 90# rolls of roofing and bundles of shingles up ladders. I tried to out-ride my friends on horseback; I climbed rock faces; I taught myself to ski; I wanted to out-dance any of the others. I was, simply put, a show off. My pride was my downfall then, and it is still a thorn in my side. Because of my pride, I have had multiple surgeries to repair damage I did to myself while determined to be the best, using only my own strength. If I had relied on God instead of myself, I think I could have avoided some of the injuries. Not my strength, not letting my pride push outside my physical limits, but believing that God made me to be myself, His child, sufficient unto Him.

Now, because I had to have a bigger and better house, and more “stuff,” and then I lost my job and depended on a man’s committment to me to support this lifestyle, I find myself in that deep hole I was referring to earlier. Depending on man will always leave us wanting. Learning to depend wholly and completely on God is scary. I’m learning to pray “YOUR Will be done, not mine; not my strength, LORD, but Yours. Not riches, but enough. Amen.”

I want to work, and I hope I can stay where I am. Pray for me to be open to whatever it is God is telling me. Pray that I will rest in HIS Strength, rather than my own.

Spirit Guide – The REAL Thing

“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ …. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” – Galatians 5:14‭, ‬16 NLT

In New Age teaching, you have a spirit guide to help you through life. How ironic that they have pulled it straight out of the scriptures they despise. For a time in my life when I was very troubled and looking for help, I became involved in that thinking, thanks to a ‘counselor’ I went to who encouraged me to it. She encouraged me in looking at ‘past lives’ – I apparently was a black woman, a slave, during the Civil War – and through this counselor I was introduced to my ‘spirit guide.’ This is what I can tell you about that time: the New Age movement is not about bringing truth and light into your life. Oh, it starts out that way. My ‘spirit guide’ came to me (in my mind) as a beautiful, shining woman, eager to help me on my way. It took a very short time, because I didn’t follow her unquestioning and meekly, before this beauty resorted to her her true form – and it was far from pretty. It (not a ‘she’, as I had thought) morphed into a twisted, ugly imp with ragged teeth and claws instead of fingers and toes. It was unquestionably one of Satan’s followers, whose job was to drag me far enough down that I couldn’t find my way back to my LORD.

Oh, people, I pray you can hear me! If these things can happen to a CHRISTIAN, how much easier is it for unbelievers to be dragged into the pits of hell?? I have experienced hell on earth, and my heart breaks for the millions of people who are sucked into these things every day. The only Spirit Guide we need is the Holy Spirit! GOD Almighty, Creator, as our Father, JESUS CHRIST as our Advocate and our Brother, and the HOLY SPIRIT as our Spirit Guide – this is all we need to truly live, both here on earth and for eternity. It took a miracle to break me out of that life, and I praise GOD for my deliverance. Leaving it, just walking away, isn’t humanly possible. It requires divine intervention, and I am forever grateful for my freedom. Once Satan lures you into his lifestyle, it is so easy to get sucked back into it. This experience was second time becoming involved in it – up front, on the surface, it seems like such a good thing. The enemy wants us trapped in the quicksand of his lies and deception, and he absolutely hates it when someone gets free. He pursues the escapees with all of the vengeance he has, and sends his legions to harass and create difficulties and harm from those people. He throws up roadblocks and puts every enticement in front of us.

Even now, years after, he is out to destroy our lives; my life. I put my Hope and my Trust in my LORD Jesus Christ. He put His Angel Army around me to protect me, and He gave me His Holy Spirit to guide me through the darkness and despair.

“O LORD, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. ….. I can never escape from Your Spirit! I can never get away from Your Presence! ….. but even in darkness I cannot hide from You. To You the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. ….. Search me, O GOD, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of Everlasting LIFE.” – Psalms 139:1‭,7‭,12‭, ‬23‭-‬24 NLT

HALLELUJAH! My chains are gone! Will you allow Him to release you, today?

Thank GOD My Yesterday Is Gone

“All my Hope is in Jesus, Thank God, my yesterday’s gone, I’ve been washed by the Blood…. ”

Crowder, in his new song, talks about a man who has been released from prison and is greeted by his friends and family. This man knows what it means to be released from physical bondage. Not just the bars and shackles of a prison, but the spiritual bonds of his sins. These bonds of the spirit are every bit as real as the steel bars and chains of prison; in fact, in many ways the bonds of sins are incredibly stronger than anything man can put on you. Spirit bonds can dominate your life, and the enemy of life wants us to stay in these bonds. I know, because I have spent most of my life caught up in those chains. We commiserate with the people who are in physical slavery today, and we hurt for the way many of our ancestors were treated, but what about all of the spiritually imprisoned? We can wear a ribbon showing our support for those caught up in human trafficking, and we donate to causes to save the baby whales/seals/etc. We get angry at the inequalities and inequities around the world. We fight to save puppies and kittens, while killing our own human babies. We argue for the rights of “dreamers” while using pornography and prostitutes to satisfy the lusts of our bodies.

What a messed up world. Just writing that paragraph made me a little sick to my stomach. Satan, aka Lucifer, the god of darkness and pain and despair, is dancing with happiness at the state of humanity.

What can a single person do to fight the darkness? Call on JESUS! He is the Light, our Saviour; King of kings, LORD of Lords, Son of the LORD GOD Almighty, Creator. He will stand with us as Advocate when we stand in front of Judge and Jury of the Great White Throne on Judgement Day. He stands with us, with me, today and every day I allow Him to be there. He rescues us from the sin and darkness; all we have to do is ask, and He will remove the shackles and chains we have bound ourselves in. Come to Jesus for Redemption and Forgiveness at the foot of the cross. He is waiting patiently, with NO judgement or condemnation. So remember this, if you don’t remember anything else: “All my Hope is in Jesus, Thank God, my yesterday’s gone, I’ve been washed by the Blood…. ”

“And so, LORD, where do I put my hope? My only Hope is in You.” – Psalms 39:7 NLT

I’m Not Religious

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what GOD has prepared for those who love Him.” …. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9‭, ‬14 NLT

I don’t really care for people calling me “religious.” To me, religion is something people do to show to the rest of the world how “good” they are. I’m not “good”, and there is no way that anything I can do is going to get me to heaven. There aren’t enough Hail Mary’s, and there aren’t enough sacrifices or prayers to wash me clean enough. No, I have enough sin in my past to keep me as far away from God as there is distance. Blessed be His Holy Name, this is exactly where Jesus Messiah meets us! I can’t do enough, but He can do EVERYTHING. My mind can’t comprehend any love that big, and that’s exactly what verse 9 is telling us. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what GOD has prepared for those who love Him.” I can’t see it, I can’t hear it, I can’t even imagine what God has for me. It’s difficult to even think that He loves me; that Jesus LOVED me, enough to leave heaven and come here to cover me with His saving Grace.

Think about this. If Christians have a hard time understanding how deep and how wide our Saviour’s Love goes; how all-encompassing His Love is, how can the unbeliever, the spiritually parched, believe it? LORD, don’t let me be perceived as religious by the world. I pray that the unbeliever will see a difference in me, and that they will want to know how to achieve that peace for themselves. Especially through this time of trial, help me to remain faithful to You and Your commandment. Help me to maintain my faith in You, and my belief in Your faithfulness to me. As I stumble through this time, I know I am not alone and I pray that I recognize Your Strength as You carry me. Show me how to be spiritual, and not religious. Help me remember this: “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” – Psalms 103:12 NLT AMEN.

Bickering Is FUN

I confess. I like a good argument. Bickering can be fun. It’s definitely entertaining, and can be more interesting than a bland, superficial conversation. Keep in mind, please, that I’m talking about the “blah, blah, blah” conversations. The ones where you find your mind wandering or your eyes closing as you nod off…. Not everyone agrees with me about bickering. It’s important for me to remember is that it isn’t fun or entertaining to everyone. Some people have to be “right”, disregarding truth in the process, or they think that bickering is arguing. (For those of us who are perfect, this is moot, because we are always right!)

I considered myself to be one of those perfect people for years. My thoughts and opinions were unquestionably the best. What I didn’t accept was how utterly broken I was. Oh, the lies we tell ourselves! Thank GOD for His Saving Grace! Accepting our own brokenness, our imperfections, is difficult at best. I think it’s much easier to realize these things in others (Matthew 7:3, Luke 6:41). I will always struggle at times about having to be being “right,” and remember that sometimes – MOST times – it really isn’t important.

I still enjoy a good argument. Maybe I should join a debate club!! Instead of having to be right all of the time, I would truly prefer to be as Christ wants us to be. The Apostle Paul wrote a lot on this subject, so I know I’m not alone in this struggle.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:31‭-‬32 NLT

Isn’t that just a kick in the pants! When I consider how much God has forgiven me, there are no grounds left for me to hold a grudge against anyone, or to demand that I be right. It’s important to recognize the difference in light hearted bickering and arguing, and to know the person you are engaging with. If it makes that person or the people around you uncomfortable, then it becomes a tool for the enemy.

“Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the LORD must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.” – 2 Timothy 2:23‭-‬24 NLT

If you are curious about what a Christian should look like, Ephesians chapter 4 and 2 Timothy 2 are two great places to start reading…. and the whole New Testament! Lots of good stuff there. I need to hold tight to this verse from the prophet Jeremiah:

“But Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their Hope and Confidence.” – Jeremiah 17:7 NLT

Curses On You

Ever had anyone curse you? I don’t just mean foul language, but for someone to say (and mean) for you to go to hell? There are curses when the individual is truly cursing you, like in voodoo, and there are instances where it is done in jest…. although I don’t understand how you can jokingly refer someone to being cursed. I have been cursed at and had curses directed at me, but never have I had someone for years profess to love me, and then to do a 180 and curse me to hell. Disconcerting, at the least. Alarming, to think that someone close to me, to you, would hold that much hate. Instead of focusing on the injury, we need to focus on Jesus’ words:

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. ….Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” – Luke 6:27‭-‬31‭, ‬35‭-‬36 NLT

As many of you know, I have harbored grudges and anger and thoughts of revenge against those who have hurt me. All that negative in my life only served as a wedge between me and my God, and it also kept me away from people who genuinely cared for me. Letting the anger fester can kill us, spiritually and physically. The enemy rejoices when we hold on to all that. In my past, I became embroiled in a life of satanic influence, and I tell you the truth, I was within days of dying when I was rescued from it. The curses from that time trailed after me for years, and it is only the intervention of my Lord JESUS that I am alive today. I will forever bear the emotional and physical scars of that time, so that they can be a reminder that Jesus alone will sustain me. Even now, as I have been told to go to hell, I know that Jesus has determined that I need to bless and forgive that person. I cannot do it alone; my compassion fails me. Oh God, how I need you to guide my thoughts and words and actions! My one defense, my righteousness, depends on You, LORD. Blessings on each and everyone who despise me….

Love Your Enemy

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 NLT

God didn’t tell us we could pick who to love. No, He sent His Son to us, Who taught us these lessons:

“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” – Matthew 22:37‭-‬39 NLT

Short and to the point. Jesus is referring to a passage in Leviticus 19, verses 9-18 when He says to love your neighbor as yourself. Read it – it may help with your understanding the point. I’ve read Bible scholars who say that Jesus is referring to fellow believers when He says ‘neighbors’; I think they should read the story of the Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37. This terribly injured Jew was left for dead by robbers, and a priest and then a temple assistant passed him and left him to suffer rather than sully their hands. A Samaritan, a people despised by the Jews and who in turn hated the Jews, picked up this man, his enemy, and cared for him and provided for him. Who was the real neighbor? Certainly not the man’s fellow Jews! The Samaritan showed love to his enemy. Shouldn’t those of us who have experienced the Love of the Savior lead by example in loving our enemies; our neighbors? Both Luke and Matthew record several instances of Jesus talking about loving our enemies.

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.” – Luke 6:35 NLT

Even as Jesus showed His love as He was dying, by asking God His Father to forgive those who tortured and crucified Him, so we need to forgive those who hurt us. Yes, I am all too human and know EXACTLY how difficult it is, especially when the hurt is new, or the person is completely unrepentant. In fact, I’m currently dealing with it, even as I write these words. Knowing that the LORD has forgiven me for much, I know that He expects me to forgive others the same…. and more. There are many, many scriptures that talk about forgiveness. Not forgiving, and fostering anger and hurt in my heart, doesn’t do anything to my enemy, it only harms me. The greatest thing we can do, after prayer for our enemy, is to love them. Most times it has to be done at a distance, especially if that enemy caused us physical harm, and we shouldn’t forget, lest we get into another bad situation. Forgiveness is only through Jesus Christ and His Love.

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have Loved you, you should love each other. ….”If you love Me, obey My commandments.” – John 13:34; 14:15 NLT

A Story of Faith

What is faith? One definition says “Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Whenever I think I about faith, this scripture from Mark comes to mind – “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NLT) This seems to be my state of mind much of the time. I want to believe without question; I know that God is stronger than the enemy and that He is in control. Why is it so difficult?

“When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.” – Luke 7:1‭-‬10 NLT

Here is a man, a Roman officer, enemy to the Jews, and he believes. He has a truly remarkable faith to believe that a man despised by both Jews and Romans, this man Jesus, can heal his servant with just a word…. from a distance! Could I do this? I can tell you that no, I couldn’t. When faced with life-threatening illness and injury, I need a hands-on, physical touch to reassure me. What does that say about someone who grew up in a Christian home, with the teachings of Christ instilled in me from the time I comprehend, and even before that, as an infant? A Roman soldier had more faith than I do? Seems almost inconceivable, doesn’t it? I struggle to rest in the Lord; to believe that He sees the end of this quagmire I find myself in.

The faith of a mustard seed is all we need, according to Jesus. With that minuscule amount of faith, literally about the size of the period at the end of this sentence, we can move mountains. Not a figurative mountain; Jesus was speaking of a literal mountain. Hear him: “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” – Matthew 17:20 NLT

Where is my mustard seed, LORD?

Poverty or Plenty

“Better to have little, with fear for the LORD, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.” – Proverbs 15:16 NLT

Jesus modeled this proverb during His ministry on earth. But what about His life before His ministry? We know very little about His earthly father, except that he raised Jesus in the small town of Nazareth, and we know that Joseph was a carpenter. We know that Joseph was an “upright” man, a righteous man (Matthew 1:18-25), who followed God’s instructions for his life. As a carpenter who was displaced from his home, and with a young wife and small child, Joseph took his family and traveled to Egypt. They lived there until the Judean king, Herod, died and they could return to Judea safely. We don’t know if Joseph was very poor, or middle class, or wealthy. I like to imagine that Joseph mentored his eldest, Jesus, in the art of carpentry, and that he took good care of his family. I imagine that he was a kind and loving husband and father; a good example for all of his children. I like to believe that Joseph lived out Proverbs 15:16, not necessarily wealthy but an adequate provider, and the religious leader of their home. I wonder if he was disappointed that Jesus didn’t take a wife and settle down to live in Nazareth and to work with him. We don’t know if he was alive during Jesus’s ministry, or present at His death on the cross, or His resurrection from the grave. We don’t read about these things in scripture, because the wealth or poverty of Jesus’s parents isn’t really relevant to the story of His ministry. His earthly father doesn’t have the importance, or the significance, that His heavenly Father does. We know where Jesus really came from, and His heavenly home would make any situation on earth look like poverty!

Jesus understood poverty in the earthly sense, too. During His three years of travel and ministry on earth, He stayed with wealthy people like Lazarus and his sisters, and He ate with Zacchaeus and other wealthy tax collectors. We don’t know, in fact, that He was poor and homeless during His ministry. He said “The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ ” – Luke 7:34 NLT

Does this mean He was wealthy? Poor? Homeless? We know He camped with His followers, and He performed miracles to feed the crowds who followed Him, rather than purchasing food for them. Does it matter? At times, He had plenty, and at times He experienced poverty. I understand that, too well. I have had plenty, shopping when and where I wanted, and going out to eat at nice resturants on a frequent basis. I have also experienced poverty and homelessness, staying with friends and also living in a vacant house for a time. Jesus knew what it was like, even though His real Father’s wealth exceeds anything we could possibly imagine. He reminds us:

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.” – John 12:8 NLT

And then He also reminds us that we are blessed and loved by the Almighty LORD of the universe:

“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT

He doesn’t promise to give us everything we want. He promises to provide for our needs. I am clinging to His promises today, not knowing how I will meet my financial obligations beyond today. Mortgage, utilities, car payment, insurance…. no job and no financial cushion because I have used it to survive thus far. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! All I ask is for enough. Enough to survive and to live on. That’s it. Amen.