I Want YOU!!

The God of our fathers has chosen YOU that YOU should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. Acts 22:14

We recently started adding on to our house. The addition wasn't difficult and our contractor estimated that it would only take about one to two months at the most. Well its almost November and our house is still not finished. To say the least its been a nightmare. Our contractor is a great guy with a good heart but bless his soul he is terrible. He makes promises he cant keep and his efforts always seem to fall short. I went through a time where I was very frustrated and even stressed about the situation. I couldn't understand why it seemed so difficult to simply finish a job. Rufas is the mans name and over the months we have become friends. He looks to me and Patrick for advice about finances, his business and even his spiritual growth. The Lord has really been dealing with him about the way he conducts business and about how important it is to be honest. So this week the project has been finishing our bathroom. The bathroom seems to be the never-ending in-completable room. We have ran into more trouble with the bathroom. Well anyway, Rufas promised us that Monday morning he would be here to do the job. He promised that if it took him all day and night he would have our bathtub in and finish what seems like so little left to do. Well its Thursday and still our bathroom has not been touched. As I picked up the phone to call Rufas like I've done uncountable times in the past I once again acknowledged the fact that God sent Rufas to me to teach me patience. As I listened to his excuses that always seem reasonable and calmly waited for what I wanted to hear, when he would be doing his job, Austin my 2 ½ year old little girl looked up at me and said " be nice mommy". That struck me in my spirit. And God began to show me how he views us at times. Thank goodness we have Jesus interceding for us saying, "be nice Father, their human," give them another shot. God has a job for each and everyone of us that is specifically designed for who we are and the lives we live. Just like I am patiently waiting on Rufas to do the job that is his to do, God is waiting on me and on you to do the job He has called us to do. Sure He can get someone else to do it just like I can get someone else to come do our bathroom. But I don't want someone else to do it, I want Rufas to do it. I want to see Rufas complete what has been started. Rufas deep down wants to do his job, and he wants to do it right he just lets other things other priorities get in the way. How long will I wait on him to finish our bathroom before I get fed up with his excuses, his lack of commitment, his back and forth and move onto someone else who WANTS to do the job. How long will God wait on you or on me to live the life He wants us to live. How long will He be patient with our luke-warmness, our half-hearted efforts and our priorities being out of order. God is on the phone with us, Jesus is sitting beside Him saying just wait I know they'll commit 100% and do the job and we are on the other end of the line. What are we saying to Him ? Are we making excuses and putting off what God is calling us to be or to do ? Lets throw ourselves into the plans the Father has for us and see what awesomeness comes from a life lived for Him !! Don't wait around and entice God to use someone else because if someone else does the work someone else will also get the reward !! Lesley Hays

PRAY it forward!

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Col 1:9

Many years ago there was a movie out named Pay It Forward. The idea of the movie was when someone did something for you instead of returning the favor you would pay it forward meaning you would do something for someone else not the one that did the nice thing for you.

Today I received an email from a friend of mine that many years ago was part of a prayer group with me. We would meet faithfully every morning at a church in town and pray for our town, each other, our husbands, fellow believers and our nation. Now, many years later, we are all scattered in many different places. We still keep in touch through the miracles of technology but we do not get to come together and pray together. She made the statement that she wished we could be together that often like we were in those days! “...but the Lord has direction for each us that we didn't really see then. Out of so many friends and prayer partners so very, very many have been scattered out in so many directions, just where God needs us. We are all His trees of righteousness with roots deep in Him and with His sweet, wonderful Holy Spirit flowing through us like manna flavored sap.” That statement alone made me miss our fellowship that much more.

After reading her email in which she prayed for me a most wonderful uplifting prayer I immediately thought about that movie and decided that I would PRAY it forward. So I chose another friend of mine who was not a part of that group but one that I have shared many hours talking, studying and praying with and she is now on the mission field in another country. And I prayed it forward. I emailed her a prayer for her and her family.

Today I want to PRAY it forward to you: "Lord, I lift up the person reading this right now. I thank You that they are my friend and prayer partner even though I may not know them by name. Father You know them. I ask You, Heavenly Father, to reach down to where they are right now. Take hold of them. Hold them close to you. Minister to their needs and strengthen them as they walk with You. Lord, continue to give them wisdom and knowledge of You, opening the eyes of their understanding. Teach them to pray.

Bless their household. I ask You to minister to their husband or wife right now. Lord, I ask that You would give them peace in their workplace; if they have no job I ask that you give them one. I ask that you grant them peace in their households, and in their mind, body, and spirit. Restore their health, fan the flames of their desire to know you in a deeper more intimate way. Show them Your glory, Lord! Show them Your glory!

Bless their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Reveal Yourself to them daily. Teach them Your ways, Your mind, and give them revelation knowledge of Your word. Help them to make good choices as they follow You closely. May they be saved at an early age and teach others about her Jesus! Give them a supernatural boldness to witness to others about Jesus' love and saving grace. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen! hallelujah!"...Now it’s your turn you PRAY it forward!

Have you been running in the wet grass?

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:1Jo 1:6

In the early mornings I sit on my deck, have my coffee, and love to love on my two dogs. I call them and they come running as fast as they can. They have learned that when I call them I am going to lavish them with love and affection. They run up on the deck and wag their tails and love all over me and I return the favor, but if when I call and they come running and I see that they are wet, dirty and smelly from running and playing in the grass. I tell them no don't come stay down, and they retreat to the grass and just lay their and look at me wanting that fellowship and love but they are just to wet and dirty and I can't let them come close because they will spoil my clothes and bring with them a smell that is unbearable.

This morning as I was sitting there having my coffee they decided they wanted to join me but today they were wet and dirty and smelly so I would not allow them to come close. The Lord began to show me that he our heavenly father is that way also. We can come boldly to his thrown room but when we choose to live in sin and refuse to repent we have become dirty, wet and smelly from the world. He still desires our fellowship but he can't allow us to come on the deck because he is Holy and clean, but unlike the dogs we can become dry, clean and pleasing to the father in a moment. The word says in 1 Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This makes us acceptable and we can approach at that moment.

Our fellowship with the father is something he desires and we need but some of us like running in the wet grass( sin) and getting all smelly and then expecting his fellowship in spite of the smell ( the filth of the world) on us. Fellowship and Intimacy with the father can only come after we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. This is what gives us the boldness to come at anytime. If you feel disconnected and out of fellowship with the Father I encourage you to run not walk to Jesus and confess( agree with him about what is sin is in your life) repent ( turn from them) and allow him to cover you in his blood and cleanse you and then join your Father on his deck. He so desires your fellowship but he can't allow you to come close if you refuse to take a bath.

Are you running in the wet grass this morning, do you smell of the world, He is calling you to come and fellowship. Run boldly to him, bow humbly before him and allow him to cleanse you then jump into his arms of love and enjoy the time with your master.

Life is NOT a highway……..it’s a two lane road!

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16


Remember the song, we all know it. Life is a highway; I wanna ride it all night long. I’m sure your humming away right now, but anyway I was on my way home from my parents the other afternoon, I was on a two lane road and in my rearview mirror I could see their house and on the other side of it was a huge black storm, I was in a clear spot and in front of me were more storms. So as I’m driving that song comes into my head and it was like all of a sudden the deception in that song just hit me. I was like wait a minute, a highway, no that’s what Satan wants us to think, that there are lots of lanes or ways your might say to get to where you want to go but that’s not true.

Life is just like that two lane road that leads home, your either going one way or the other. There are only two directions, towards, and away. So as I’m pondering about this road of life we are on I realize that there are two directions you can head (heaven or hell) but there are four different kinds of people driving on this road. Ok let’s look at the direction that leads home or to heaven. There are two types of people on that side of the road, people with their headlights on and people who think they don’t need the headlights. The headlights represent the Spirit of God acquired only through belief in Jesus the Son and people with no headlights are wanting to go home and even trying to get there but have not found the Light they need. Jesus said I am the light of the world; no man comes to the Father except through me. The people heading towards heaven truly think they are going to get in, they give to charity, they don’t steal, they neuter their animals, they recycle, all around they are great people who you might even say deserve to go to heaven. But that’s why Gods word says “ not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven…many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name ? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness! So you see without that Light we can never be known by the Light.

The two types of people heading the direction away from home are first of all the obvious group, the group that’s running from God with everything in them not wanting conviction or change or anything to do with a god. They are living in the storm of life with no electricity but they are unwilling to admit they need the strength of the Living God to save them from themselves. They don’t care if what they are doing isn’t working for them, it’s comfortable and that’s how they want to stay not accepting the magnitude or reality of spending eternity in hell. I believe there is yet a fourth kind of person out there driving in this world, people with lights on heading into the world away from the comforts of home and comforts of selfishness. This type of person has been to the home of God, they know that heaven is real and that one day everything we see here on earth is going to be taken away. They are headed back into the storm to beg and plead with the individuals lost in the wilderness and in the highways and byways. They are people like me.

I have seen the truth. I know that there is a living God who wants to have a personal relationship with you just like He has with me. I have seen the storm that is all around and that could erupt at anytime. But I don’t want you to be lost. I don’t want you to miss out on something that can only truly be described by experience. So I’m coming back for you. I am here to tell anyone who is willing to listen that this life is about so much more than what we are making it. If I could just shake you and wake you up out of the numbness this world is trying and doing a good job of putting us into I would and that’s just what I’m trying to do. Shake you! I’m here and I’m screaming as loudly as I can type that Jesus really did die for you and if you can get off your educated, rationalizing, hard evidence wanting rear-end for five seconds and just have a little faith God would show himself to you.

Now don’t get me wrong there have been many times in my life where I have been the headlight headed home. I can’t count the times I left home lit and had to return to my safe haven of selfish spirituality for my own sake. I have fallen and failed so many times I can’t remember half of them (I’m sure there are people who could remind me) but that’s just the point. I need a savior, you need a savior, without Jesus the Light of life we are lost in a world of darkness headed for the pits of hell. Hell is real and if you do not have a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son then you will go there. I don’t want you to go there and that is why I am willing to put aside what is easy and comfortable and tell you what I know. I don’t know everything but I do know one truth that can save you soul. Allow God to rule and govern your life, from what you wear, the words that come out of your mouth and where you go. It’s all in the Bible and as long as the Lord allows me I plan on sharing it with everyone I can because someone shared it with me and if we don’t share then how will others know?

I don’t know who you are on the road of life but I can guarantee your going one direction or the other. You are the only one who can invite Jesus in to be Lord of your life and you are the only one who can open your mouth and tell someone else about it. My challenge today is for you to look at the person you’ve become today, right now, who are you? Who dictates in your decision making process, allow God to factor into every detail of your life and just see what happens. If you want to be more, have more, love more, give more, then get excited about God and if you are excited about Him then show it through your lifestyle and for heaven’s sake open your mouth and tell somebody. Lesley Syfret Hays

Comfort Zone Drive Thru

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind2 Timothy 1:7

This weekend my sister was down and she has a great fear of moths. We were all sitting up talking late one night and a huge moth darted at her face, she of course went into hysterics and got really upset. After she calmed down we were discussing her fear of not only moths but wasps and the like. She made a statement that really stood out in my head. She said I would rather feel the sting than to see it or hear it !

I've been rolling that around in my head for a few days now. This morning I got up and printed out 100 flyers explaining why we as supporters of marriage between one man and one women should at this time boycott McDonalds for their financial contributions and seat on the board of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. McDonalds has stepped away from a neutral standpoint and is now openly supporting the agenda of the NGLCC and by conclusion supporting gay marriage. Now I am the first one to tell you that I love a Big Mac and McDonald French fries are the bomb but until they decide to withdraw their support from an agenda that wants to destroy the family as we know it I can personally no longer give them my money.

While handing out these flyers the range of responses was quite mesmerizing. I had people who read the information and decided they didn't stand for what McDonalds is supporting, I had people who read it and went right on through, I was laughed at, given thumbs up and even completely ignored. The one response that bothered me the most were the people who didn't want the information I was offering. I had several people whose windows were down, eye contact was made but yet they refused to take what I was offering. I told them it was just some information they might want to be aware of but they still didn't want it. That to me was most mind-blowing. Who doesn't want knowledge? Knowledge is power yet these people didn't want information that could have been possibly life changing. They didn't know what the information was so why refuse it? My suspicions are that once knowing they might have to become uncomfortable so they would rather just not know.

This made me think back to the statement my sister made, "I would rather feel the sting that see it or hear it" isn't that exactly what these people were doing. We as Americans would rather suffer the sting of the world than see it or hear it. See the dilemma is once you have the knowledge you must do something with it. There become two choices, you either take the knowledge and use it to change your lifestyle in one way or another or you ignore the information and rationalize your way back into comfort. Once you see the reality and hear the truth you have to deal with it. We as Americans and as Christians are covering our eyes and plugging up our ears because we want to continue in our comfort zone drive through of a world and not deal with what is happening right in front of us. We would rather eat that big Mac than deal with the fact that when we do we are giving our money to support Gay marriage whether we agree with it or not. This is just one of many issues our world is facing today that we as individuals have got to stand up and start being apart of. We have got to make our voices known. We must stop covering our eyes and plugging our ears out of fear and just plain selfishness.

We sit around and gripe about the state of our country but what are we willing to do about it. We must all start somewhere and I started today in the hot July sun at a McDonalds drive through in my hometown. Where will you start? You can make a difference if you just start putting your thoughts and ideas to action. Need help thinking of stuff to do, contact your local church or go to www.afr.net they have plenty of current things you can get involved in. Just do something! Stand up for what’s right and don't be afraid. Lesley Syfrett Hays

I'm a Whore!

Now early in the morning He (Jesus) came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher , this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stones. But what do you say ?" This they said testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. John 8:2-7

I have many times wondered what Jesus wrote that day in the sand. I have heard sermon after sermon and never even an idea of what was written. I have also personally read this story many times and never has anything come to my mind about even a possibility of what was written until the other day. Like any other time I was reading this story and when I got to that part clearer than day the verse from 1Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft came into my mind. What if that's what He wrote. Just imagine Jesus quoting the old testament, the laws of the Bible they held so highly and using it to call them witches. I don't know about you but if someone called me a witch I would probably take offense but that's just what Jesus did when He wrote whatever it was he wrote that day in the sand. Ok so stick with me, its gonna get good I promise.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:7-12

So we already pretended that Jesus called the Pharisees or church rulers of that day as I like to call them witches but they just couldn't let it go, they kept on questioning, pushing and prodding, piously I'm sure, Jesus just kept His head down and I only imagine He was praying so intently just waiting on the Spirit to speak for Him. And finally Jesus said, look, look back at the verse. "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first" Jesus called them out ! He held up a mirror and said look at your heart, who are you to judge this women, but He wasn't finished with them, He bent down again and I'm going to pretend He wrote the rest of the verse I used earlier from 1 Samuel. It goes like this. Stubbornness is as iniquity and harlotry. Can you imagine, He just compared the people to the very harlot they wanted Him to stone. He called them witches and whores and I think the negative connotation that goes with those words were even stronger in those days then they are now. Jesus had pierced their hearts, their very conscious had been convicted by whatever it was written and they being ashamed walked away one by one. That to me is the saddest part of the entire story. They walked away. Instead of repenting, instead of falling at the feet of Jesus and saying yes Lord we are just like this harlot, sinful and in need of a savior they let their pride and shame walk them straight into hell. Jesus just kept His head down, waiting, praying, knowing they were turning away from the forgiveness He was offering them but He just waited. After the silence settled Jesus looked up. Can you imagine those eyes, the mercy and love that filled them. Deep down wishing the accusers had humbled themselves and repented but looking up and only seeing the one, what love He has for her, He asks who is accusing you, where are the finger pointers ? Her answer gives me insight into her heart and I think a much deeper meaning to this story, she answers there are none Lord. He didn't ask whether or not she was guilty because it didn't matter, it was all out in the open, He knew she was guilty, she knew she was guilty. I think Jesus was asking Who is not like you ? The answer NOONE Lord !

That is the key to salvation, we must come as we are, we must realize we are all the same, evil by nature, lost and in need of a savior. Jesus is that Salvation, He is the only one who can save us from ourselves. He doesn't ask us to do it ourselves, to change or give up things, He simply calls us to look in the mirror and admit that we are sinners, we have an evil nature, by humbling ourselves and admitting our need for Christ we expose ourselves to the Light. That Light is the Truth and that is just what Jesus says He is. The last verse said " I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life !" Doesn't that sound wonderful?

The Light of Life. Isn't that what we are all searching for, light in our life, in our eyes, in our souls. We all want love and peace and we can have it, its right there waiting to be taken and I guess the question is will you walk away not wanting to look in the mirror of truth or will you fall in the sand and let the whole world know you are a harlot. I'm a harlot, I cheated on God for many years, I allowed my flesh to rule in every decision I made but when I look into those eyes of forgiveness and love I don't care that I'm a harlot because those eyes died for me so I don't have to pay the price of my sin. Those eyes are not condemning eyes they are forgiving eyes. Jesus loves me mistakes and all and as long as I open my heart to Him He will fill my life, and yours if you let Him, with the Light of Life ! Come to Jesus my fried, He is waiting ! Lesley Syfrett Hays

He Loves to Clean

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

I have three friends with three very different hearts. We'll call the first person Alex. Alex's heart is in darkness, she is deceived about who God is, how much God loves her and the reality of the kingdom of God. Brad is the second person. His heart is aware, he professes Christianity, he wears the “I'm a Christian T-shirt” but he refuses to look at his heart. He is keeping parts of himself hidden from God. He can’t take the blame for anything; he doesn't see himself as needing help and in reality the grace of God. He feels like he deserves more and better. Jesus is there offering him help but he won’t let Him in because he doesn't want Him to see the evils that are there, thus turning Jesus into an unwanted gift! The third heart I want to tell you about is a beautiful heart. Carey's heart is open, she is aware of things that need work, she wants to be close to God, it’s apparent in her attitudes and actions her decision to follow Christ even though she is struggling greatly with fears and failures. She's on the road to salvation now all she has to do is keep the faith.

I'm sure we all know people in each of these states. My question to you is which heart do you have? I have had all three hearts and I would like to share the journey I've been on over the past year and each phase of my heart during the journey.

Like Alex Satan has had me deceived at many different times in my life but the most recent and life changing was after I left my second husband of five years. Satan gives you doubts and fears you don't even know you have until you look back on the event. When I began to turn back to my old ways, drinking too much, partying, yada yada, Satan began to deceive me by telling me it was ok. I deserved to have fun, I deserved to make myself happy, it’s ok, really it’s ok, and I really believed it was. So we get to divorce time and the Bible and every practicing (I say practicing because I mean the Christian who is seeking God and finding answers through the Word of God) every practicing Christian I knew says to me, sorry Charlie but divorce is wrong, God hates it and it will destroy your family. No no no, that can’t be true Satan said, you can divorce him, look even the Bible says you can. He'll never change, you'll never be happy with him, it will never work! You see how crafty Satan is, you see how he planted doubt and attacked my faith, and I allowed it to happen, instead of rebuking him and relying on the truth that God can heal a marriage I let those doubts and fears take over because spiritually I was weak because of my lifestyle at the time. So anyway on with the divorce I went……until God came back around again. Lesley, obey me, go back to your husband, have faith. WHAT!! FINE, I'll go back but just so you know God it’s never going to work. So essentially I went back with no faith. Now my heart is like Brads, I'm wearing the “I'm an obedient child of God T-shirt” but my heart is hard. All the doors to all the rooms are closed. Its filthy inside those rooms but I don't need help cleaning them because (my husband ) is to blame for all my problems, this is all his fault and I had nothing to do with it, I don't need help, I didn't do anything wrong. I'm screaming I don't want or need the help of the Father or the Spirit of Jesus to clean my heart; it’s just fine how it is. How sad! How sad Jesus must feel when we don't want him, when we send Him away. He knows the rooms are dirty; He sees all the filth, and guess what, He loves to clean! He died to clean, and He already knows and sees what’s in those rooms, all we have to do is open the door and walk hand in hand through the door. When we examine the mess together, when we say here it is, I made a mess. I'm bitter, I'm angry, I drink too much, I'm jealous, I have secret sins, here they are, Jesus will grab a broom and get to work. Ok so back to my journey, I went back with no faith and not wanting the gifts of the Father. The symbolism there is crazy. When I went back my husband gave me a new wedding ring, it was beautiful, what I had always imagined my ring would look like. When I decided to leave a second time I willingly gave up the ring. It was an unwanted gift just like the beautiful Gift of salvation and the healing help of Jesus Christ the Son of God. So I walked away saying see I knew it wouldn't work, almost blaming God when in truth it was my doubt and unbelief in the power of God that wouldn't allow healing to occur in my life or my marriage.

Third time’s the charm right, God again through one of His children makes it very clear to me that His will is my marriage and I have to believe and have faith that He can and will heal it ! God shows me my heart, we look at it together and guess what --- It’s evil!! A hard heart is unaware of any problem or need for change while an open heart has an awareness of how big the mess really is and how great the need of the Holy Spirit to help clean it up. So now my heart has become like Carey's, it’s beautiful to the Father. I begin to acknowledge sins and attitudes and wrong thinking and behaviors and I allow the Holy Spirit through prayer and Bible reading to modify and change the components. It's a hand in hand journey and you have to place your hand in the hand of the hand that died for you! (old hymn)(great song) So I began to build my faith, I would say out loud I want God’s will, my marriage is God’s will, my marriage is my husband, I want my husband. Now as far as feeling that at first and for a long time I didn't but in faith, (Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 another version states it like this -Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.) That’s the key. In faith I did it, I made myself do it even though fear and doubt and feelings told me not to and guess what eventually fear and doubt went away and feelings began to change so now there's just faith. After months of having and practicing unknowing faith I now know that God is healing my marriage! Praise God!

This journey has brought me to a new place; the state of my heart now is almost indescribable. I believe I am experiencing the Kingdom of God in my heart. Right here and now just like Jesus talked about, exactly what he offered two thousand years ago. I'm walking in the Kingdom of God and what can you compare it to!

You have it…You lose it…But when you find it…You rejoice!! In the kingdom of God is much rejoicing!

I pray that these words will challenge and inspire you to take a deep look with the help of the Father at your heart. What’s in there? Open those doors together, I promise nothing will surprise Jesus, He knows and sees everything you have ever done or even thought. Allow Him to fill those rooms with His spirit and you will begin to experience the kingdom of God right here on earth. Dig deep I promise you'll never regret accepting the gifts God wants to give you if you'll let him. Lesley Syfrett Hays

SCREAM on!

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a LOUD noise, and rejoice, and sing praise Ps 98:4

The other day I spent the whole day outside weeding flower beds. I decided to use my gloves something I usually don’t’ do because they seem bothersome to me. At about midday I started on a smaller flower bed that had 3 flowering plants that couldn’t be seen for the towering weeds surrounding them. Our lives are like those plants sometimes people can’t see the pretty blooms because we have so many weeds in the way. Our favorite habit, language, our religion, bad company, it’s like that old saying you can’t see the forest for the trees.

I wanted to see those beautiful plants and I wanted others to see them too, so I began pulling the weeds. I’m glad I was wearing gloves because the weeds were thick and some were sharp. I would have been pricked and cut from the weeds. The gloves are like the blood of Christ it covers us protecting us.

While I was busy just pulling away at the weeds a huge and I mean huge Black Widow spider jumped at me. I immediately started screaming because well…I hate spiders. After the initial shock of seeing it and knowing that it could kill me with its venom I realized I was a lot bigger so I picked up a rock and beat it to death, screaming the whole time. The devil is like that black widow spider. He sees us starting to get rid of bad habits, cleaning up our language, finding freedom in our relationship with Christ and He jumps at us and we scream. When we realize that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world we can take the Rock of the word and beat the spider to death with it and some people like to scream the whole time they do it. I don’t object to that, at times it gets the adrenalin working and tends to help deal with the fear of what we are facing. If that’s what it take for you scream on.

After killing the spider I noticed that she had been carrying an egg sack just full of hundreds and thousands of nasty little Black Widow spider eggs. Well I picked up the rock again and beat it into the ground as well, screaming the whole time. The egg sack is like our thought life. We are bombarded with thoughts daily hundreds maybe even thousands and if we dwell on them they will eventually hatch into sin and we know that the wages of sin is death. So pick up your Rock of the word and smash those thoughts that are not pure, perfect, lovely and of good report into the ground along with the spider, because the spider is the source of them and if you need to scream a little.

If there had been someone passing by my yard that day they would have thought that I was crazy screaming and beating the ground with a rock. That’s what they would have seen and heard but they wouldn’t have understood. Many people today see Christians who are in the process of trying to clean up the weeds and they come under attack by the spider Satan so they scream and start beating the ground, taking any measures necessary to obtain victory and the passerby looks at them as if they are crazy but they just don’t understand.

If you want your bloom’s to show, start pulling the weeds, watch out for spiders, have a rock handy and scream if need be.

A Sudden Change In The Weather!

He answered and said unto them, when it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? Mt 16:2,3

This afternoon before my bike ride I was at my mom’s house and a weather report came on saying that there was a storm headed our way. I really wanted to get my daily bike ride in so I decided to go ahead and ride it quickly before the weather changed. When I went outside it was a bit overcast but nothing dangerous looking so I decided to ride. About 1 mile into the ride I decided to turn around an head back to the house because the wind was beginning to pick up and it looked as if the storm was moving faster than I had thought.

The first part of the ride had been all up hill and I was so looking forward to the downhill coast back to the house and knew that there would be no problem in getting there before the rain. Surprise! The weather changed quickly and I found myself having to peddle extremely hard against a tremendously strong head wind. I was not able to coast at all I had to work very hard to make it down a hill. This seemed somewhat strange to me to have to work to go downhill. The rain began to sprinkle and between the wind and the rain it was the most exhausting downhill ride ever. Let’s face it who ever heard of it being difficult to ride downhill. It just doesn’t make sense.

There are times in our lives when we are on the mountaintop spiritually speaking and we are enjoying the view. God speaks to us up on that mountain top and saying,” go into the valley” and we are so excited and pumped from our spiritual mountaintop high that we say “hey no problem I can do that after all the valley is down the hill. I can just coast. Surprise! Satan doesn’t want you in the valley. You will be down there messing with his plans to destroy people’s lives and so when you head back down to the valley he is going to bring the very forces of hell against you. You are going to have to peddle harder and exert more strength to get to the valley than it ever took to get you to the mountaintop.

It’s doesn’t seem easy to get up and go to church on Sunday’s and get all dressed up and sit in nice cool or heated building, sing and pray and see all of your friends. It seems like an uphill ride, but It’s even harder to get up every day, intercede and for the lost, and then and go out into the highways and byways. It’s hard to walk into the enemies’ camp proclaiming the good news, but guess what? That is exactly where God wants you.

Head toward those souls in the valley, and put forth every effort to reach them. There is a storm headed our way and there is coming a sudden change in the weather. Are you ready to work to go downhill into the valley and claim those souls for the kingdom?

Prison Break??

And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Eze 22:30

The other day while I was in the grocery store my neighbor told me a story about how her calf came to the fence mooing and acting funny and she went out to see what was the matter with the calf and it ran towards an old house they have on their property and then it would come back and do the same thing so she followed it and there were supposed to be two calves she followed it to the old house and she could faintly hear the sound of the other calf. She went looking, following the faint sound and finally when she got to the carport she could hear it better but still muffled. Attached to the carport was a laundry room and behind the door she heard the sound. So she went and opened the door and their stood the calf crying and wanting out of his self made prison. Somehow he had walked into the room and then closed the door when she opened it he walked out free because she chose to take the time to be sensitive to the other calf trying to help its friend calf and this resulted in its freedom.

How many people do you know who are in self made prisons? There are many different types of prisons; habits, commercialism, works, vanity, pride, debt, religion and many others. All of them placing people in a place of restriction or bondage, they have no freedom to live and enjoy life because of these self made prisons. How do they escape?

I could not free my neighbor’s calf because I didn’t hear the cry but she did. I can’t hear your friends cry, but you can. Are you opening the door? It took time for my neighbor to find the calf behind the door. It will take time for you to intercede and stand in the gap. Are you willing to find the door? Are you willing to make the time? I can’t hear your friend, do you hear them? Will you open the door or will you leave them in their prison?

Teamwork!

And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. Le 26:8

I am the younger of two other sisters. My oldest sister is a very sporty girl, and because of this she talked me into playing softball throughout the summer season. Throughout the season we learned who the good players were and who the not so good players were. I was one of the not so good players.

In the middle of the season this year only ten of the fifteen players we have showed up, and as we all know you must have ten to play softball! Well it just so happened to be that the ten who showed were not our best players, and yet somehow we managed to play our best game of the season.

As I was sitting in right field waiting to help out the team God showed me how the Christian community is just like a softball team. When you work together and feed off of your fellow Christians spiritual knowledge, how much more easily does the Christian walk become.

We didn’t have our strongest players that night but we added all of the little good qualities we had together making a very strong team in return. Even though you might not be the strongest Christian around, when you join up with another Christian. The damage you can cause in the enemies areas will be more than if you were standing alone. Shannon Syfrett

Have you ever been mooned?

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 1Co 15:41

Tonight while sitting on my porch spending some quality time with the Lord I was admiring the full moon. It was so bright that it was almost as if it were daylight out. As I sat there entranced in its beauty the Lord said its beauty and its light are only a product of it reflecting the Sun. I never really thought about that. I’ve known that fact for a long time but when you think about it, that is what makes it beautiful. Without the Sun it would have no light it would just be another satellite orbiting the earth. Without the sun the beauty of it would be lost. It would simply be another one of the 118 moons elsewhere in the solar system it would be obscure, just another hunk of rock in space.

During the daytime we can’t even look at the sun and most of us wear sunglasses because of its brilliance. But the moon we can look at it without any eye protection at all. We as Christians are to be a reflection of the God. You have heard the phrase that you are the only Jesus some people will ever see. When thinking on that and admiring the beautiful moon I tilted my head a bit and between the moon and my line of sight there was a tree limb. I could still see the moon but only parts of it. It didn’t appear as bright and I could only see small slivers of it because I was looking through the leaves that were covering parts of it. It just wasn’t having the same impact as looking at it in all of its glory without the obstacles of the leaves.

We as Christians have been called to reflect our Father. Jesus said if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the father. As I sat there and though about my life, I wondered, what do people see when they look at me are they seeing a true reflection of my Lord or are they seeing and obscured version. You know the one with the leaves in front. Are they only getting glimpses of the beauty, love, acceptance and mercy of God? Have I allowed besetting sins to obscure my beauty? Have I let words and actions misrepresent the full glory of God in my life? Yes, and God IS a loving, kind, generous, accepting, and merciful God but he is also a HOLY God who does not want his Glory obscured. He declares in his word “Be ye holy as I am holy. He wants us to shine like the unobscured full moon so that people can see all of Him that we are able to reflect.Without reflecting the Son we are simply one of millions of other people in the world. Just another hunk of flesh taking up space.

Are we living holy lives? Are we removing the leaves of sin in our lives and allowing others to see his full glory in our lives? If I am honest I would have to say that I am not. I’m pretty sure that when people look at me there are some leaves in the way of that beauty. They can see slivers of the light, and if they turn their head just right they might get a glimpse of a bit more of it, but honestly when they look straight on, what are they seeing? Tonight I pray that God will begin to reveal to us the particular leaves (sins) so that we may cut them out of our lives, the language, the habits, the rebellion, the thoughts, wrong motives, anything that seems to be keeping us from living that holy life so that our full moon can be observed and properly reflect fully the Glory of the Son. People stand up and pay attention when they have been mooned.

Did you stop at the bridge?

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. 1Ti 4:16

Recently I have taken up the past time of riding my bicycle. I began riding only a short distance and then daily I try to increase my distance. Every day it seems to be getting easier and easier to go further. I continually have to watch for traffic coming both ways. I usually ride on whichever side of the road has no traffic. If there is traffic from both directions, I simply get off of the highway and wait for it to pass. This is a safety precaution, because if I stayed on the road with the traffic coming from both directions I would more than likely be hurt. The more that I ride it seems that my muscles are becoming stronger and the uphill rides don’t seem as difficult. When I get to the downhill part I simply sit back on the seat and enjoy the reward of the easy coast downhill. I look at this as my reward for making it up the hill.

When I was young I used to ride every day, some days even my Mom and Dad would join us. We thought it was such a privilege to get to ride out on the highway and when we finally had permission to ride all the way to the bridge we knew we had arrived. The first few times we rode that far, only eight tenths of a mile, my Dad rode with us to make sure we learned properly how to watch for traffic and he would also show us the beauty alongside of the road as we rode teaching us to enjoy even the uphill parts of the ride.

As I reflect on this it seems to go along well with my Christian walk. When I first started my walk as a baby Christian just having daily prayer time on a regular basis seemed like the long ride to the bridge and I needed encouragement and my heavenly Father was always right there to help me. As I grew in knowledge and wisdom the Father would encourage me to ride further into his word, into intercession, into his love. If you have ever truly interceded for someone then you know that’s definitely an uphill ride. If you have every truly loved someone who despises you, then you know that is also an uphill ride.

In my Christian walk I must continually watch for traffic, where it is coming from, the attacks of the enemy, the business of life, the cares of the world, and the desires of the flesh. When the traffic is light and I am peddling along he instructs me to look at the beauty of the circumstances I am riding through as I travel the road. At times the traffic seems to be coming at me from all directions and I am instructed by the Father to get off the road, to come aside and spend some quiet time with him.

There are many times in our Christian walk the ride always seems to be going uphill, but I can promise you and God’s word promises you there is coming a long downhill ride where you will be able to sit back and enjoy the coast, the reward for your uphill journey. You shall reap in due season if you faint not. Unlike my earthly Father who no longer rides with me, my heavenly father will continue to ride with me till this ride on earth is over.

I pray that in your walk with God you didn't just ride to the bridge and think you had arrived, saying to yourself; I’m saved, I go to church, I read my bible, what more does he want? God is asking you to ride a greater distance daily. He is saying love your enemy, pray for them that despitefully use you and say all manner of evil against you. He is saying if they ask for your coat give them more. He is pleading go the extra mile. Don’t just talk about being a Christian live like one. I can see a downhill coast don’t give up. Continue!

what IF?

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 2Ti 1:5

I’m going to be a grandmother again and today I went with my 2nd daughter to the doctor she was having a sonogram to see how far along she was in her pregnancy. This is her first child and my second grandchild and I had the privilege of getting to see the small life that was growing inside her. The awesomeness of God is so profound and his ways never cease to amaze me. It was pulsing (its heartbeat) it had a well defined head, and you could tell it was alive. My daughter is only 7 weeks and 3 days along but surprisingly there is life. Wow God has given again the gift of life to us. Another human being will come into the world. It will have its whole life to live.

Being a new mother my daughter immediately began to worry about how the child would be raised. Who would be the friends? Who would it marry? What would she do when it grew up and left home? She was overwhelmed with a countless questions and what if’s. She was realizing her responsibility in how this child would grow up and what it would be taught and how it would face life. Being a mother is a huge privilege but comes with great responsibility.

In the midst of her what if’s this is what I told her. Have you ever noticed that life begins with and L. I think that stands for Lord because without him there would be no life, or it could represent Love because to love is to live and God is Love. The word Life ends with and E. This stands for eternity because we will all live somewhere for eternity, Heaven or Hell our choice. The interesting thing is that in the middle of these two letters is the great big word IF…oh IF only I had… but what IF…… Here is a what IF for you IF you make Jesus your Lord and savior, then your end is eternity with him and the big IF in the middle doesn’t matter at all…it will all take care of its self. Wow kind of takes all the fear out of living. What we say to our children they sometimes forget. How we live our life will affect them the rest of theirs. How are you living your Life? Did you have the L in place? Lord, Love, if so then the E is in place and the big IF in the middle, well it doesn’t matter? Walk in faith not in fear it will show up for generations to come.

Share The Cobbler

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1John 5:4

I showed my family my bucket of berries, when I returned home. There were just enough to make a large delicious cobbler. I didn’t show them my legs that were cut and scared form the thorns. I didn’t complain about the tall wet grass, the spiders, or my fear of snakes. I didn’t tell them about the fights with the dog. I just showed off my bucked of berries. When they asked me how I had gotten so many when there were so few at a glance, I told them I picked them one berry at a time then I washed them and prepared them for the cobbler.

We come to church and we have no victories. We complain about how hard it has been for us. How we have been hurt by others or scared. We talk about how there are so many spider webs and about the tall wet grass. We are not willing to tear down the webs it takes time and energy. We don’t want to get wet because that makes us miserable. We don’t want to fight the dog or look out for snakes but we sure want the cobbler. We think that by our works of showing up to church or teaching a Sunday school class or being a deacon or singing in the choir we will have a trophy to lay at the feet of our master. We won’t, we haven’t been willing to pay the price. We will stand there empty handed. The berries are not here on Sunday morning they are out there during the week in the fields ripe unto harvest and you continue to walk by them saying if they want the Lord they know where the church is. The father is crying stop and start now one soul at a time.

When I arrived at home, I showered and took some ultra healing lotion and rubbed it into my cut up legs and hands. It was so soothing and you could hardly see the cuts. They still stung a little but I hardly noticed, and as I smelled the cobbler cooking the snakes and spiders were a distant memory.

Jesus is the balm of Gilead and he will soothe your cuts. They may sting a little but you won’t even notice when you lay your trophies at his feet. He is crying to you today. Won’t you work in my fields; won’t you help with the harvest? I’m only asking you for one soul at a time.

I Don't Like Spiders & Snakes!!

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

I continued down the path if that is what you could call it. It was overgrown and I just knew there was a snake in all that tall grass just waiting to bite me. So, I continued cautiously. I looked into my bucket and the bottom was beginning to be covered. I noticed that some of the berries were ripe but not soft and some were a little hard to remove from the bush but I just had to give them a quick jerk and off they would come. Sometimes the berries were so ripe they would simply fall into my hands if I just got near them. Sometimes there were ugly spider webs with big ugly spiders and I would have to get a stick and knock them out of the way because behind them were some big juicy berries.

In our fathers kingdom the path often seems overgrown wet and miserable and we don’t want to walk the path he has laid before us but on that path lay souls. As we walk this path, we are often frightened of our adversary but we must continue cautiously but we must continue. The word says be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. If we will take, time to notice our basket. There is some fruit in there, souls, maybe not many but some and if we continue to be faithful we will have some simply fall into our hands but some we will have to snatch. We will come up against strongholds like the spider and his webs but we are mighty to tearing down of the strongholds in prayer. Behind those webs or strongholds are fat juicy souls waiting to be harvested. Can’t you hear the father cry one soul at a time?

It had been nearly an hour now, I was hot, tired, and scared, and the berries were so few I wanted to quit but the Lord said press on around this curve. So, I persevered and walked upon a bush just loaded with those big ripe berries. I began to pick and my bucket was filling up. I could just taste that cobbler.

Some of you are tired you have been working and you have been faithful but you have so little fruit. The father says press on; don’t become weary for you will reap if you don’t faint. Continue on the path the father has laid for you. There is a bush up ahead just loaded with souls that need harvesting. The lord has placed you on your path. Don’t give up persevere if you stop the berries will fall to the ground and die they won’t be harvested. Can’t you taste the cobbler? When you stand before the throne don’t you want to lay a bucket of berries (trophies) at his precious feet and the fathers cries you can only pick them one soul at a time.
June 17

Pick One At A Time

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35

Blackberry season is one of my favorites. I love blackberries. Every year I look forward to the season. During one of my escapades, the Lord began to lay upon my heart a message for his children. The place where I pick is an overgrown plot of land on my fathers place way back towards the woods. It’s an awful place but full of blackberry bushes. I decided to go early in the morning before it got to hot. The grass was wet and miserable. When I arrived on the four-wheeler to my destination, I noticed that there were ripe berries but not very many and I continued to drive further into the wilderness path. Still only a few ripe berries here and there. I wondered if it was really worth my time to stop and pick the berries but I heard the soft voice of the Holy Spirit say one berry at a time. So, I began to pick the berries. Then that still small voice said one sole at a time and he repeated this over and over. Here we are in our fathers’ kingdom and he has said that we are to go and bring forth fruit. This does not mean that we are to produce the fruit. He has already brought it forth. Just like the berry bushes there are ripe souls scattered throughout our lives, our towns, our families, our nation and we think is it really worth our time to stop and pick there seems to be so few. And our father cries one soul at a time.

As I continued to pick the berries, the thorns began to cut my legs and my dog that was with me would try and eat the ripe parries before I could get to them. A lot of the juiciest berries were in the midst of the thorns and I had to really work to get to them. In our fathers kingdom there will be many thorns many oppositions and we are going to have to work to harvest the fruit. As we gather Satan will be standing by trying to devour those souls before we can reach them and we think is it really worth the cuts and dealing with the thorns? Do we have to continually fight off the dog (Satan)? And our Father cries YES one soul at a time.

Eat Up! Zero Calories…

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: Am 8:11

Lately my girls have been having this uneasy feeling and could never explain what it was. My youngest girl came to me the other day and told me that she had finally figured out what the problem was. After weeks of being agitated and ill at ease she realized her spirit was hungry. At one time in her younger years she was overweight and had to make some lifestyle changes to lose 89 pounds. During this time she experienced the feeling of true hunger. Most people in the US don’t experience the pangs and pain of true hunger they eat on a fairly regular basis whether they are hungry or not. My youngest daughter said that she had come to a point in her life where she was not making time for reading the word and prayer. She had been neglecting her spirit man when she began to read the word on a regular basis and pray this uneasy feeling in her would go away and she said the Lord had shown her that her spirit was hungry. She was hungry for hearing the word of God and had not even realized what the problem was. . Without even realizing it she had put her spirit man on a diet. After correcting this situation she is now spiritually fat and happy.

There are many in the church in the same condition as my daughter had been. They are uneasy and desiring something but they don’t know what, so they buy bigger houses, seek more extreme entertainment, they eat more food, spend more money, buy more toys, get divorced, get married, have a child, have an affair, anything to stop this restless and uneasy feeling, but it doesn’t work. What they are feeling is a spirit hunger; their spirits are literally starving to death and nothing will satisfy but the word of God.

Have you ever been hungry? I mean really hungry to the point where your stomach is growling, you feel like your stomach could eat your back bone and you begin to feel weak. Then finally you begin to eat and it is so refreshing to the flesh that you just can’t stop. You enjoy the taste, the texture, the smell; you love everything about the food. It’s the same way with spiritual food. If you will begin to eat the word, read, digest, meditate, pray and surround yourself with the word of God you will not be able to get enough you will want more and more. The sound of it, the feel of it, the inspiration of it, the faith it builds, the renewing of it, the power of it. If you catch the scent of it you will run towards it and that anxious, nervous, troubled, uncomfortable, on edge feeling will leave. You won’t seek after the things of this world to satisfy that spiritual hunger.

I must say if I knew there was a day coming when I could not have food to sustain my fleshly body I would make preparation. I would store up for the famine as Joseph did in Egypt. The verse above warns about a famine coming, a famine for the word of God. My advice, make preparation begin to hide Gods word in your heart begin to feed that spiritual man, store up oil for your lamps so that you will not be lacking of oil like the 7 foolish virgins. Portion size when feeding the spirit doesn’t matter the more the better, so eat up and store some spiritual fat for times of famine.

Memories

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. Ps 22:27

Yesterday my family had the privilege of going through all of the things that my father had collected over the 86 year of his life. He never threw anything away and when a loved one moves on to their new home there is always of lot of things left behind on earth that have to be dealt with. As we sorted through: the things that each of us wanted as a keepsake, the things to be thrown away, the things to sell, we all reminisced about our father and what he had used the particular thing for and the times we remembered him using them. It was a very happy, sad sort of day. That afternoon as I lay in my hammock remembering all the things about my father I realized that when I leave this earth who will hold in their memory all of those things after only a couple of generations all of those memories would be lost to the world. He had only a small circle of friends and after his earthly body had passed, soon all the memories of his life would also be blown away with time. He would be forgotten, the thought of that made me very sad.

While driving back from yet another trip the house in a state of sadness,. I looked up into the sky there in plain sight was the most beautiful complete rainbow I had ever seen. It immediately reminded me of God’s promise: And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. (Gen 9:16) That rainbow on this day was a reminder to me that my daddy would never be forgotten because he was a child of my heavenly father. God is awesome and while meditating on all of this he gave me this poem:

Memories of the past hanging in the air
The wind keeps on blowing it just doesn’t care
Memories of our loved ones floating from the past
But time keeps moving forward because life doesn't last.

Memories of moments, that's all we want to hold
For the loved one is gone and only a leaves a story to be told
The winds of time keep moving slowly blowing those away
The past is gone forever we only have today

Each generation passes, the memories of few will stay
To make a mark before they’re blown from history, not know by those today
Of the people’s lives lived everyday few matter to the masses
But one still floats upon the winds, all other’s it surpasses

On history and time he made a mark, and waits patiently for you
To notice all the marks upon him, taken in public view
Your memory remains with Him forever, written on a cross
winds will blow, unable to erase, paid at remarkable cost

SHUT UP AND BE QUIET!

For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; in returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. Isa 30:15

In this day and age of noise, it is very difficult to stop and just be still, you know that time where you are just quiet before the Lord. No interference from the world. Isa 32:18 says And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; I had to ask myself is my dwelling place a peaceful and quiet resting place? While sitting before him and just being quiet I decided to just listen, what did I hear? Well I was in the house so I heard the overhead fan running, the refrigerator running, the freezer motor, the clock ticking, the air conditioner coming on and then turning off, the phone ringing, all of these were noise or sounds produced by the world.

A couple of nights ago our power was knocked out by a storm. It was out for 2 and ½ hours. That’s a long time, one minute all the lights were one the TV was running the appliances were running the AC was running then….nothing total darkness and perfect silence, what a contrast to this morning. Have you ever noticed how quiet it is when the power goes out? You never realize just how loud everything is until you hear that kind of silence.

In a recent writing I ask myself and you how can we just sit and be still and get away from all the noise and clutter that continually distract us. At the time, I wasn’t even talking about the noise that has become such a part of our lives that we don’t even hear it. I was talking about the music we play, the TV and radio noise, the noise of the city, the noise of people just talking all the time, the everyday noise that seems to assault our ears. However, the Lord has shown me more noise, the noise of all our modern convinces but when the power goes out, the world’s power there is this beautiful and most calming silence.

That night when we lost our electrical power, I went to the front porch and lay in my hammock and begin to listen to his silence and the longer I lay there the more I began to hear. I began to hear God’s noise but I prefer to call it Gods music. He played me the most beautiful symphony and here is what I heard.

We live near a creek so as I lay there in the perfect silence and darkness I heard the running water of the creek , I heard the crickets chirping, birds singing, and tree frogs croaking, a hoot owl in the woods cooing, I looked up into a marvelously lit sky that seem to scream of the awesomeness of God as I began to hear the sound of wind through the trees and the rustle grass, the small tapping of raindrops on the tin roof of the porch as it began to sprinkle rain then as an added bonus the lightening bugs seemed to dance through the air to some predesigned choreography.

What can I say? I just lay there taking in the wonder, beauty and meticulous design of Gods creations. It was as if God himself were singing and speaking. How could I not hear him speaking? How could I not hear his song? How could I not know that HE…God…existed? The word says in first Thes 4:11 that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you. So when your mom used to tell you to shut up and be quiet now you know why. She was trying to hear God!

I Moved The Silverware Drawer!!??

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Eph 4:22

At Christmas I received a gift from my sister, a brand new set of silverware and wow it was beautiful. It had just the right weight and design. I love that silverware. I decided since I had a new set I would put it in a new location. I took out all the old silverware and put it away. I moved the new silverware not into the drawer where the old silverware had been kept but into the one right next to it. I had new silverware and a new drawer to retrieve it from.

For the next few, ok not a few it's now been 6 months since I moved it and do you know I am just now going into the kitchen and reaching for the right drawer. Can you imagine it has taken me 6 months to retrain my mind, hands, and habit of reaching for that other drawer. Every time I prepared a meal. I would go to the old drawer first and then have to tell myself no its been moved its in the other drawer and then open the second drawer with the beautiful new silverware. There were so many days where I just wanted to give up and put the silverware back into the old drawer. My family begged and pleaded with me please move it back this is just to frustrating, but I stuck to my desire to keep it in the new drawer. Now without hesitation we all have began reaching for the new drawer.

That is the way it is with our old man. The ones we had before we accepted Christ. We had our old habits, our old way of talk, our old way of reacting to things, our old friends etc. Then came a day in our life where we heard the wooing of the Holy Spirit and we put away the old man and took on the new man, but there seemed to be a problem. Every day when we faced our trials, our situations, our friends we would reach for that old drawer and pull out that old reaction, habit, thought, or words. That old nature makes me want to reach for the things in the world to live my everyday life but the new man says no you have to retrain yourself to reach for that new man. You have to react with love not hate, you have to speak with grace and edification not judgment and condemnation. You have to walk in joy not despair, you have to live by faith not by sight. I have to choose to open that new drawer. I even have people tell me just do it the way you always did, they say why do you have to be so different, it's so frustrating seeing you struggle trying to live with this new man thing. It's a daily thing; I have to remind myself no Becky, reach for that new man, and remember you put away the old one.

As I have lived my life thank goodness I have had friends who along with me accepted the new man and are in this process of reaching for the new drawer daily. They encourage me that if I continue reaching for the new one that eventually without hesitation I will begin reacting from the new man.

The silverware even though it took me 6 months of continually struggling to remind myself, every meal, that’s three meals a day, 7days a week for 6 months, was easy compared to walking in the new nature. The new man is a daily 24 hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, lifelong choice. Our old nature does not want to die, we have to literally kill it daily, but if we continue to make the decision to reach it will not become 2nd nature but it will become our new nature. I dare you to move your silverware!

Was it worth a bowl of soup?

And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. Gen. 30-34

A Birthright according to the dictionary is a right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth. What was it that Jacob inherited? The answer is, he inherited a portion of land, the Promised Land that land had been promised to Jacob's grandfather Abraham; it was inherited by his son Isaac, and then by his grandson Jacob. That was Jacob's inheritance, the Promised Land, the land of Canaan. The birthright was the right of the first-born son to a larger part of the inheritance, than what the other sons received. It was this way: All of the male children received a part of the inheritance, they shared it but the portion of the firstborn child was two times larger than what each of the other children received. An example would be if there were 7 sons, the inheritance was divided into 8 parts. The firstborn one received two of those 8 parts, and the remaining 6 parts went to the 6 sons, who received one part Jacob would have had 1/3 of the Land but now he had all of it because Esau gave him 2/3 of the Promised land for a bowl of soup. Wow when we look at it that way it seems absolutely ridiculous that someone would give up such a large inheritance and for a bowl of soup.

When we are born again God gives us an inheritance in his kingdom however, everyday Christians are giving up their inheritance for different things maybe not a bowl of soup but maybe a boyfriend, a lifestyle, a game, a habit, what others think of them, etc. they want that thing more than they want the inheritance that God has promised them. They become consumed by it like Esau was consumed with his hunger and he wanted that bowl of soup so badly that he was willing to forfeit his inheritance. Have you ever considered that when you give up your inheritance God in turn gives it to another son and they add your inheritance to theirs? You are left holding your empty bowl of soup that you have consumed and they are now holding all of what God offered to you. Remember the parable in Luke 19:12-26 where the master gave the servants different amounts of money and when he returned he rewarded those who had added to their money but the one who had not he took it away from him and offered it to the one who had the most. Many Christians squander and sell time, their money and their talents for what is in essence a bowl of soup. They are missing out on their inheritance. What are you willing to sell your birthright for? Esau was willing to sell his for a bowl of soup.

I haven’t even poured the porridge yet!!!!

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. Psalms 116:7

To all those I love so much, I have recently returned from a vacation that allowed me to reflect on my life and my habits. As I look back over my life there was a time where I was truly content and without worry or anxiety. That is the place I am journeying back to. Over the years I have slowly allowed people, for lack of a better word vent to me all of their bad experiences, negative emotions, fears etc. While I love to be an encourager I have allowed this pattern, of me becoming a sounding block for everyone and anyone, to steal my joy and my peace. The word says that we are to bear one another’s burdens, and I whole heatedly agree but I am in a place where I must relearn and discern the difference between whining and complaining and a real burden. There is, I believe a difference. The Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears come to mind. Goldilocks had before her three bowls of porridge and began to complain this ones to hot this one’s too cold finally she found one that was just right. In my life I have allowed the, this ones too hot and this one to cold to be my burden. That is not a burden to help others bear. That is a whining and complaining. A burden would have been if Goldilocks had no food at all. As a Christian I am more than willing to help others bear true burdens and to encourage them in that area however I am no longer willing to listen to the unceasing whining that has become the norm for the everyday person who claims Chirst.

The song “oh be careful little ears what you hear” also comes to mind. I believe that this generation has become so attuned to noise and clutter in our hearing that we are unable to sit in quiet reflection and allow God to speak to our hearts. 1Peter 3:4 says “let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” I have somewhere along the way lost my ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. My question to you today is how we can do this with so much noise in the world and in our minds. We have to get rid of the clutter that is impairing our ability to hear, and just be quiet before our God.

I have come to a place in my life where I am no longer interested in hearing about porridge that is to hot or cold. The Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Quit whining, these bowls of porridge have been put into your life to stretch and grow you into the mature Christian that God needs you to be for him. I think it is time that we as Christians grow up. I am more than happy to pray about genuine concerns and to help you bear true burdens, however I refuse to listen to any communication that is not edifying or that does not minister grace. I am not doing this to be unkind or hurtful. I desire to think on those things that are good and lovely and of good report. I am just beginning again this journey to peace and joy and contentment and I covet your prayers as I endeavor to change my outward behavior to reflect my inward heart.

Say What?

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves Jas 1:22

My friend in Panama has a tattoo on his arm when he had the tattoo done he used an unusual font and when the message is read from a distance it looks like it says Gob’s son….yes it says God’s son but only if you go up to him examine the tattoo closely and realize that it is the font type that was used but from a distance I’m sorry to say it says GOB’s Son. When I read it I wondered to myself why in the world he would allow someone to misspell God’s name on a permanent fixture on his body. I made an immediate judgment of him. Not based on his heart or actions but on my perception of something that I had seen. Then I finally ask him and that is when I took a very close look and finally could see that the B was really a D.

When I think about this I have to ask myself what people are seeing when they look at me are they seeing something that is supposed to represent Christ but it is so distorted by their judgments that when they look they can’t comprehend how I could be a child of God. Are they misreading my actions, my speech, my attitudes, or the way I express my beliefs because I have a different personality or calling than them? Are they seeing Gob’s son or God’s son which one do I look like to them. I’m praying that if they see Gob’s son that they will have the courage to ask me about whatever it was that caused them to perceive me as that without knowing my motivations and heart.

I know my heart and God knows my heart. Just like my friend knew the font but sometimes things are not seen by others as we know them to be. It is only by God that we will be judged by him and him alone. Don’t let your fear of others change what you know God has called you to do .Maybe they are looking through the eyes of the world, the eyes of judgment, the eyes of sorrow, the eyes of bitterness, the eyes of unforgiveness, envy or fear whatever, the reason we must not be defensive when they do ask us but we must be ready to give and answer. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1Pe 3:15. Can you explain your Gob’s Son action?

The Panama Canal

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me John 14: 6
While visiting my friends I had the privilege of visiting the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is a man-made canal in Panama which joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. The canal was completed by the United States in the early 1900s; the building of the canal was plagued by problems, including disease and landslides. By the time the canal was completed, a total of 27,500 workers are estimated to have died.
The canal can accommodate vessels from small private yachts up to large commercial vessels. The maximum size of vessel that can use the canal is known as Panamax; an increasing number of modern ships exceed this limit. Looking at the canal the compared to the ships coming through it looks extremely narrow. Tolls for the canal are decided by the Panama Canal Authority and are based on vessel type, size, and the type of cargo carried

Jesus is my Panama Canal. Jesus is a spiritual canal which bridges the gap between me and the Father. Wow and like the canal the way is narrow. Jesus is the only way to get to the Father. Our trip may be plagued with problems as we navigate our way into the kingdom of heaven and some may even have to give their lives for their beliefs in this Jesus, the same way many gave their lives in their beliefs that the canal would be beneficial to others. Unlike the Canal, Jesus can accommodate vessels of all types, he is able to cover any sin and make it possible for us to make it to the father. The one difference between the Panama Canal and Jesus is that Jesus requires no payment. He made the payment in advance on the cross. So no matter your sin, the price has already been paid and passage is possible.

Even though visiting the Canal was a tremendous experience and I would encourage anyone to see it. I believe that my experience with Jesus has been even more tremendous. I would encourage you to take this passage (Jesus) into the presence of the father over anything else you may want to experience in your life. The end result is where you will spend eternity.

Window Shopping

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. James 1:23,24

While I was visiting with my friend this week we went to the Mall a couple of days. Most of the time we would just walk along and look in the windows and then if anything jumped out at us we would go into the store and look around some more and then maybe we would purchase something. So mostly we were just window shopping. Some of us as Christians are just window shoppers. We go to the church that looks the prettiest on the outside or the one that is the most popular. We listen only to the sermons that are appealing to our ears. If we hear something really interesting we might actually pay attention that Sunday. If it’s truly interesting we might even take notes, and if the preacher really drives it home we might actually try to live it for the next week. We browse through the word and we pick and choose which verses we want to obey. Why are you attending church? Are you really there for the gospel, to seek the truth, to worship a holy God, or are you just window shopping?

SLUG BUG!!

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Ps 119:11

While in Panama my friends played a game. This game is a game that never ended and started over every day. The game requires that you are very observant of a particular kind of car, a Volkswagen beetle. This game is a family tradition with them and they have been doing it for quite some time. The way the game goes is that every time you see one you yell out loud SLUG BUG. There are not many of these type of cars in Panama City so you really had to be on your toes to see one and then to beat the others in saying it out loud. At the end of the day whoever had the most won the game. No prizes just the fact that you got to say you won. I have to say I was terrible at the game. The whole time I was there I never saw one until someone would yell slug bug then point it out to me. They had so trained themselves to be aware of this type car that it truly amazed me. There was rarely a day when we did not hear SLUG BUG from someone.

Think about this, if we trained ourselves to be that aware of sin in our lives what grand Christians we would be. How do we train ourselves to be that way? The bible says to hide the word in our heart that we might not sin against God. When we hide that word in our heart the Holy Spirit makes us aware of the sin in our lives but the Holy Spirit does not yell….SIN…. it whispers sin. We must begin to train our hearing so that when we hear that whisper we immediately repent, just like they had trained their eyes that every time they saw that car they would yell SLUG BUG. Let’s begin today listening to that whisper in our hearts. Maybe even make it a habit that when you hear that whisper in your heart say out loud with your mouth, SIN then at the end of the day reflect back over the day and see how many times you had to say the word. The winner of this game would always be you. I believe that if we become more aware of sin in our lives the more we will endeavor to improve our behavior and at the end of the day not have so many slug bugs in our life. Maybe you could even do it as a group game among friends and family. How careful would you be if you knew your friends and family were watching you just waiting for the chance to yell SIN in your life? Sin is so commonplace and acceptable in our lives and the lives of those we say we love that we rarely notice it. We have become desensitized to it.

My challenge to you is to play SLUG BUG (that will be the code name for SIN) first with yourself and then get a group of friends you trust. I can promise that not only will you become more aware of the sin in your life but your behavior will change as well. Wouldn’t it be nice to reflect back on your day and realize that there had not been one single slug bug?

!!HUH!!

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1Co 2:14

Wow, here I am in another country and I have no comprehension of most of the things going on here. Why? I don’t understand their language. When I got off of the plane all the directions, signs, etc they were in another language Spanish. Well I took 2 years of Spanish in high school but that was like 33 years ago. How would I go through immigration? How would I find a bathroom? These were the pressing questions that were running through my mind as I stood in the middle of the airport having no clue of what to do or where to go.

People in the world look at Christians as if we are foreigners, and we are. Why do we expect them to understand the spiritual things of God? They don’t speak his language. Yet we talk to them with spiritual words and they just don’t make any sense to them. Like the signs in that airport made no sense to me.

When Jesus spoke with people he spoke in their language, and to their particular situation. Why can’t we get that? When I was in that airport I couldn’t understand the signs but I knew I needed a bathroom so I watched other people, who knew the language and I followed a lady right to the “Bano” which I now know is bathroom. Well consider this. Some of the people you are around everyday know that you are a Christian and they are watching you. They know they have a need but yet they don’t understand the language so they watch you…closely, very closely. Where exactly are you leading them?

After being careful to listen and note the different signs and ask questions I began to understand a few words and signs, but only a little. When speaking with the people there, they had to be patient with me. Not being able to speak a language creates certain handicaps in a person’s life. It’s hard to comprehend directions when you can’t understand the language. We as Christians need to become aware of this when dealing with our friends and fellow companions of this planet. They can't understand the directions because we are speaking in the wrong language. We first must address only their need, Christ once they have accepted him then their comprehension of His language will come a little bit at a time and we will have to be patient with them as they learn the ways of our father. Remember we have to learn to walk before we run esta bein! Speak always in the language of Love!

Are You a Salt Lick?

Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Luke 9:26

I am staying with some missionary friends of mine in Panama for the next 2 weeks. They have literally given up everything they own to come here and minister to those in need and to present the gospel. They gave away most of their possessions and made a lifestyle change that only few of us can comprehend. I have to say, I stand in awe of them. As we were talking about her things she had given away and left behind she told me that God is making her so aware not to look back. Not to complain or grumble, but to be a grateful servant.

When God asks you to let go of something he is always standing ready to give you something else. Why are we so fearful and untrusting of our loving father. We say No Lord I'll do anything you ask but dont take that thing, person or place away from me. We seem to think that we just cant survive with out it and he sends his word and says "to save your life you must lose it". No matter how hard we try, we cannot fathom or wrap our tiny little brains around the ways and wisdom of God. Why do we think we know better.

Remember Lots wife. God was delivering them from the city that he was about to reign down fire and brimestone on and had sent angels to escort them out and what did Lot's wife do. She looked back regretting the fact that she was having to leave all of her comforts and her things and conviences. She looked back complaining and wanting to hold onto those things that God was taking her away from. She was not being thankful that she was being delivered, she was not thankful for personal escorts sent from on high. That didn't set to well with God so he turned her into a pillar of salt. There she will stand for all eternity for an example to those of us who are selfish and ungrateful servants.

What is it that God is trying to deliver you from? What is it that he is asking you to let go of? Are you submitting to the leading of the Spirit or are you a salt lick?

The Rock of Soul

Psalm 55:22 says Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Jesus is Lord. We call Him Lord but do we realize what that really means. Lord means someone who has power and authority. When we refer to Jesus as our Lord that means we are giving Him power and authority in our lives. When you become a Christian you pray to receive Jesus as your savior and Lord. Many Christians old and new accept the savior part of Jesus easily but we seem to forget about the Lord part and what that truly entails.

I have been meditating on Luke 6:46-49 this is the story of the wise man who built His house on the rock and the foolish man who built his house in the sand. I remember hearing this story when I was a child but read in its entirety it takes on a whole new meaning to me. Verse 46 says But why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and not do the things I say? Its funny Jesus is asking the people like I'm sure He is asking many proclaiming Christians today….Why do you call me Lord and not do the things that I say to do? Jesus has power and authority but it’s almost like we don't really believe that He does.

I was thinking about my little girl. She is two years old and right now I am trying to establish my authority with her. I tell her to do certain things and I expect her to do them because she is my child and I know what is best for her. Let’s pretend every time I asked her to do something she said yes mam and then turns around and disobeys, I would wonder why she gave me the respect of saying yes mam. It would be pointless for her to do that and not be obedient. She might as well have said no because her actions proved she didn't respect my authority. That's what we as Christians do when we call Jesus our Lord yet we refuse to do the things that he asks of us. We acknowledge that He is Lord with our mouth but not with our actions so, after Jesus asked that question He made another statement. Whoever comes to me and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock and when the flood arose the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation against which the stream beat vehemently and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.

What stands out to me in these verses is that there are two kinds of people, the ones who dig deep in the Word of God and lays the very foundation of their lives on the Rock of Christ; and the ones who hear the Word read or taught and maybe even acknowledge that Jesus is Lord but they allow their foundation to be in worldly substances. It says the man who heard and did nothing built his house on the earth. What is on this earth or in the world? Ephesians 2:2-4 basically says before you were a Christian you walked according to the course of this world, following after Satan by fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and of the mind. When we choose our own desires over what the Word of God teaches than we build our house on the sand. Our foundation must be placed on the Rock and that rock is Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior and Lord. If we build our foundation apart from that our house will immediately fall when the storm comes and we will experience great ruin.

I don't know about you but that scares me and makes me very sad because not only does this apply to our lives as individuals but also as a nation. Our nation was founded on the Rock but slowly we have allowed satan to tear apart our foundation stone by stone. What happens when we are no longer founded on the Rock. It will fall and there will be great ruin. Without God and the Word of God as our foundation we will fall apart, but it has to start with the individual, each and every person must realize that there is only one true way to have a house that cannot be shaken, it must be founded on the Rock.

The Bible is the Word of God and food for your soul. I encourage and challenge you to feast on what the master has prepared for you and walk in obedience to His truths. Dig deep, proclaim Jesus Lord over your life and allow Him to give you the tools you need to lay a foundation that will not be shaken or moved. Jesus is Lord...and He wants to be the Rock of your soul. (Lesley Hays)

Because I said so!

For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.Ro 14:23

I woke up early this morning and was visiting with my youngest daugheter who sometime struggles with her thought life. I had written her a paragaraph of personalized scripture for her to read every morning to help her in reaffirming that faith and I feel led to share that with you this morning. Read it aloud. Take scripture and personalize it and make it your declaration everyday. Truly it will change your life

I may be feaful and of little faith but Jesus will rebuke the bad things in my life and I will walk in calm. Even though I may be of little faith and doubt, Jesus will reach out his hand and catch me. Even though iI may have little faith God will take care of me to clothe me and feed me and provide for me. My God shall supply all my needs. I am like Stephen, full of faith and power and I will do great wonders and miracles because God has given to every man the measure of faith. My heart is purified by faith. I am justified( made acceptable to God) by faith, and because I am now justified I will live by faith. I am not suprised at the promises of God but I am strong in faith and I give glory to God and because I am acceptable I have peace with God. My faith is not understood by men but it stands in the power of God, It comes by hearing the word so I read and listen to it daily to increase my faith and by that faith I can go and talk to God through Jesus I do not walk or live by what I see or feel but by faith(what the word says is truth). Because of my faith I am blessed like Abraham and I am a child of God. That makes me a princess. I have boldness and confidence because of the faith of Jesus and I can go to my father anytime because I'm his princess. Because I have faith, I will be delivered from difficult and bad tempered and wicked mean men. I will not let anyone look down on me because I am young but I will be an example in how I speak and in my love , in my faith, in my spirit and in my purity. I will run away from my youthful lusts and I will follow and do the right things, exercise my faith, show love, and enjoy peace with other Christians. When my fiath is being tried it is makeing me like gold and it will make sure that I am found to be a praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Christ. I am not alone in this testing period of my faith and I will be committed in my faith in Christ because I know that the same thing is happening to all the others who are Christians and I will remember to pray for them.

You can pray and personalize whatever scripture's apply to your area of need. I have leaned in my lifetime that I need to daily speak the word over my life. Begin speaking it over yours. Quit listening to what the world or anyone else says about you. Speak what the word say's about you.

What’s a Girl to Do?

For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; 1Jo 1:2

Being an effective Christian is not an easy task. As a Christian you are to represent Christ in all you do. As we all know Jesus was perfect, so representing him in the correct way I find to be sometimes impossible. I have found a couple of regiments to make our walk as Christians a lot easier.

We all know how the flesh works. The flesh is very selfish, and it wants what it wants, so the first step we should take in becoming a more effective Christian is to kill the flesh completely. This task I have found to be the most difficult. Killing the flesh is not something you can do once and be done. We must make this a daily chore in our walk with Christ. For instance, I am a smoker. For the last four years I have smoked at least a pack a day. Recently I have been praying for a closer relationship with the lord, so that he may use me as he sees fit. The first thing I had to do was quit smoking. Yes I had to be willing give myself fully to God and let go of my fleshly wants and desires, so that the Lord can use me and nothing will be in the way. I still have to make that choice daily not to pick up that pack of smokes, but it gets easier as my spirit grows stronger.
Church, yes you know that place your mom would drag you to on Sunday mornings. This is an important step in the process as well. Fellowship with other Christians, who are striving to do the same thing as you, actually does make your walk with the Lord a lot easier. If we are hanging out with people who are feeding the flesh daily how do we expect to stay strong. “Bad company corrupts good character.” These verses along with many others are put in the bible to warn us. To be successful we might even have to let go of some of our close friends. This is very sad but true. The Lord never said it would be easy he just said that it would be worth it. We need to take a step back and check out the people we hang out with and the places we go. This step is very important for our success rate.

Alone time with God, this can also be hard to do at times. Like most people I am lazy. When I get home after a long day, the last thing I want to do is set aside another twenty to thirty minutes out of my day to Pray and spend time in the word. I along with many others would rather watch television and then hit my very comfortable bed to get some shut eye. You will find that if you are diligent to take the time to spend with the Lord your walk becomes less of a struggle. This is because faith comes by hearing and hearing of the word of God. God did not just give us the bible to put it on a shelf to collect dust. When we spend time in his word our spirit grows stronger and soon will out rule the flesh; our walk will become easier.

I am not saying by any means that I am perfect, or by taking these steps we will become perfect. “For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.” We are not perfect we all fall and sin, but this is why out Lord Jesus Came, died, and rose again. If we are willing to sacrifice our wants and desires and practice these steps, this world and all the troubles that come along with it will not seem all that hard to deal with anymore. (Shannon Syfrett)

What Cha Got Cooking?

Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. Mt 22:4

Last night while I was watching television there was nothing really on and it was boring. Of course as usual I started getting hungry, so I thought I would find something to eat, I looked through the cabinets, the refrigerator, and the freezer. Mind you, I had to move things around in each of those places to see everything. After a thorough search I decided there was nothing to eat. As I closed the freezer I began to laugh, the cabinets were full, the refrigerator was full, and the freezer was full. I had more food than I could ever eat and I'm saying “there’s nothing to eat”. I could have given up right then got dressed, got in the car, drove to town, and got what I wanted. The thing is would it really be worth it? First I would have to get dressed I was already in sweats t-shirt and no shoes and I would say I was pretty comfortable. Then I would have to get out burn gas which is not cheap, drive to town which takes time, and find a place to eat. Once there everything is made up to look so good your mouth starts watering. You pick out what you want spend money you didn't have and eat something that doesn't taste near as good as the picture and a lot of times makes you ill. When all you had to do was thaw something out you already had at home, spend a little more time preparing it, then cook it at the right temperature. When finished you have something delicious. You didn't have to get dressed, go out spend money, and end up with something you didn't really want in the first place. Your stomach is full, you're happy, and it was free. In the long run what you wanted was there all the time you just had to work at it a little bit. Marriage is like that in a lot of ways. We look at our husband, or wife, move them around a little bit, look behind them, in front of them, and beside them, but we never really look at them. Why, because we don't think they’re really what we want. We believe our taste is calling for something new, something better, but is it really? We can go out find what we think were looking for, an end up paying more than we ever dreamed of, for something we didn't really want. It's like the picture of the food it always looks better than what it really is. If we take the time to thaw, season, prepare, and cook our marriage. You may find you have the best meal you could ever have, right in your own home. Sometimes we just need to learn how to cook. (Mike Syfrett)

Are you hedging?

The way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain. Pr 15:19

Looking out the window at my Parents home is a hedge that blocks the view to the road. When someone pulls into the driveway you are unable to see them approaching. This past weekend, my sisters came down and along with the help of our husbands trimmed down the huge hedge that makes it able to see the highway and the driveway.

While standing and looking out that window this morning I realized that in our lives we allow hedges to grow up in our lives. Hedges of habits, attitudes, incorrect belief systems, unchecked thought life and many other things that block our view of the highway of life. We are unable to see what is happening because of those hedges that we have allowed to block the view in our thought processes. We can’t see if anyone is coming up our drive way like maybe a spiritual attack from Satan because the view is blocked.

There comes a time in our lives when we need to look at those hedges we have allowed into our lives through our habits, attitudes, thoughts etc and begin to trim them down. We need to hold those things up to the word of God and allow it to begin to trim away the error. Maybe the error has been there because of the doctrine we were raised in, maybe it’s there because of our pride or simply ignorance or a besetting sin. Whatever the reason, the hedge needs to come down. We need to have a clear view of what is going on around us and what is approaching us. What hedges have you allowed to grow and block your vision? Pick up the hedge trimmers of the word and get to work. It took us 2 days to clean up the hedge at my parents’ house. It may take you longer but don’t quit every branch you trim will allow you to see things from a different prospective.

Where are you Going?

Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. Ro 1:10

This week for me is going to be busy. I am preparing for a trip out of the country. I am going to Panama to spend some time with some missionary friends of mine. We will be going to the villages and ministering to the people there. I am truly excited but I must make sure certain things are done.

When preparing for a trip of this magnitude I have had to make a lot of preparations. I have had to make sure I have a passport. Without a passport or a visitor’s visa I will not be allowed into the country. I have had to make sure that I have transportation taking me to the correct place, proper place to leave my vehicle while I’m gone. I am making sure that I take the proper clothing, making sure that my affairs here in the states are caught up even to the date that I will return.

When we think about the trip we will be taking upon our death are we preparing correctly. There are many specific instructions found in the word about things that have to be done to insure that we arrive at the correct destination and have the proper things to be able to be admitted. First we must determine our destination. Do we have the proper credentials to get there? If you r destination is Heaven, are you covered with the blood of Christ? Have you trusted him for your salvation? Have you been storing up riches in heaven or have you been storing them here on earth? Are your affairs here on earth set in order so that when you leave things will run smoothly? You are not promised tomorrow.

We are all going on a trip when we die. The saying that comes to mind is Life is a Journey. My question is where are you headed? Heaven? If so you need to make preparations. Hell? No preparation needed just don’t do anything live for yourself, base you life on your feelings and you will be sure to arrive.

Once Upon a Time!

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Ps 103:12

I have a friend in California that I write to on a weekly basis. We do not communicate through e-mails or telephone calls but instead we write. Writing letters in this age of technology is becoming a lost art. I have learned a lot from writing letters. You have to word things so that the recipient doesn’t misunderstand your intentions. Emotions have to be expressed in words and sometimes that is a very difficult thing to do. Describing a beautiful scene takes great care. You have to become disciplined in writing so that the message you are trying to convey comes across loud and clear. The person reading the letter cannot see your facial expressions nor sense your tone of voice.

In writing to my friend I will often have to use the backspace key on my keyboard to correct an error in spelling or to get rid of a word that was used incorrectly. Sometimes when proof reading the letter I will find entire sections that are not needed and I will select them and hit the delete key on my keyboard and poof it’s gone it’s like it was never there. The thought, the mistake, the description, whatever it was I have totally erased it and my friend has no way of ever getting it back.

Now just imagine. God is doing that with your life. You are going along writing the story of your life and it is your letter to the world and to God and oops you make a mistake. You breathe a prayer and ask God to forgive you and help you in that area and he presses the backspace key on his spiritual keyboard and the misspoken word is gone, the bad thought is gone. You continue typing along in your life and you create a whole paragraph in your life that is a huge mistake. You come to the Father in sorrow and repentance so he takes his mouse of mercy and will highlight that paragraph and then he will hit the delete key on his keyboard of grace and poof that paragraph is gone as if it never happened. We serve an awesome God who can take the life that you are writing and turn it in to a Nobel Prize winning masterpiece. What are you writing today? Remember, the world cannont see your heart and might misunderstand the message you are presenting.You must dicipline your life to line up with your heart.If you have made some errors simply ask God to backspace and delete them and help you continue writing the story the way he wants it. I promise if you allow him to proof read your life daily you will have a happily ever after ending.

What's That Smell?

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1John 1:8

One day my mother and I went shopping. We were in Wal-Mart and walking through the dairy section I noticed someone that I knew. She was pushing someone in a wheel chair. I did not know this person but I assume it was someone close to her because of the way she was very attentive to the person. As I walked closer I noticed a foul odor and the closer I got the worse the odor got. It was the distinct smell of body odor but it was so strong that it actually hurt my nose to the point that I had to walk away from them and not speak. The friend eventually left the person in the wheel chair and walked toward me, I noticed that the odor was not on her but coming from the person in the wheel chair. When she had walked away from it I was able to speak to her because the odor wasn’t there.

This is how sin affects our communion with God. We are walking around with certain sins in our lives lets call them our pet sins, the ones that we just can’t let go of and then we decide that we want to talk to God. He is there waiting and we go to approach him but he can’t get close to us because the foul odor of sin is offending him and we havent walked away from it. He loves us and he wants to get close to us but the odor is just to offensive.

When we are dealing with other Christians sometimes our noses have become desensitized to certain sins because the world has so readily accepted them and if we are honest we don’t really see it as sin. God, however, has a very sensitive nose and he can smell that sin even the slightest one and it offends him as greatly as that body odor offend me. He wants to commune with us but we have to repent. We have to let go of those pet sins that are so offensive to God. Others may not see them but God can smell them. If you say I don’t smell. Have you ever noticed that the last person to realize that they smell is the one carrying the smell? Don’t be caught without the deodorant of the Spirit, that is the blood of Christ, it covers all our sins (smells) and allows us to commune with Christ in an intimate way. Simply repent and be covered there is nothing like the fresh smell of laundry and nothing more offensive than the smell of body odor. What do you smell like to God?

Hey Can I Get a Little Light Over Here?

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12

My mother has been living by herself since my dad passed away. The other day she asked me if I could get my husband to check under the house and make sure there wasn’t a water leak. She was very concerned so we said we did. There is a place inside the house where you can lift up the floor and go under the house so we used it and took a flash light and checked all the pipes no leak.

After we came back into the house I couldn’t help but contrast the difference in the ground under the house where there was no light at all and the ground that was able to experience light. The ground outside was lush and green and full of grass and flowers, it was moist and alive. The ground under the house was black, full of large cracks from lack of moister, there was no grass. There was no sign of life at all except for the few spiders I noticed.

Compare this to the person who has not experienced Christ or the word in their spirit they are just like that ground under the house they are dark, dry, cracked, without moister and basically useless. They have no life in them, but if you were able to move the house and that same ground that was so useless was exposed to light after a while it would begin to soften from the rain, then eventually over time that ground would begin to show signs of life. Grass would begin to grow and maybe even flowers if given enough time. This black, cracked, empty , dry ground would become so full of life that it would appear as if it had never been deprived of light at all.

When we are dealing with the person who has not been exposed to the light of God’s word we sometimes expect them to immediately bring forth the fruit but you must remember that for so long they have not been exposed. The soul without light that is continually exposed to God’s word will begin to soften as well. Give the light time to work, time to warm the ground, time for the ground to receive moister, time for the cracks to disappear and then stand back and watch as the miracle of life takes place in the ground of that person’s life. Light is an amazing thing. Show them Jesus and let his light do the work.

Name That Tune

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zep 3:17

Sometimes I wake up with a song in my mind and that song plays all day long. Did you know he will joy over us with singing. He uses many ways to speak to us and I have found that God sometimes sings to us. For 3 or 4 days now I have had a song playing in my head. It’s a song by the Beetles. Yes if God can use a donkey to speak to a prophet he can use the Beetles to speak to me. Ever had the experience where you were hoping and praying for and answer and turn on the radio and bam God gives you the answer, or open the Bible and just the verse you needed for encouragement that day was the one you opened to. That’s just the sort of God I serve.

He meets people where they are. If you are with people all day, he will speak to you through people. When you are in his word he will speak to you through the word. If you are outdoors all day he will speak to you through nature. When he met the woman at the well, she was drawing water so he asks for water. I love music and sometimes when I'm having a bad day/week/month, God sings to me. The song He has been singing to me this week is "All My Loving", and the line that kept running through my head was “And when while I'm a way I'll write Home every day and I’ll send all my loving to you” The scripture that comes to mind here is when Jesus told his disciples that he would send a comforter John 14:26 says but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Every day The Holy Spirit is here on earth with us teaching us and bringing things to our mind about what Jesus has said to us. I believe that he was simply reminding me that no matter where I am and no matter where I think God is He will faithfully send me his love. He was letting me know Hey! I love you and I’m gonna be faithful the line in the song says he’ll write home every day. God wants me to know that he loves me every day, not just when I’m being the “good” Christian or having a good day but even when I’m messing up and having a horrible day. The message of the song is faithfulness and love. The words of another song by Kathy Goddard come to mind here “In my heart I have questioned even failed to believe, but he’s been faithful, faithful to me.” God was and is reminding me and calming me by singing to me because he is faithful even when I am not.

Where are you today? God wants to meet you there and speak to you; can you hear Him? He is singing. “All my loving I will send to you, All my loving (your name here) I’ll be true. I sent (Jesus) all my loving to you”

Grass in the Gravel!

Lu 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,

My mom lives in an older home and recently had her driveway recovered with grey rock. Well if you’ve never been to Mississippi there is an old saying if you need to grow grass put down gravel. Since the spring rains she now has a beautiful new driveway with pretty new grey gravel and tall green grass growing right up through it.

As I was leaving her house today I began to think about our lives and sin and how it affects us it’s a lot like that drive way. If we don’t remove the grass roots and all it will come up no matter what we use to cover it up. You can cover up your sins with church going, bible reading, praise music, or anything else that looks religious to the world but if you don’t repent ( pull it up by the roots) it’s gonna come back to bite you later in life. It will show up.

Many of us find ourselves falling over and over again to the same sin. Tear it up by the root. Don’t cover it up with excuses (gravel) for why you can’t stop or can’t start whatever it is that you need to do. True repentance has fruit. True Repentance turns its back on the sin and goes the opposite direction. The word says be sure your sin will find you out. There is not anything that we do that God doesn’t’ know about and eventually it will be revealed. Just like the grass comes up through the gravel if we don’t’ kill the roots. That sin will rear its ugly head no matter how much we try to cover it up. We need to repent. Do you have grass in your gravel? Kill the root.

Are You Ready for a Puzzle?

Do they provoke me to anger? Saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? Jer 7:19

There are so many voices in the world and all of them calling to us to make choices. When we are born and begin developing as people we begin making choices that shape who we are and what defines us to the world. We are sort of like puzzle pieces. When God made us we were a big blank page and we ourselves begin to put in the puzzle pieces. Here’s the catch. We can’t see the picture on the box we are going totally by what we know, think, feel or by what the Lord tells us. There comes a time in all of our lives that we must choose so we are putting together the puzzle that everyone is looking at. Only God has the picture on the box that he wants it to look like. He has given us the Border. You know when you put a puzzle together you always put all the straight pieces together first to form the border. Well God has done that for you, he has given you a personality, and he has put within you a measure of faith. Now he says you finish it. This is free will. Now you can choose to pick puzzle pieces to put in your puzzle from 2 places one is from my box it has the perfect design on the pieces or you can choose pieces from the box of the world. Here is the catch on that one when you choose a piece from the world it doesn’t have my design on it. It is only a solid black piece oh it will fit into the puzzle because you get to choose which box you choose your pieces from. When we pray and read the word and seek God we choose pieces from his box and we begin to look like Him. When we sin and live in rebellion to the word of god we are choosing pieces from the worlds box and they have no design and they are just plain black pieces, that are messing up that beautiful picture that he has painted for your life. You might say well it’s too late for me I’ve made some bad mistakes and some bad choice. How you act after a bad decision messes with God big picture for your life. It messes with the top of the puzzle box... You make a mistake, drug addiction, alcoholism, Sexual immorality, or maybe something simple like choosing the wrong man for your life or disobeying your parents. anyways, after those sins occur how will you deal with them If your depressed because you know your life is not going the way it is suppose to are you going to fix that by partying, and ignoring God. If you do then your filling your spaces up with a black puzzle piece slowly the big picture looks all messed up because of the direction you turned. If you repent and turn from your sins God will take the paint brush of his mercy and paint his design on everyone of those black pieces and when others look at you they will only see the picture that he intended all along. The word says that we must forget those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. The past is just that the past. Look forward to your finished picture and quit picking from the wrong box.

BEWARE!

BEWARE!

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 2Jo 1:7

Today I was sitting here helping one of my daughters friends write a sonnet for her English class and I ask her what she wanted to write it about. She is 17, her answer was religion. When I ask her what about religion she wanted to write about she said that recently she had been confused about her faith and there were so many choices out in the world that she really had to look at everything and it was hard because of all the deception. After she had talked to my youngest daughter she has found that Jesus is the only way. It's not religion as man sees it but a relationship as the word teaches it, that matters. There are so many young people out there who are so confused. We need to be presenting them with the truth of God's word without compromise. As we began to think about the struggles she had gone through and thought on them, here is the poem or sonnet as she called it that we came up with:

Confused I was bout my beliefs
Of which one should I choose?
It won’t take long, I will be brief
But I will try to amuse

Formality or choice?
Truth or Sham?
Which one will give me voice?
Wonder which one I am?

Since Jesus is the only way
It’s Him I chose to choose
The only way that I don’t pay
And my soul to hell don’t lose

So be careful when in living
To whom your soul you’re giving.

Need a Baby Sitter??

And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 2Ki 6:17

My 2 oldest daughters and their husbands went to Memphis for a couple of days to attend a Joyce Meyer conference. On the first night there, my oldest daughter and her husband’s car had been broken into. The thief had gone through everything in the car it was in disarray. Her husband’s wallet still lay on the dashboard full of cash and credit cards; her new video camera was still in the car, her digital camera still in the car. They searched through everything and the only thing missing out of the car were her husband’s 2 bottles of medication. After leaving the location and going back to their parking space they pulled up to find the two bottles of pills sitting in the parking space with the pills still in them. Wow now that got me to thinking God is always taking care of us, even when we are not there. It made me think of one of the advertisements on television about the Verizon Network? In the advertisement Verizon has made the network that we can’t see into a visible large group of people. Everywhere we go we also have a network that travels with us. There is a heavenly host watching us and angels all around us, protecting and helping on our behalf. We are not alone. If our eyes were opened we would see a large host standing with us. Wow how amazing. It also makes me think of that song Angels watching over me my Lord, Angels watching over me. We are so blessed and usually so unaware of the special care that God shows us. I am so grateful he was watching over my children. When I was a young mother I gave my children back to God and I remember him telling me that he was the best babysitter ever. Again he has proved that even though my children are grown he still has his eye on them and his angels fighting on their behalf. What we do affects generations to come. I am blessed because my Father and mother chose to serve God, my children are blessed because my husband and I chose to serve God, and their children are blessed if they do the same. You and I can affect generations to come. Make your choices wisely and watch and see the salvation of the Lord. Father open our eyes that we may see.

Sticks and Stones

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

When I was a little girl I would be outside playing with my sister and we would get mad at each other and start calling each other bad names. Eventually one of us would use the saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me. Now that I’m older I have come to realize that saying is not true.

How come words can hurt so badly? I know everyone has experienced a time in their life when someone they love hurts them with words. Words can be so powerful. But why? They are only words. Words from some people can also mean nothing; they are just giving lip service. No actions follow what they say. Jesus told his disciples many things, some they believed some they didn’t. Yet every word came to pass and always will. Jesus says the words I speak are spirit and Life. (Sarah Andrews)

We as believers tend to put much more emphasis on what other people are saying instead of what our Savior is saying. We allow their words to control us emotionally, to move us to physical action or to think wrongly. Why do we not put as much importance on the word of God? I believe that we do this because we can understand what other people say and usually we agree with what they say because we don’t have the correct image of ourselves. We lean to our own understanding. The Word tells us to lean not to our understanding but in all our was to acknowledge God and he will direct our paths. We have to acknowledge God by listening to what he says we have to begin putting our faith in what the word say’s about us instead of putting our faith in what others say about us.

Word can be like arrows
Piercing to the heart tearing it asunder
Ripping it apartLeaving woundsCausing scars
if used with talent thrown with skill Words destroy even kill

Words can be like arrows
Ointment to the heart Building, edifying,
Establishing from the start Forgiveness,Goodness, peace
if used with talent thrown with skill Words can rescue even heal

Kill yourself????

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Ro 7:19

These words of Paul sum up the battle that Christians face everyday concerning our spiritual walk on the road to killing our self. Our self is our flesh, the desires we have that are contrary to God’s word and character. I have killed myself before, I hung it on the cross and I left it there. It was dead for about three years and then in a rough time I allowed it to come down and walk around awhile. BIG MISTAKE! Give the devil an inch and he will take a mile.

I am once again in the process of killing my flesh and I was thinking back on my previous journey. I like to compare the process of dying to self with the path that Jesus had to take to get to the cross. That journey started in the Garden of Gethsemane where he made the ultimate decision to give His life for the world. I know we all come to that point in our lives sometimes more than once, where we must decide that we are going to be obedient and completely surrender ourselves to God. To do this we must die to our flesh which means we must kill it. Once we make that decision we begin the journey to the cross.

In between the garden and His death Jesus was beaten, kicked, laughed at, spat on and many more painful and humiliating things, this is what you must be prepared for on your journey to the cross. I know right now I am on my way to the cross once again, my flesh does not want to die, it is fighting and screaming no please don't kill me but I know it must happen for me to live a spirit filled life that can be effective for the work of God. I have to deny my desires, I have to be willing to discipline myself with prayer and bible study, I have to become sensitive to the spirit and be willing to obey its every leading.

It’s hard, I don't want to get out of bed and pray in the middle of the night when God wakes me up. I don't want to walk down that aisle and kneel at the altar for everyone to see. I don't want to call up that old friend and tell them that Jesus has changed my life and I am no longer the same. My flesh wants to sleep, it doesn't want to be looked at strangely and it wants to be popular, but if the flesh is alive the spirit is asleep. First Corinthians 15:34 says awake to righteousness and do not sin! Romans 13:11 says knowing the time awake out of sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. We as a church have to wake up spiritually and kill our flesh. Be prepared, it won’t be easy, it will take determination, commitment and faith but if you’re willing to embark on the journey God will give you the strength and grace you need to make it through each day.

When I look back I think about what my life was like once I finally nailed that flesh completely to the cross, I died to myself and with that came the resurrected power that Jesus promised. Romans 6:4 says therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. That newness of life is walking in the spirit. It is a new life filled with awesomeness. I remember that time in my life as the happiest I have ever been. Nothing bothered me; I had a peace that passes all understanding. I was content no matter what the situation. The selfishness of normality was gone. I, ME didn't need anything I was completely fulfilled with and by my relationship with my Father God. I can’t wait to get to that point again. Do not misunderstand He gives me peace and grace and blesses me in many ways but my flesh is still rearing its ugly head. I still have wants and desires that try to confuse me and give me feeling that I don't want to have. I don't want to be bitter or angry or hateful and those are all things that the flesh wants. I want the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self control. I have had to change my way of thinking. It’s kind of like reprogramming your entire mind and way of doing things. You have to change what you think and what you think about. Philippians 4:8 says Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Once we get our mind focused on God and His ways life becomes a lot simpler. So many times allow Satan and our flesh to team up and work against us but if we kill our flesh than Satan has a lot harder time because instead of him outnumbering you , you outnumber him. The length of the road to death is different for everyone but it's a road we all must take as Christians who truly want to live a life that is pleasing to God. I my friend am on that road and I ask that you join me, it won’t be fun but the rewards are worth the pain. Imagine a little piece of heaven here on earth. That's what we get to experience when we walk in the spirit.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1
(Lesely Hays)

Dont Touch the Cactus!

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Heb 11:25

I have a cactus plant that blooms the prettiest blooms in the summer. When you get close to it and try to pick the flower you are jabbed by thousand of little stickers that hurt like fire and they are even harder to see and remove. One day while my husband was weed eating around this particular cactus he accidently hit the cactus and came into the house to get me to remove one of the cacti splinters from his tongue. Wow all we was doing was cleaning up around the cactus and he managed to get a splinter in his tongue. I thought that is amazing.

Sin is like that it is amazing it looks so pretty and tempting. It has pretty flowers all over that lure you in and so you walk a little closer and eventually you are so tempted that you give in and you pick the flower of sin and when you have pulled it to yourself you realize that you are now covered with splinters of every size and shape that sting and some of them are hard to find but if you move a certain way they prick you so you know they are there.

Some of the affects of the sin are hidden and the world doesn’t recognize them but they are there none the less. They are in your thoughts, in your dreams, in your words, and even in your actions. When removing the splinters of sin it’s like removing the splinters from the cacti. You sometimes have to get a magnifying glass to see the small but painful thing and then remove it, and even after taking it out it still stings for quite awhile. Its affects last a lot longer than you want them to.

Sometimes you may not have even sinned. Like when my husband was cleaning up around the cacti. You may be playing with the idea just getting closer and closer, walking around it cleaning up your life around that area and all of a sudden something happens and that sin that you weren’t even involved in jumps out and affects you by sending that one small splinter into your tongue. Wow that’s amazing all you were doing was listening to that music with your friends, there was nothing wrong with it, but somehow it began affecting the way you thought and then the way you spoke. See how it works? Sin is very subtle. It never announces the consequences it only shows you the flower never the splinters. The word says that the wages of sin is death. How does this relate to you? You say I won’t die if I sin, maybe not immediately but if you choose to pick the flower of sin there will be a consequence. That consequence will be death to something in your life. Which one of these are you willing to lose: peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness , faithfulness or self control because the word is true something is going to die and it will take the resurrection power of Jesus to get it back.

Did You Spill the Nail Polish?

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Ga 6:1

The last two days I have shared thoughts with you that were written by my youngest and oldest daughters today I share with you one my middle daughter wrote.

When I was a small girl my mother bought a pretty new bottle of nail polish. She told all of us girls "do not touch this it’s mine” Of course for me being, well me the temptation was just too much. I just had to touch it. All I wanted to do was paint my nails. I began to pain them but instead of succeeding in painting my nails I spilled the polish down the back of the white toilet and the bathroom cabinet. Not wanting to be punished for being disobedient I put the top back on and put it back where she had put it. Eventually my mother found the mess I had made and cleaned it up, but since no one was around she wondered who was to blame. I was to blame but she didn’t know that only God knew.

Mother, being a mother lined me and my two sisters up in the hall and asked “who did it”? no one confessed --not even me. I can’t remember exactly what happened but I’m pretty sure that we all suffered some sort of punishment. Why? Because, I wouldn't confess, I was not willing to take the blame and the punishment that went with it. I was just a child then, but it taught me a lesson, a lesson that still follows me. Just because no one sees you do it, doesn't mean that God didn't see. People always want someone to blame for a bad situation, when in reality it’s our own fault. We can’t blame others because we are stressed out, that’s our own choice. You can’t blame someone else because you don't go to church or you don't have a good relationship with God. It’s your own fault. I think this generation, including myself is spoiled, we don't want to take the blame, and we are unwilling to own up the fact that we are responsible for the choices we have made. We have no one to blame but ourselves. It can’t be no one’s fault.

We are in a war; someone has spilled the nail polish and is unwilling to take the blame. I believe that people need to start stepping up to themselves and admit. Hey it’s my own fault, instead of hiding and not telling. We need to be willing to take the blame and maybe fix the problem. As Christians we have to stop hiding in the shadows and letting all of our sisters and brothers in Christ take the blame. They are suffering because we don’t have the courage to say hey that’s my fault. I’m not doing what God called me to do. The very souls of our friends and family are at stake and we are too busy trying to find someone to blame. We are afraid to help because the enemy might know what we’re doing and try to stop us. Step up and take the blame. As a Christian don’t be afraid to take the blame and to say hey I messed up. Jesus took our blame. It was our sins that he died for and now we can’t even repay him by stepping up and being who we need to be.

What mistake have you been hiding, what messes need cleaned up in your life. How many souls are perishing because you are not doing what God called you to do? Did you spill the nail polish? Have the courage to own up to it and let God clean up your mess. He is faithful to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. He will take what Satan meant for evil and use it for good. Jesus always brings the polish remover with him.(Sarah Andrews)

Are you a Disciple?

And whosever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27
So likewise whosoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33

This is the week we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus but before he was resurrected he had to die and he chose a cross. After becoming the perfect sacrifice for us he asks us to pick up our cross, become disciples and follow him. Below is a blog that my oldest daughter wrote about being a disciple.

These verses make me think very deeply about what it means to truly be a Christian. A Christian is a disciple right, so how many of us are willing to give up anything and everything to follow in the way of Christ. I know so many people who at this very moment are standing there looking at that cross of theirs laying on the ground and saying Lord I can’t do it, it’s too hard, I can’t carry that cross please give me a different one. Everyone’s cross is personalized just for them. To pick us a cross means to obey in some way or another. Take that job, marry that man, go to that school, be a pastor, be a missionary, be a mom, be a dad, move here, stay there, do or don’t do this or that. We are asked to be obedient in one way or another and the road always appears hard. To pick up our cross our hands must always be empty, we must be willing to put down whatever we hold, lay it at the feet of Jesus for Him to do with as he pleases and pick up our cross. Nothing of us can remain. We must let go of pride, hate, friends, family, cigarettes, alcohol, music, and movies, anything that in our lives is put before Jesus or goes against His teachings. You don’t know what that person did to me, I have a right to hate them, but cigarettes are all I have left, one drink never hurt anyone, music doesn’t matter, I don’t want to leave my home, but their my best friend. There are a million and one excuses why we hold on to whatever we hold on to but Jesus say if we do no forsake all that we have we CANNONT be His disciple. That’s the part that gets me, cannot, I know we all want to follow Jesus but if we are not willing to let go of whatever we are holding on to we cannot. A lot of times we allow Satan to come in and deceive us. He tells us God would never ask you to do that, or God would never ask you to give that up, and of course we want to agree with him so we let him convince us not to do what we KNOW we were told to do. You can convince yourself to change your mind about anything, even the fact that maybe you didn’t hear God correctly, I assure you , you heard Him your flesh just wishes you hadn’t. Trust and obey. Have enough faith to know that your heavenly Father loves you and He promises to take care of you. He sees the future, He knows what steps must be taken to get you where you need to be, so have FAITH that He would never steer you wrong. The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17 For we walk by faith not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Get in the word and build your faith, without it we can never be obedient and will miss out on the blessings God has for us. Not only must we pick up our cross but we must come after Him. Seek Him with your whole mind, heart and soul. There will be times in your life where you will have to set down something that is big and that you hold very near and dear to you. And there will be times where obedience seems impossible but it is With God all things are possible. God will never ask you to do something you are incapable of doing and whatever He brings you to He will bring you through.

There is also a daily cross bearing we must be aware of. Daily we have to be willing to be aware of our lifestyles. Daily we have to choose to turn off that show that allows filth into our minds, daily we have to choose to smile and be nice to someone who has just really pushed our buttons, daily we have to switch that radio station to positive Christ centered sounds, daily we have to put down that magazine and pick up Gods word, daily we must take actions to be Jesus’ disciples. It’s not just the big things we must be aware of the small, minute by minute opportunities we have to show that we are disciples. So what are you holding onto today, what is keeping you from walking as a disciple of Jesus? Put it down, give it God, and He will give you the strength and peace you need to pick up your cross and be obedient. Obedience is better than sacrifice!! May God give you and me the grace to walk as His disciples. (Lesley Hays)

The Great Escape

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man Lu 21:36

My youngest daughter had to write a paper in college about a place that she had visited that changed her life and this is what she wrote. With her permission I present to you The Great Escape.

There is a place I go to get away. This place I go is not located on this earth. It cannot be seen by others, nor can I see it. I can go there anytime I wish, and it does not matter where I am. My great escape is the presence of God.
The presence of God is a place that is indescribable to me at times. Although I cannot see this place, the feeling I get when I am there makes up for that. When I enter into his presence, I am no longer in this busy sometimes confusing world. I am no longer fixated on my emotions, I am no longer. I am no longer angry, sad, hurt, or frustrated. I have a peace and happiness that no one on this earth could possibly give me. The best thing about being in my place of escape is I am not alone; instead, I am standing in front of my Creator. I have sometimes pictured myself sitting in his lap telling him all of my fears. Other times I have asked the Jesus to hold my hand as I was riding in my car alone at night, and I cannot count the times I have asked the lord to sleep with me because I was scared.

God’s presence does not always affect people the same way. I have had times where it has hit me, and all I could do was sit down and cry. I have had other times where all I could do, is sing and dance because I was overflowing with joy. There have also been times where I could not speak at all, all I could do is be still and know he was God. I can actually remember a time where I was corrected by God. I felt as if I was getting in trouble like a slap in the face or a spanking. All I know is that it was not fun at all. I was very sorry for what I had done. I can just remember feeling so small against God’s power, which was really big and strong.

It saddens me at times to think some people do not have this escape, this place to run and hide from this o so scary world. How can anyone go through life not knowing that the lord is there for them, waiting with open arms to be there escape? How can anyone not know there is more to life than the enjoyment one can get out of sin? “My faith is not understood by men but it stands in the power of God”.

Until the presence of God is experienced firsthand, it cannot be understood. I have come to realize my place of escape is better than any paradise island known to man. No, I cannot see it, but I know that when my eyes do behold it, there will be a beauty set before my eyes that will be unimaginable. No, I cannot smell this place, but I imagine it has a scent sweeter than the most beautiful rose, and although I cannot touch it, I can experience it. All I have to do is close my eyes and walk boldly into his presence, and I am in a place where you could only wish to spend your entire life.

My daughter found her great escape. Plan your great escape now ,it’s as simple as kneeling before the Father. (Shannon Syfrett)

Don't Kill the Butterfly

But when the fullness of time was come..." Galatians 4:4a

Of late my middle daughter has been calling me a lot and asking me when certain things were going to happen. I remember when she was engaged and wanting to get married she would say “It’s never going to happen” “I don’t feel like I will ever be married” and I would reassure that it would happen in God’s perfect time. Now it’s something else, when will my career take off, when will I get the break I’m wanting, when? When? When? And I again reassure her that it will happen in God’ perfect time.

Life is a waiting game. Everyone is always waiting on something to happen. We wait on our grandchildren to arrive, we wait for grief to pass, and we wait on vacation to arrive. We wait in the dentist office, we wait on a plane to arrive and there are many more you could mention. To wait on God we must trust him. We do not want to wait; we want to take matters into our own hands like Abraham did when he took his hand maid and had Ishmael instead of waiting on his wife to bear the child. God had promised him a child and a great nation but he just couldn’t wait. He had to fix it himself. God does thing in his time.

Everything in life has its own cycle. A butterfly doesn’t become a butterfly overnight. It takes time. It is over, when its fullness of time has come. If it came before the process was completed, it would mean death to the butterfly. Don't become weary in waiting because it means the cycle hasn't finished yet. But when the fullness of time has come, it will be finished and you'll be glad you waited. Don’t kill the butterfly by opening the cocoon. WAIT!

Not a Twitch

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1Jo 1:9

I was diagnosed with hemi facial muscle spasms over 5 years ago. It started out very subtly. At first only a small twitch in my left eye but it kept progressively getting worse and worse until finally the whole left side of my face would draw. Not only did this make me look like I’d had a stroke but it was extremely nerve racking. Finally after many tries at different treatments the doctor decided to paralyze the nerve with a Botox shot. When he gave me the shot at first my face looked perfect then my left eye completely closed. I had to look through one eye which caused my depth perception to be off. The vision in the other eye was weaker and I looked really funny.

Sometimes in life we allow a small sin to start and its affects, at first, are only minimal. Then as we continue to live in that sin the consequences get worse and worse. We try to fix our bad choices of sin with things of the world and we make things even worse. The way we look at things becomes distorted and we think "there is really nothing wrong with this" and our witness becomes weaker and weaker. We begin to look different; we don’t look like our father anymore. We look just like the world.

God knew that this would happen so over 2000 years ago he sent his son Jesus to become the final and perfect sacrifice for us. Now we can go to him and when we look at life and our choices through his love we will be able to see clearly. So no matter the sin or its affects just go to Jesus, confess, repent and he will restore you. There won’t even be a twitch left.

Sacrifice!

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Ephesians 6:14

Slowly walking up the hill
Abraham denies his personal will
Taking everything he had
Obedient, yet distressed & sad
Reaching the altar he placed his son
For sacrifice to the three in one
Raising the knife because of his love
Trusting and hoping in the Father above
Determined to grant his God's command
An angel appears and stays his hand
Flooded with joy he hears the cry
Releases his son with a thankful sigh
Proving his love he offered his boy
Obedience rewarded with unspeakable joy
God provided the reparation
A type and shadow a preparation
Slowly walking up the hill
Jesus obeys his Father's will
Offering everything he is
Beaten and bruised that I might live
Reaching the altar he lays on the cross
Counting everything but loss
Lifted up because of his love
Trusting in the father above
Taking my sin no angels appear
The anguish and pain so real so near
He comes to the end and lets out a cry
His mission completed he came to die
His sacrifice now stays Satan's hand Giving me the power to stand

STAY!!!!

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Hab 2:3

I bought me a new puppy and I determined that he would be an obedient dog. I have been training him now for almost a year and he is becoming a wonderful pet. I finally decided to teach my dog to stay. To do this I would take one of his treats that he loved and place it on the floor and say STAY and not allow him to get it. He wags his tail and whines and wants it so badly but I make him wait. When I first started this training he would not stay he would attack it and I would take it away from him and he would not receive a treat because he had been disobedient. After many attempts and much patience he would stay until I gave him permission and said “Ok get it” and he would jump and pounce on it like he was a starving dog. Why did I make him stay or wait? I did it to teach him obedience.

God is the same way with us. His word says that if we love him we obey him so he sets out to teach us obedience. He gives us a book full of promises and then like I taught my puppy he lays them in front of us and says WAIT. We beg , whine, plead, and squirm and he says…WAIT, but like my puppy we don’t want to wait so we meet our own legitimate need in irresponsible ways instead of trusting that God will do it in his way and in his timing. Ps 37:9 says but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

God may have promised you many things in this life ,but do you trust him to let him do it in his time and in his way. We must learn to wait on the Lord. When we are unwilling to wait in essence we are saying God I don’t trust you I don’t think you are going to come through on this for me so I will handle this myself. So like the puppy we jump and grab our treat and we do it in our timing and our way and he takes the very thing we reached for away from us because we refused to wait. And so the cycle of training begins again. He promises, He say’s wait, what will be your response. Do you trust him? Is he big enough to handle this situation? We are living in a generation of people who are willing to give up the most important thing, unbroken fellowship with the Father for what is immediate. We do not know how, and we choose not to wait. Why? Because, we have lost our trust in our Father and when we don’t trust we disobey and when we disobey we don’t believe. Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mr 9:24

We give of our want
She gave of her need
God gave us his son
From Abraham's' seed
She gave all she had
With love in her heart
For she understood,
'Twas his from the start
When God made his promise,
She always believed,
She stood on his word,
Through faith she received
Her needs were all met
By her father above
For she acted believing,
Abiding in love
A lesson to learn
From the widows two mites
Just wait and believeTrust Him with your life

Saint Who?

He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. Ps 115:13

Who is this St. Patrick, and what exactly are we celebrating. Actually St Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland and is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. St. Patrick's Day, falls during the Christian season of Lent.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped and according to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training. 15 years later he was ordained as a priest and sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

All of this happened in the 5th century and on this day 16 centuries later we wear green to celebrate the day of his death. He was just one man following the leading of the Lord he probably thought himself to be insignificant. Many people think themselves to be insignificant. We read all the begat verses and those people may have thought their existence did not matter. It mattered enough to be recorded in the word. They were in the lineage of someone whom God used in a mighty way. Maybe you feel insignificant in your life, where you are and what you are doing but just maybe you are the mother or father of a Moses, of a Lincoln, a Sampson. Maybe you think you are too small to matter but if you think that then you’ve never been in the dark with a mosquito. Be the mosquito and make your mark on history by being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Someday everyone might be celebrating your holiday.

Enjoy The Grind!

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen 1:27

We are created in the image of God. That is amazing. I am the image of God, when I look in the mirror I don’t think I look like God to me. And if you look really close you don’t think I look like God either yet he made me in his image. Well here is the catch he’s still working on me. I’ll give you an example of what I mean. The other day I went to town to get a key made. I watched as he picked the key that was made in the image of the key that I had. There are all shapes of keys but only one was the same shape as mine then he locked both keys in their places and then began to grind away on the key blank to make it into the exact image of the one I had brought. He then polished it and handed to me I went back to the house and it did not work there was something very small that was not exactly like the other key. I looked and looked but couldn't see it and even though to the eyes it looked perfect but no matter how hard I tried it would not open the door. I took it back to the key maker and he proceeded to grind and polish on the new key some more and finally it worked.

That is how God is making us in his own image the Bible says in Ro 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. He took a blank Me and he is grinding away and polishing away at me. In my thoughts, in my actions, in my speech, in my attitudes, in every area of my life he is grinding and polishing. You see when I gave my life to Christ it was just like when I handed that key over to the key maker. He started work immediately and when I gave my life to Jesus he started immediately. I might not be able to open a door yet but I keep going back to God over and over and he grinds and polishes some more and one day I will be perfect. Doesn’t that give you hope. God is going to grind and polish on you too till he gets you just right. So don’t think it strange when trials and tribulations come your way…being in the grind is no fun at all. But the finished product is a key that works. God wants you to work and he promised he is not going to give up because he is faithful to finish what he starts. So enjoy the grind.
.

Did I say that out loud?

But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Ps 16:3

When I read this verse I kept coming back to the word excellent. God delights in excellent people. Then I began to think about what is it that makes a person excellent? Do you know any excellent people? The definition of excellent in the dictionary is very good of its kind: eminently good, fist class. So I guess I am asking do you know any very good, or first class people. What is good? The dictionary says that good means of a favorable character or tendency. So a good person would have good character. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but at habit.” So I would derive from this that an excellent person would be one of good character and have good habits, but according to another quote that I read good character comes from good habits. The saying goes something like this. “Watch your Thoughts, they become words. Watch your Words, they become actions. Watch your Actions, they become habits. Watch your Habits, they become character. Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.” I believe this quote is supported by the word.

What does all of this mean? It means to be an excellent person we must start in a place that no one can see. We must start with our thoughts. We must bring them into captivity according to the word. We must think on those things that are good and pure and lovely and of good report, if there be any praise if there be any virtue think on these things. Beginning with our thoughts is a giant step because the battlefield of Satan is the mind and our thoughts. If he can get us to thinking wrong it will affect everything…what we say --because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Then when we speak something long enough we will begin to put actions to those words and those actions that we repeatedly do become habits and Aristotle said we are what we repeatedly do. So if we have good habits they will allow others to see our good character, and make us excellent people and God will delight in us.

I want God to delight in me so I am going to have to become excellent and to do that I am going to have to start with my thoughts. Just because you don’t say it out loud doesn’t mean that God didn’t hear you.

Tick...Tock...Goes The Clock!

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Jas 4:14

This month is the month that my sister was born in. June is the month she died, 28 years after she was born. Last month my granddaughter turned 2 years old. I can remember when my baby turned 2 but in the blink of an eye she isn’t a baby anymore. She is a young woman now. Time has a funny way of passing without us noticing. I started working on this book/blog when my child who now has a child was only 1 year old, my sister was alive and well, that all seems like yesterday to me. The older you get the quicker time passes. The verse above becomes more meaningful to me by the day. Years seem like months, days seem like minutes. Yesterday I was a little girl riding on the tractor with my daddy. Today I am a grandmother remembering that her dad just died last month. Where do all the minutes go? What is it that I have done with my time here on earth? Has it mattered? Have I really been walking in line with the word of God or have I been walking parallel to it? Have my decisions brought God glory or shame? Has my money been used to further His kingdom or has it been used to make me more comfortable in this brief existence I have? When I am gone will what I have done made a difference? Will the things that I have let upset me matter in two days? In two weeks? In two years? What are we allowing to occupy our time? The verse tells us that our lives are but a vapour, but even a vapour can have a lasting effect. The vapour of carbon monoxide can kill you. What will the vapour of your life do?

Life as I see it lasts a very few years
Happy occasion’s tragedy fears
a number of things you can be in this time
A crusader for Christ or Lucifer's mime
From the time you are born till the time that you die
Your shadow will fall on the ones you pass by
The shadow you cast can be image of Christ
Or a picture of Satan and his evil advice
What is this shadow it's the body the mind
You use it to influence produce after your kind
What fruit do you grow? Can he say welcome in
Or depart from me I can't behold sin
Now the way that I see it a choice must be made
Will your shadow bring life or your life simply fade
The day will soon come when you'll stand at God's throne
Now you must answer your shadow is gone.

What Time Is It?

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Eph 5:16

Today I received in the mail a gift certificate for a free gift of clothing from a retail store. The coupon said you must redeem by a certain date. Now if I went into the store after the date of expiration they would not give me the free clothes. But if I go in within the allotted time I get the clothes free. Wow that’s a pretty good deal. God everyday gives us the gift of a new day and new mercies every morning. He tells us that we should redeem the time wisely. So every day is time that he is giving us and we are to redeem it wisely. I could take my free clothing coupon and go to the store and get some cheap piece of clothing that won’t last and looks bad or I could redeem it wisely and get the most out of my coupon by getting a piece of clothing that is well made and beautiful. We have to start looking at our days like this. Are we wasting time, precious time, on things that don’t really matter or are we redeeming that time wisely and using it for the furthering of God’s kingdom. Are we being obedient to what the Spirit has told us to do? Some of us are not redeeming our days very wisely. We miss out on what God has for us because we are worried about the future or the past and we don’t use the gift of today that God has given us. We spend our days watching TV or shopping, when we could be doing volunteer work or helping those in need. We don’t redeem the time that he has given us. We only get one shot at today we can never relive it. It expires. Your coupon for today expires at midnight. What will you do with your day? How will you redeem your time?

Microwave or Slow Cook?

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. La 3:26

In July my oldest daughter moved into my house with her daughter. Her husband of 5 years had betrayed their marriage and her trust and she was broken. Eight months later in March, after anger, unforgiveness, misspoken words, millions of prayers, tears, standing on promises, and repentance, she moved back in with her husband who is now saved and serving the Lord. Most people thought they should just get a divorce the quick fix and move on with their lives but God had other plans for them. The word says to let no man put asunder what God has joined together. They have both grown in love and forgiveness God would not allow them to microwave their marriage or get a quick fix, and it wasn’t fixed overnight. It took 8 long months. They both made mistakes but God in his faithfulness had chosen to place their marriage in the slow cooker and we all know that every time we slow cook our supper the meal always taste better and the wonderful smell permeates the house. They now have a marriage that has been cooked in God’s grace and the smell of peace permeates their lives what an awesome God we serve. Maybe God is putting you in the slow cooker today just remember the end result is worth the wait. I'm still cooking!

Follow The Leader...

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22

What kind of person would make me immediately leave what I was doing and follow him? These men simply dropped their nets and followed Jesus no questions ask they just followed wow if I had met him would I have done that? Quit my job, and leave my family not knowing where I was going or what I was going to be doing, Ok he did say I will make you fishers of men but did they really know what that meant? They never even hesitated. Maybe I should ask since I have met him do I do that now. When the spirit whispers do I drop the worldly cares and responsibilities and simply follow the leading of the Spirit? I would have to say sometimes but not always. Oh that I could do it always and Lord that you would keep me sensitive to your leading minute by minute. I want to be like those men who drop everything at your word and simply follow. Will you follow him? Are you following him? Do you hesitate at the prompting of the Spirit or do you simply drop what you are doing and obey. Remember to obey is better than sacrifice. If you love me you keep my commandments. What kind of a follower of Christ am I? On this I have to meditate. What kind of a follower of Jesus are you? Think about it! Did you ever play follow the leader. To play the game you had to do exactly what the leader did. Am I that kind of follower or am I getting kicked out of the game? I want to play and play hard. Do you want to play then come on let’s play follow the leader (Jesus) to win. A cross to carry and a crown to win.

Follow Follow Follow me
Follow me and you will see
Not where you’re going or where you’ll be
But it is the Father You will see.

Follow follow follow me
And fishers of men I’ll make you to be
If you will follow they will too
It won’t be many only a few

Follow Follow Follow me
It won’t be easy as you’ll see
The cross will come and with it pain
But afterward’s much joy to gain

Follow me!

Not Again!!

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Ga 5:1

When I read and reread this verse God kept bringing me back to the word again. when we do something again it means we are returning or turning around or going backwards. The verse 2Pe 2:22 about returning comes to mind But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. Why would we want to go back the way we came? Another verse that comes to mind is Lu 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. When we walk with the Lord He says in Php 3:13 but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. For the Israelites to return to slavery they would have to go back to Egypt they would have had to turn around. and go backwards to become entangled again with the yoke of slavery. Even though they wandered in the desert for 40 years they never went back to Egypt they made mistakes, they even went to the point of provoking God, but yet they persevered to go forward to the place that God was sending them. Where is God sending you today? This week? This year? Is he sending you into the wilderness? Is he sending you to the mountain top? Is he sending you into the valley of the shadow of death? Wherever he is sending you remember that he is not sending you alone De 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.He doesn't want you looking back like Lots wife did. He wants you to continue on in the direction that he is sending you. We must persevere to go forward and not backwards. When God delivers us from something, some habit, some situation, some person we would do well to remember the verse to not let ourselves be burdened again, the key word being again. But to stand firm in the freedom that he has given us. Are you free? Then stop looking over your shoulder and start putting one foot in front of the other and go deeper into your freedom.

...but...I don't FEEL like it!

For we walk by faith, not by sight 2 Co 5:7

My dad had Alzheimer's and was confused quite often. One day after I helped him take his bath and get dressed. He started looking around for something and became agitated. I ask him what was bothering him? He said I'm looking for my clothes I need to get dressed. Of course I was astounded. I had just helped him put on all of his clothes. I reassured him that he was indeed dressed and that he could go sit down in his chair in the den. He said I don’t feel like I have any clothes on. I made him feel his shirt and put his hands in is pockets but still he insisted that he didn't have any clothes on. I took him to the mirror and ask him what he saw. He said I can see the clothes but I can't help it if I look like I have clothes on I don't feel like it. I ask him if he thought I would lie to him. He said " NO" I ask him if I would allow him to embarrass himself and he repeated No I believe you will take care of me so after much convincing on my part he decided that he could believe my word and go and sit down in his chair. A lot us base our entire life on feelings we go along through everyday basing our decisions and our moods on how we feel. We may look like we are Christians but we don't feel like it so we become discouraged, or we don't look like Christians but we feel like one so we live our lives as if we have no need for the things of the word. The word is truth! Not our feelings. We must decide that we can trust God's word above anything we see or feel. His word is truth and no matter what. It is truth. It says let God be true and every man a liar. What finally convinced my dad that he could believe me? It was his relationship with me. He knew me and trusted that I would not lie. Do you have a relationship with the Lord? Do you trust that what he says is truth? Then act like it. If his word says it…that settles it. No discussion needed.

Inch Worm, Inch Worm

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

Spring is almost here and the trees are budding and flowers blooming and inch worms inching. While sitting on my porch this morning having coffee a warm breeze started to blow and as I was looking into the trees I noticed that the gust of wind had blown an inch worm off his branch and he was hanging suspended in air 14 feet from where he had previously been. I began to watch this little fellow and he began to inch his way back up his silk thread. I wondered why doesn’t he just lower himself another 3 feet and he will be on the ground. But, no, he wanted to return to his former place. The branch that was 14 feet upward. His progress was slow and it took him almost 45 minutes to make it back up the 14 feet to his branch. I was amazed as I watched his resolve to return to his former position. We as Christians should have such resolve. Many times in our lives a gust of wind, (some circumstance) hits us and blows us off our branch. Most of us just hang there where the problem had sent us or maybe we just give up and go down the 3 more feet and rest on the ground because it’s a lot closer and doesn’t take as much effort. This worm had more tenacity than most people I know. What gust of wind have you experienced? How did you react? Did you just hang there? Did you give up and lower yourself to the ground or did you persevere and start back to the place where you started? We can all learn a lesson from that inch worm.

Where have you been?

I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. Hosea 14:4

Have you ever had friends that you lost contact with or simply just didn’t take the time to keep up with? This has happened many times in my life. I would not talk to them for weeks, months, and sometimes even years at a time. The funny thing about it is that we were very close friends but circumstances of their lives and mine just seem to get in the way of us getting together and spending time with one another. When we finally did get together, we would just pick up where we left off and it was like there had never been any separation time between us. The bond of love and friendship was still there we simply had to make the time for one another. The word backsliding can mean to lapse or turn away. That is the way I look at how I had treated my friends. I had backslid on them. I had turned away to go my own way and I had not taken time to see them or include them in my life.

We as Christians seem to have this same problem. We turn away from God and go our own way. We don’t take time to schedule him into our day and in the end, we are backsliding. There have been times in my spiritual life that I have found myself in that condition. I wanted the fellowship with Christ but have failed to make the time and take the effort to keep it. However, when I do repent and come back to Him and renew that fellowship I have found that it is like it has been with my friends. We pick up where we left off and it’s as if there has never been any time of separation. God is a wonderful forgiving and merciful God. He will never leave us or forsake us. He heals our backsliding and welcomes us back with open arms.

Maybe right now in your life you are experiencing a time of backsliding. God wants to renew that fellowship with you but he will not force himself on you. You must make the first move. Maybe satan is trying to tell you that God doesn’t want your fellowship anymore or maybe he is telling you that you have gone to far and waited to long. Remember satan is the father of lies. I can tell you assuredly that God does want you to come back to him and he does desire your fellowship. The above verse tells us that he will heal our backsliding and freely love us and that his anger will not be against us if we simply return to him. You can never go so far that God will not love you or forgive you. His arms are open run to him because he awaits your return with anticipation.

Here Comes the Judge! Here Comes the Judge!

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again Matthew 7:1-2

I knew this person once who was so judgmental. Everything that came out of her mouth was some form of judgment against another person. They didn’t talk right, they didn’t dress right, and they shouldn’t act that way, and so on and so on. This person often wondered why so many people were so judgmental of her actions, speech, and lifestyle. She was unaware that she was living under a spiritual law. She was reaping what she had been sowing. Spiritual laws are just as real and tangible as social laws and they will always come back to bite you. Judgment is coming, but it is not our place to be the judge. Christ is the judge and he is looking at the heart. I have noticed that many Christians take it upon themselves to become the Holy Spirit in another person’s life. How can this be? We are called to follow the scripture in 2Timothy 4:2 that says to preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, no where in the word do I find that we are to judge another. Yes, we are to reprove, rebuke, and exhort but the bible also warns us while doing this to Watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation: because but for the grace of God we could be the one that has fallen or will fall. Judgment is coming and it is coming upon each individual and upon the whole world. When people see you coming are they inwardly saying here comes the judge, here comes the judge? Be careful you do not fall into the habit of being the judge.

Judgment standing at the door
Mercy over peace no more.
Stand and cry the time has come
Judgment from the Holy One.
Despair and grief across the land
Pestilence on every hand
Famine and the threat of sword.
Have mercy on us Sovereign Lord.
We've bowed to idols every day
The sins we've done won't go away
A remnant save from scattered seed.
For our children's children Lord we plead.
Bring them back into your path
Save them from the final wrath.

Put on Your Spiritual Seat Belt

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. Proverbs 21:31

The other day my daughters’ friend was driving out to our house for a visit. She was minding her own business when someone plowed into her car at high speed from behind as she was turning. She had done everything correctly. She had turned on her blinker for the turn and when she had begun her trip, she had strapped into her seat belt. The jolt from the speeding car had sent her car spinning and rapped her head against the steering wheel. Her car was damaged as well as the other car. If this friend had not prepared properly when she got into the car by putting on her seat belt she would have been thrown through the windshield and probably sustained a lot of damage. However, she had prepared properly yet her safety was in the hands of the Lord. She came out with only a headache. God never guarantees us that at all times we will be unharmed but he does warn us to be prepared for any event.

The same applies spiritually we must be prepared for battle. How do we do this? Every day we are in a spiritual battle but are we prepared? Here is a prayer that a friend of mine wrote from scripture. This will help prepare you for the day. I think it’s like putting on your safety belt before you drive your car. Make a copy and read it out loud every morning. I have it on my refrigerator so it’s the first thing I see when putting the milk in my coffee. So put a little milk in your coffee today.

I choose to put on the whole amour of God. I put on the belt of truth so that I may be honest and truthful in all that I do and say. I put on the breastplate of righteousness and I know I can rest safely in you and you will protect my heart and my emotions from harm. I put on the shoes of peace today so that I will walk in the truth according to the word of God. I put on the shield of faith, which will protect me from the darts of wickedness that the devil may try to attack me with. I put on the helmet of salvation and ask you Lord to keep my mind and my thoughts on things that are true honest just lovely and pure of heart. I take the sword of the spirit, which is your word. I know your word will be my guide and will protect me from harm. I believe your word and thank you for it.
Remember when starting your day to put on your spiritual seat belt

Oh! THAT Explains it!

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal salvation Jude 1:21

When my middle daughter moved to a large city she managed to get stopped by an officer of the law for driving, should I say, rather crazy. She was on her way to a friend’s house and turned onto the off ramp to go onto the interstate. In the middle of this process she noticed that the traffic on the interstate was at a stand still and she was in a hurry as most young people are. So what did she do she simply did a u turn on the off ramp and turned back onto the road she just left. The officer saw this maneuver and of course stopped her and asked for her driver’s license and proof of insurance. She had neither of them with her. Oh she did have a drivers license and she did have insurance but she had lost the card showing proof and had left her drivers license at her apartment. While the officer proceeded to write her ticket she began to cry. The officer feeling pity explained to her that she could go to traffic court and plead her case. My daughter did go to traffic court and upon arriving the judge look over her ticket. He asked her if she had her drivers license to which she replied yes sir. He then asked her if she had her proof of insurance to which she replied yes sir. He then said, “I see her that you were going the wrong way on an off ramp” and she smiled and said yes sir. He then said, “I see here that the officer wrote on the ticket that you were from Mississippi…. Oh that explains everything”…. He laughed so did everyone in the courtroom and then he said “I’ll just dismiss the whole thing”

Isn’t that the way our father does when we come before him full of sin we look at Him and expect judgment then he looks at our sin and our sin nature and he says that explains everything and then he looks at Christ who paid the debt because we couldn’t and then he exclaims I’ll just dismiss the whole thing. Aren’t you glad you have looked to Jesus Christ for your redemption, without Him we would be held guilty and be judged? Thank goodness for the mercy of God in Christ.

Come into My Garden!

I was drowning in my darkness
Gloom obscured my sight
Holding on to just one thought
Can I make it through this night?

Circumstances overwhelming
Causing me to cry
Questions coming, ever coming
Please Lord tell me why

Thereupon I bowed my knee
And entered into prayer
The Father ardent with his love
Invited me to share

This sojourn wasn't at the throne
Customarily that’s the normal
Instead we walked into his garden
Where everything's informal

Wanting to talk, unload my cares
He beckoned me to hush
To sit in utter stillness
And arrest my needless rush

I can't describe the beauty
Around this undeserving mortal
Or why he chose to take my hand
And lead me through this portal

He talked about creation
While the splendor caught my sight
His peace, his joy, his love surrounding
Infused my soul with light

Questions quiet worries calmed
He lavished me with presence
Truth had answered all my questions
His spirit now my residence

What seemed like all eternity
Was just a moment of my day
Darkness ran it can't abide
With Truth to light the way

I think I Smell Fudge

How fair is thy love, ......And the smell of thine ointments than all spices! So 4:10

Did you ever think about smells? During the Holiday season you can walk into a house and be accosted with all sorts of different smells. Freshly baked pies, cakes cookies, Turkey, Ham, can’t you smell them. Have you ever noticed how a smell can bring back a memory or make you feel a certain way, or make you think of a certain person? The whiff of a certain perfume always reminds me of my mother. The smell of a skunk offends me. The smell of a roast makes me think about Sunday dinners. A hospital smell makes me want to run and reminds me of my sister’s death. The smell of watermelon makes me think of long lazy summer days at the creek when I was young. A smell can awaken a long lost desire.

One of my earliest memories of my papaw is when he would come to visit. When he would walk in the house he would say. “I think I smell fudge” and he would walk all over the house smelling as he went. Eventually he would lead us all back out to his car and open the trunk and inside. You guessed it! Fudge. Every time I smell fudge I think of him and how much he loved fudge and how much he loved me .

I named this blog Scent of the Spirit because every once in a while I get a scent a smell that reminds me of God and his love sometimes it’s the scent of rain or the scent of a rose or sometimes scent of a freshly bathed baby. There is just something about these smells that make me think of God. Have you ever heard the saying take time to stop and smell the roses? Well today take time to stop and catch a scent of the Spirit of His Spirit. Once you recognize this scent every time you smell it you will think of Him, the one who loves you more than my papaw loved fudge.

Do you need new glasses?

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face-to-face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1Corinthians 13:12

Have you ever had a time in your life when you could not see clearly, what you needed to see? At this time in my life, I am unable to read without my glasses. I look at the print on the page and it is nothing but a blur. I know that within reason, the words are there and they are trying to convey a message but I just can’t seem to make out what they are saying. I put on my glasses and the words become clear and understandable.

There are times like that in our walk with Christ that we can’t understand or see clearly, what he is trying to tell us. It seems our life and his directions are just a blur on a page. No matter what we try we cant seem to get a spiritual prescription that will make us understand. We ask others to explain it but it still doesn’t make any sense.
The above verse makes it clear that there are some things that we will not understand until we behold him face to face. We are looking through a glass, darkly. However, we could understand some things if we would but fine-tune our spiritual prescription. How do you do that? The word says in 1Corinthians 2:14 but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. I believe that our spiritual glasses are the word of God. We must strive to read, study, and meditate on his word to understand those spiritual things that God wants us to know, like his will for our lives. Just as we have to have our physical glasses prescription updated, we must continually update our spiritual prescription by remaining constant in his word. Our minds are renewed daily by the word Romans 12:2 says “and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Have you checked your spiritual prescription lately? It requires a daily update!

Internal War!

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 1Peter 2:11

Have you ever thought about your soul? The Greek meaning of this word is the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, and aversions. The soul is separate and apart from the spirit and flesh of man. 1Thessalonians 5:23 and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are made in the likeness of God. He is a One but also a triune being. We are one but have three parts body, soul, and spirit. When we are born again our spirit man is made new old things are passed away but we are still in the flesh and must renew our mind so that our souls, those feelings, desires, affections and aversions line up with the word. In Luke 21:19 it says “In your patience possess ye your souls.” Think of it this way if God, who is one, is three and in total agreement shouldn’t we look at ourselves as three who need to agree. For example if your flesh desires something and your soul agrees you have out voted the spirit man and the flesh wins, if the spirit man desires something and the soul agrees you have out voted your flesh man and the spirit wins. This tells me that I must possess my soul and train it to side with the spirit man to win over the flesh man. How can you walk in love when your emotions are screaming hate? How can you walk in forgiveness when your emotions are telling you to avenge yourself? How do we do this? By taking, the yoke of Christ and learning from him, by not letting our emotions control us in this way we will find rest for our soul. Matthew 11:29-Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

My spirit lives my soul is starved, my flesh is running wild
I long for days when my soul was fat and my flesh was just a child
There are changes that I now must make to daily feed my soul
For the flesh I’m in to surely die and not have all control
The word says God will restore my soul and make it fat again
Lord restore it now and everyday for the destiny you intend!

Make it Clear!

For if, the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 1Corinthians 14:8

There is a story about two people on an airplane flight who are given parachutes. The first person is given a parachute and told that if he will put on the parachute it will make his flight more comfortable and peaceful and that it will help him enjoy the flight. He gladly puts on the parachute expecting a wonderful flight, but because of the parachute, he has to sit hunched over and is very uncomfortable. He notices that all the other passengers are staring and making fun of him for wearing the parachute after much ridicule and discomfort he removes the parachute. The second person is given the parachute and is told to put on the parachute because in a little while he will have to jump form the plane at 25,000 feet. The second person puts on the parachute, has to hunch over in his seat, and is very uncomfortable he also has to suffer the ridicule of the fellow passengers. The second person does not mind the discomfort or the ridicule because he knows that in a short while he is going to have to jump from the plane.

What made the difference in the two passengers reactions? It was their motive for putting on the parachute. The first one put it on solely to have a better flight. The second one put on the parachute so that it might save his life when the jump came.

What are we as Christians today telling others? Put on Christ he will bring you peace, comfort, and joy, or are we telling them put on Christ he is your only hope of salvation. Is the sound of the gospel that you are presenting uncertain? Do those you witness to know that there is a hell to shun and that Christ is their only hope? Make the sound of your trumpet certain so that others may prepare for battle.

Who do you think He is?

And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. Mark 8:29

Today I simply must ask you a lot of questions. Who do you say that Christ is in your life? Is he your creator, do you believe He made you? Is he your father, do you know that he loves you? Is he your savior, have you allowed Him to save you? Is he your friend, have you realized that he accepts you? Is he your shepherd, did you recognize he protects you? Is he your Lord do you let Him to instruct you? Is he your master do you sanction His provision for you? Is he your King, will you tolerate him to lead you? He is asking you the same question he asked Peter. Whom say ye that I am? Do you recognize him as Peter did? Matthew 16:16-And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

When born into this world of sin
A veil we wear to enter in
This wrap of flesh provides a way
Allowing us on earth to stay
If born again by God above
Another veil born from his love
The cover Christ in him we stay
Awaiting for the glorious day
To be unveiled from flesh and bone
And stand before the Holy throne
To be unveiled from wrath and tears
Circumstances, earthly fears
First veil removed transports us there
Making us alert, aware
Awaits our home our Lord our peace
Heaven, where our troubles cease
When standing at the judgment throne
God will see us as we're known
He'll see the veil of Christ our King
Presenting us our wedding ring.
One veil we lose, one veil we keep
One veil will live one veil will sleep

Thy Shalt NOT!!

Thou shalt not make thee any graven image… Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: Thou shalt not…. Deuteronomy 5:8-

Did you ever notice in the Old Testament that there are a lot of thou shalt nots… I have, but in the new testament I noticed that when Jesus was asked by the religious leaders who are much like the religious leaders of today who harp on all the thou shalt nots, his reply was: Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. He gave us only one Thou shalt. If we will do this one “Thou shalt” we will never have to worry about all the other things that we shouldn’t do. Concentrate on what we should do and not what we shouldn’t do. Satan loves to get us caught up in the negative and remind us of all the things we shouldn’t do but let us instead think on the positive side and get caught up it what we should be doing. No matter how hard you try you can’t keep all the Thou shalt nots… it’s impossible that is why Christ had to come, and since he did we are certainly with his strength able to do the one “thou shalt” that he ask of us.

Ten commandments given us
To lead us unto Christ
Ten commandments given us
Yet still he paid the price
Try as we may to keep them all
And simply miss just one
To make it in the gates of heaven
It takes the blood of his son
Let's take a look at the famous ten
And see which you have broken
We will cover all of them
Each one that was spoken
No other gods before me
Not a graven image make
For I am a jealous God
And in vein my name don't take
Remember my Sabbath day
Honor thy Father and Mother
Do not commit adultery
And never kill another
You shall not covet you shall not steal
You must never tell a lie
I believe that covers all of them
One broken you must die
Though you may strive to keep them all
It's something you can't do
To be presented spotless
You must be born anew
When born again by spirit & blood
You are clothed with Gods own son
The law is not what matters now
It's been changed from ten to one.

Say What??

Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. Hebrews 5:11

Remember yesterday we talked about faith that comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God. Well hearing is important. Some people get the term listening and hearing confused and I believe that there is really a big difference.

My husband is a man of many talents. He is wonderful to me but has this one irritating habit that drives me crazy. We will be sitting in the living room watching a show on television and talking at the same time. Often and usually, I will notice that when I am talking he is listening but not hearing what I say. He is fine tuned into the show. I will say did you hear me and he will say yes but when I ask him to repeat to me what I said he couldn’t. He was listening to the noise that I was making but he was not hearing what I was saying. When you hear someone, you comprehend what he or she is saying.

We as Christians are that way with the word. We are listening, we can hear the noise, but we are not really hearing or understanding what is being said. When God ask us, to hear him he wants our full attention and He wants us to understand what he is saying. This can only be accomplished if we put away the distractions and intently pay attention to His word studying it, meditating it on it, questioning it, and seeking it.

The word says in James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. When we learn to hear the word of God, we must be careful not to be a forgetful hearer. When we hear, remember, and continue in his word we will be blessed in our deeds.

We must all ask some questions ourselves. Are we listening and not hearing? Are we hearing and being forgetful? Is it hard for the Lord to speak to us because we are dull of hearing? Let us endeavor to fine-tune ourselves into Gods word instead of anything else.

Anyone for Cake?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

One day I decided to bake a cake for my family and like the good dutiful cook, I laid out all the ingredients on the cupboard along with the cake mix. In the process of doing this, the above verse kept coming into my mind. Now I just had to ask Lord what are you trying to show me? He said what are you hoping for out of this pile of ingredients? I of course said, “The cake”. He was trying to show me what faith is.
You see I was hoping for the cake and I had all these ingredients or substances that I would combine to make what I was hoping for. Thinking about faith in that way we can presuppose that if we hope for things, we must have the substances that make them up. In the spiritual, the substance that makes up the thing or things we hope for is Faith. Now also the substance or the ingredients were the evidence of the cake that was not yet seen so if we have faith (the substance) it is the evidence that we have what we hope for. Your faith is the proof that you already have it. The Word says in Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I can hear you say, “I don’t have faith”. Yes you do the word says in Romans 12:3…but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. You have a measure of faith now the question is how do you grow that faith. Again, I must go back to the word. Romans 10:17 so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So to have faith you must hear. Hear what? You must hear by the word of God, but remember it’s not the faith itself that produces the thing you have hoped for but the God in whom you have placed your faith.

Granny Has a Precious Angel

May the Lord bless you from Zion. May you enjoy the good things that come to Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you live to see your grandchildren. May Israel enjoy peace? Psalms 129:5

Wow! I lived to see my grandchild and Today I became a grandparent. Did you know that every time a baby is born so is a grandparent? This got me to thinking, because of someone else’s choices, my daughter’s and her husband’s. I became something that I had no control over. Sometimes we are placed in situations and circumstances in life that we have no choice over. It’s just that way. How we react to those circumstances is our choice and under our control. Up until she was born I just felt old but now I choose to enjoy my granddaughter, she is my precious angel and I love her more than life. She makes me feel special and loved. It’s all in how you look at things. It’s like that prayer. We must learn in life to accept those things that we can’t control, change the things we can and have the wisdom to know the difference.

Happy Birthday

And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. Ge 40:20

Today is my mother’s birthday. She is 82 years old and just recently lost her husband of 62 years. She is having problems allowing us, her children, to help take care of her. She has always been very independent and now she has fallen and has to be dependent on others. She is a wonderful person and loves to give but she is horrible when it comes to receiving. She says she feels useless. I told her that she needs to learn to be a gracious receiver and I gave her the illustration of a satellite receiver. The Satellite in space would be of absolutely no use If there were no receivers. The receiver even though it just sits there on the roof and looks totally unless, it allows the message that is sent by the satellite to be sent out to others. If we gave and there was no one to receive there would be no joy in giving. Maybe you are one of those people who give generously and enjoy it but now you have moved into a season of your life where you have to be a receiver. Be a gracious one and the hardest part a willing one. It is a very humbling thing to be a receiver. Its job is just to sit there and receive. We satellites need you receivers to be there to receive our gifts and helps. We need you to allow us the joy of giving. That’s why people have a hard time with salvation because it is a gift and the key is to receive it. WOW have you learned to be a receiver?

Are you in a Time Out?

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. La 3:25

Today I watched as my daughter put her 2 year old in time out. If you don’t know what a time out is, it is when you make the child sit in a chair away from everyone else by themselves because they have misbehaved. As I listened to my daughter explain to her child why she had to sit in time out, this is what I heard as my granddaughter cried. No you have to sit there, mommy loves you but I told you not to do that and you did it anyway. When mommy tells you to do something you have to say yes mam and be obedient. If you don't then you have to go to time out. As I sat and listened to this the Holy Spirit began to whisper that sometimes God has to put us in a time out because we are choosing to be disobedient. We willfully sin and so he puts us in a time out. Basically our time out is that he separates us from his comfort and makes us sit there and want his comfort and his peace and no matter what we do we can’t get it and we cry and whine about how miserable we are, but just like my daughter who was watching her child the whole time. God is there still loving us, still watching us and waiting for us to stop crying and say ok I'm sorry I won't do that again. When my granddaughter did this her mom said ok you can get up now and she immediately ran and asked her mother to hold her. God is that way. When we stop our crying and feeling sorry for ourselves we and we say Lord you were right I was in sin please forgive me I won't do that again, he says ok you can get up now and he pick's us up and holds us and loves us and says ok now don't do that again. Our fellowship is restored, Oh the Love of God who can describe it? It's a million times greater than a mother or father's love, it's indescribable.

Are you experiencing a spiritual time out? Do you feel separated from the love and comfort of God? You’re not. He is right there watching and waiting for you to quit your crying and feeling sorry for yourself and acknowledge what you have done and then He will let you up and love on you.

It's just weeds!

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.1Corinthians 4:5

Our driveway coming into our house is ½ mile long and it is built so that it is very difficult to cut the grass on one side of it. So all year long, the grass grows taller and taller and fills with weeds of every sort. The other day as I was coming up the driveway I made the statement that I wish I could cut all that grass down because it looked like a bunch of weeds and it was ugly but the Holy Spirit whispered that I should take a closer look. So I slowed down and began to look at the seemingly ½ mile of weeds. In among the weeds were beautiful flowers, flowers of all colors and types so I decided to pick the flowers from among the weeds and tall grass. The bouquet was gorgeous out of this seemingly, large mess had come something very beautiful that was pleasing to the eye.

Our lives are like that patch of ground that can’t be mowed. If others or we are not looking close they look at our lives and see a patch of weeds and grass littered with all of our mistakes and nothing more, but the Father he looks closely at our lives. In it, he sees beautiful flowers of all colors and types, and when we are changed in death all that is left is the flowers because he will have mowed down the grass and weeds and we become a beautiful bouquet that is pleasing to the fathers’ eye. So be careful when judging the weed patches of other’s lives, for if you look closely, there may be a bouquet of beautiful flowers that lie hidden within the weeds and grass

Come Down Off your Cross...

Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Mark 15:30

When my girls were young and we were home schooling they became fascinated with television. They wanted to watch it constantly. Television consumed their lives and controlled them. While seeking the Lord on this matter, he told me that we should fast television for 1 year. What? Me live without television for a year. I would miss the news and the shows that I had become accustomed to watching every night, but the Lord persisted in this request that we fast television. After talking with my husband, I approached the girls with this matter, and they asked how we would be able to live without it. I had to tell them I did not know because in truth I did not know. At first, we tried just keeping it turned off but our flesh was weak and we would give in and watch it in the evenings. Then we tried unplugging it and putting it in the closet only to find ourselves, dragging it out of the closet, and plugging it back in to watch something that we just thought we had to see. After much prayer, I did something drastic. I had the girls help me load the television in the car and we drove to the dumpster. When we arrived at the trash dumpster and dumped it in we took a hammer and broke the television screen. They asked me why we had to go to such measures. I told them the word in Romans 13:14 says make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

During that year many of our friends told us that we were to extreme that we didn’t have to go to such measures they continually along with our flesh called for us to come down off our cross and save ourselves the pain. The girls were very upset with me and I must admit it was a very difficult thing to do but one year later, the freedom we had gained was well worth the disciplines we had to learn. Jesus placed himself on the cross willingly just as we must choose the cross of death to self in our own lives. The pain is experienced because we know we can choose to come down but then when we choose to save our life we lose it.

Maybe God is calling you to fast something in your life that has become a controlling factor. Remember 1Corinthians 10:23 says all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Why not get up on that cross willingly. Rest assured there will be mockers who will call for you to come down off your cross.

Bath Time

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1Peter 4:7

One morning I asked the Lord why I must pray for others. This was his answer to me. We are all one body and as you take care of your physical body, you must attend and take care of my spiritual body. You can do this through intercessory prayer. So, as I meditated on that very thing, here is what I came up with.

I bathe my physical body so how do I bathe my spiritual body (the church)? The word cleanses. In prayer I call out names of those I know within the body that God has brought into my life and mind and I begin t speak the word of God to them and I begin to pray the word of God over them. This is the way I cleanse the body praying to God that he would reveal his truths to my brothers and sisters in Christ. After I have bathed my body, I then clothe my physical body. I can clothe my spiritual body by covering the believers in prayer. There are parts in our body that are uncomely or need to be covered. Some for sake of protection like the heart and the liver etc or some parts that just don’t need to be seen. The word says that love covers a multitude of sins. We can cover our brothers and sisters in prayer. Cover them with the blood cover them with the word. Pray that the parts of the body that are not functioning properly or are broken and bruised or in sin, that God would not allow these parts to hinder the gospel and that he would allow them to be hidden to the world. Pray a covering of mercy over them pray a covering of grace over them, humility, etc. When I have bathed and dressed, I then groom my body. When we groom in essence we perfect what we already have for example, we brush our hair, and our teeth maybe add makeup. We enhance the things we have to make them better. Prayer does this for the body of Christ. It sharpens us it enhances us it perfects us. Once I have bathed, dressed, and groomed then I eat. When we are in prayer and in the presence of the father, we are feeding our Spirit. (I have meat to eat that you know not of). We live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Sometimes I must protect my physical body from harm and the same is true in the spiritual for the body of Christ. We must pray for protection. Plead the blood of Jesus. We battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places therefore we must watch and pray with all diligence. Your body needs you.

But God YOU SAID....

For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Mark 13:34

While thinking on the authority of the believer, this scenario comes to mind. My children will be outside fighting and one of them will come and tell on the other one saying that she has taken something that belonged to her. I will tell her to go and tell the other child that “I SAID” to give it back to you. So my child goes and tells her sister that mommy said you have to give it back. Usually this is the end of the problem the other child knows that I have spoken and gives the thing that was taken back to her sister but sometimes the first child comes back to me and says mommy she won’t do it she is just ignoring me. So, she goes outside and tries to enforce it herself but ends up getting whipped so back she comes to me. If I do not I get up and go outside and enforce my word to the other sister my child keeps telling me over and over until I go and enforce the word and make her return the object. If we were like children and the word admonishes us to be as children in our faith we would do the same. God says go tell sickness to leave. By my stripes, you are healed. Go tell despair to leave in my name and we do, but sometimes it does not leave but when it doesn’t leave do we have the faith of the child to go and say Lord I told it to leave but it didn’t could you please go and enforce your word. Usually we assume that it must be his will that it stay. We must return to the Lord and say Lord I did as you said and let him enforce it. Sometimes we think that we can enforce it and we try and end up getting whipped by the devil. Only God can enforce his word we simply must have the faith to let him. Our faith has been placed in our ability to enforce God’s word and only God himself can do that. We must trust that he will do it.

Does Evil Exist?

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1Peter 3:15

Did God create Evil? This will make you think for a while. I received it in an email. At a certain college, there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade them and to mock their statement of faith. One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand when asked if anyone was a Christian. The professor asked, "Did God make everything, young man?" He replied, "Yes sir He did!" The professor responded, "If God made everything, then He made evil”. The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have once again
Proved the Christian faith to be a myth. Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something, sir?" "Yes, you may," responded the professor.
The young man stood up and said "Sir, is there such thing as cold?" "Of course there is, what kind of question is that? Haven't you ever been cold?" The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. What we consider cold is really an absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there." The young man continued, "Sir, is there such a thing as dark?" Once again, the professor responded, "Of course there is." And once again, the student replied, "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light. Darkness is only a term man developed to describe what happens when there is no light present." Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such thing as evil?"
The professor responded, "Of course. We have rapes, and murders and violence everywhere in the world, those things are evil." The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist. Evil is simply the absence of God. Evil is a term man developed to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. It isn't like truth, or love,
Which exist as virtues like heat or light. Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat or darkness without light." The professor had nothing to say............are you ready to answer the worlds questions with God’s wisdom.
James 1:5 says that If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Happy Valentines Day

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

It’s Valentines Day! Who is your lover? Who does your world revolve around? Good questions for today. If you think you have no one I want you to know that God loves you. If you do have someone I want you to know that you must love God more than you love him or her. Remember he is a jealous God. While thinking about those two things, I sat down to write my husband a valentine and instead I wrote one for my savior.

I could offer you some flowers
Or some other earthly thing
But you my heavenly father
Created everything.
I could express in words my love for you
To somehow show I care
But that can only be accomplished
After much time spent in prayer
I could offer you my life
But it wasn't mine until
You bought it back from Satan
On the cross upon that hill
I could offer you my love
But that was placed within my heart
Because you my heavenly father
Chose to love me from the start
I could offer everything I am
And what I am to be
But it seems that everything I offer
Is what you've given me

Are you Spiritually Obese?

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

If the word is, spirit and we are spirit and it is life to our spirit then don’t we need to feed our spirit? God's word always produces life. The word speaks to our spirit and builds us up. It also produces life in us by giving us a refreshing and renewed strength. The word of God is as vital to sustaining your spirit man, as blood or food is to sustaining your physical man. You can't neglect it; you can't go without it; you do you will become a spiritual anorexic. If you neglect to eat or refuse to eat you, starve yourself and die. However, we need to find a balance in our spirit life as well as our physical life. So if you die and starve without the word could not the same principle apply spiritually if you eat the word and meditate on it and don’t give it out to others you will then become spiritually obese. You have to have the word and ingest it into your spirit just like your physical body needs food and if you overeat you become overweight. Neither obesity nor starvation is healthy. The word says in 2Corinthians 4:13 we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak. What we learn from the word we have a responsibility to speak it out to others least we become obese in our knowledge, puffed up and prideful, and yet according to John 6:63 we can’t live without it.

What shape is your spirit body in? Are you thin and wasted away? Are you obese? Do you have balance? Many hours are spent in gyms across the world and millions of dollars each year are spent on the latest diets. We are so concerned with the physical but are rarely concerned with our spiritual diets and spiritual man. 1Timothy 4:8 says “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”

Take time today to sit down at the Lords table have a healthy meal on his word and then in turn share it with others!

I Love you JUST LIKE YOU ARE

And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 2John 1:5

My dad once told me a story about a nephew of his. He was a sot as my dad called him. The story goes like this. His nephew who was in is 30’s came into the house that was full of relatives he was of course very drunk and the family was so ashamed of him and ignored him and even made fun of him. The nephew walked outside and Daddy followed him out to the porch. My dad said that he could see he was very hurt by the way his family had treated him and prompted by the Holy Spirit my dad went up to him and put his arms around and told him “Son you know I love you, we all do, just like you are we accept you and love you.” He said that his nephew just stood there and cried in his arms. Since that day, this man has been a different man. He stopped drinking, gave his life to Christ, and now has a ministry of ministering to the elderly in 2 counties. He has made a difference in a lot of people’s lives. He now shows that love that he received to all that come across his path.

Why the change? Maybe because people just basically need to be loved and accepted for whom they are not how they act. Only God can change a heart but only we can show that love in the physical here on earth. You have heard the saying that you might be the only Jesus some people ever see. Jesus never condemned people in their sin he simply chose to love them in spite of their sin even to the length of dieing for them while they were still in their sin. Romans 5:8 God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is the love that God expects and even commands us to show toward the sinner. Hate the sin Love the sinner. Are you looking past the actions and sins of others and loving them?

I wish there were words I could use to explain
The way that I feel about God's holy name
No words will come that man can say
Only the spirit can express it that way
That marvelous love you cannot describe
No words do it justice in that love I abide.
What manner of man could deny you exist?
I wish I had words my spirit insists.
It longs for our union I must be complete
Your love makes it easy till Jesus I meet

It's the process...

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Corinthians 3:18

Did you ever think about that word changed? The dictionary says that the word change denotes a making or becoming distinctly different and implies either a radical transmutation of character or replacement with something else. Stop for a minute and think about things that change. Some things can be changed into something else and return to the former thing that it was. For example: water can be changed into ice but when the ice melts it returns to water, but most things cannot return to their former state, for example: coal can be changed into a diamond; a seed can be changed into a tree; a child changes into an adult; burnt wood changes into ashes; sand can be changed into glass. When we are born, again we are one of the unchangeable things. We can’t go back to what we were before. If you will notice, most of the examples of unchangeable things go through a process to be changed. We as Christians are going through that process from glory to glory. The coal must be put under extreme pressures for many years to become a diamond. The seed must germinate and grow to become the tree. Children take years to grow into adults some longer than others. Burning wood into ashes takes a while and heating sand to a high temperature to be turned into glass is a tedious process. So why do we as Christians expect those who accept Christ to immediately be as so called spiritual as we are. God is not finished with me and certainly not with you either. We have a lot of processes to go through a lot of learning. Shouldn’t we as brothers and sisters in Christ cut each other a little slack in the growth process and not be so judgmental of where the other person is and worry about where we are? It’s the process!

When I think of God in heaven
And how awesome He appears
I fall in apprehensionOvercome with fear
When I think of Him as Father
Loving me as his own
I'm overcome with joy
The fear has suddenly flown
When I think of him as closest friend
Nearer than a brother
I'm overcome with static love
Never given to another
When thinking on his attributes
Diverse but yet distinct
It gives me cause to contemplate
To meditate to think
He's Big enough to make the world
In all its glorious splendor
Small enough to inhabit my heart
And move me to surrender
No place or need he cannot fill
He's God He's Father, friend

It's All Uphill from Here

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father, which is in heaven, forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26

I once kept having a reoccurring dream. In the dream, I would be driving up a steep hill and then the car would strain like the Little Engine that could and it was hard on the car but then the car would quit and then finally start going backwards. I would be terrified, the brakes would not work, and I could do nothing but hold on. You know what this dream taught me. It’s a lot easier and quicker going downhill than it is up. Forgiveness is like that. It’s like going up hill because it is going against everything in your flesh nature. It is fighting against the spirit, which says, “don’t forgive get even”. I once heard a minister say that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and then hoping your enemy will die. Why do we fight so in ourselves to forgive? God in his mercy has forgiven me should I deny this same forgiveness to another? Romans 12:19-20says “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” I’ve thought about this verse where it says but rather give place unto wrath. Could the Lord be telling us that unless we forgive he is unable to take vengeance for us? This is definitely something to think about. If we do what he says he will be faithful to do as he says. But I need his strength to choose forgiveness.

You are my strength
Through every day
Through every hour

Never changing
Always there
Bringing joy
Showing care

Every morning
I awake
Receiving mercy
Not left to fate

This work in me
You will complete
Promised, faithful
Until we meet

When I Was a Child

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1Corinthians 13:11

You know children do some strange things. I can remember one time when my oldest child was about 4 we were in the process of building a church. Everyone was attending in a half finished building. One night service and we had the chairs gathered around and the bathroom was at the back of the room that was to become the sanctuary. When she asked to go to the bathroom I said sure just be really quiet, and off she went. As the preacher was preaching, he began to laugh and look at me. When he could contain himself any longer, he simply said Becky look at your child. The whole congregation turned around to see my 4-year-old daughter sitting on the toilet in the bathroom with the door wide open. When we looked at her, she simply smiled continued to use the toilet and wave. Of course, the whole church just fell out laughing. As a child she had not wanted to be alone and close the door fearing she would not be able to see me or hear what was going on. She was simply acting like the child she was.

How many people in the Christian church today do you know that still act like children? We have not put away the childish things or behaviors. Paul said in
1Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. And he goes on to say in the 3rd verse for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? He was referring to carnality and comparing it to being childish. He admonishes us to put away the childish things the petty things that don’t matter and to walk in love. No, he did not say it would be easy. I still don’t want to grow up but I must choose to crucify my carnal nature and we all have to if the world today is going to see Christ in us. When God looks at you, does he see a child waving from a toilet or someone who has grown up and acts like a proper adult in the word?

The order of things.

For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Colossians 2:5

The children were home waiting for the afternoon snack. I had decided to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I carefully laid out all the ingredients in the correct measurements. The dough looked right so I rolled them into balls and placed them on the cookie sheet to bake. When the timer rang and I went to retrieve the cookies they were bubbly and messy looking and had no resemblance to chocolate chip cookies. Upon tasting them, they did not taste like chocolate cookies either. What was wrong I wondered? Again I went and checked to maker sure that I had all the ingredients and the correct measurements. Yes no mistakes I did. I read the directions over again, noticed that because I was in a hurry I had failed to combine the ingredients in the correct order, and because I didn’t the cookies had no resemblance to what I was expecting. I had no idea that the order in which I combined the ingredients mattered.

Order is it that important? In our lives we can do the right thing but at the wrong time. We can say the right thing but in the wrong tone. We can do the right thing and at the right time but with the wrong motive. We can be at the right place but at the wrong time. We can be at the wrong place but at the right time. Yes order is important so remember when making sure you have the right ingredients also take time to make sure you have the correct order because it really does matter in recipes and in life. God is a God of order 1Corinthians 14:40 says let all things be done decently and in order.

Are you going to bother God with that?

Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. Song of Solomon 2:15

Did you ever wish there was a large bell to warn you to stop and pray when the small things of everyday life come in to wreck your peace. It’s so easy when the big tests and trials come to stop and pray but I forget to do that when small things come my way. It’s the little things that eat away at our peace. The Grand Canyon wasn’t formed from one flood but from the continual flow of one small river and it’s amazing that one small bacterium can rot a tooth. The continual small trials come into our lives and rob us of our peace because we won’t take time to stop and pray for guidance, strength, and wisdom. Maybe the reason we don’t is because deep down inside our hearts we think we can handle the little things ourselves. The devil has deceived us into thinking and believing that we don’t need God when those small things wreck havoc on our day but in reality that’s when we need God the most.

Wanting, needing, begging, pleading
our souls cry out for rest
never time for interceding
Our lives are such a mess
Fixing, knowing always-going
Mute no time to pray
Grievances, stowing, growing, growing
Wearied from our day
Trusting, waiting, contemplating
Confident in God's tiding
Meditating, ceaselessly praying
Promptly we're abiding
Trouble bearing, loving, caring
Jesus takes our load
Devoted, daring, constantly sharing
Our walk along this road

I can do That...

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:3

Have you ever been confident in your flesh? I have, in many areas of my life I must ashamedly say that I rely totally in the confidence of my flesh. Like Paul, I can list my accomplishments and say I did this. As I read and meditate on the above scripture I see an admonishment from the Lord that I am to have no confidence in my flesh how do I come to that point in my life? How do you come to that point in your life? If you remember a previous devotional, you will recall that our strengths are usually what trip us up. We have to realize that when we are weak then we are strong (2Corinthians 12:10). I believe that what God is looking for in you and me is that total dependence on Him, realizing that our strengths are really His strengths that he has built into us but in those strengths we are not to become puffed up and that in our weakness to know that His grace is sufficient. So you ask how do we get there? We pray, we live, we learn and we pray some more knowing that our confidence is in Him and Him alone. Philippians 1:6 says being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: That’s his promise to us and we must believe that he will continue that good work in us until we see Jesus.

Father I rejoice in you and ask that you keep me alert and aware of evil workers and things done for ceremony without regard to their spiritual significance. Lord give me no confidence in my flesh but only in you. Don’t let me count those things in me, (my strengths or my weaknesses) as important but to count you as most important. Jesus let me know the power of your resurrection and the fellowship of your sufferings and conform me to your death. Help me to forget the past, to hope for the future, and to press toward your mark and your will in my life.

You've Got Mail

And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Hebrews 13:22

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to your mailbox and get a letter from Jesus? Here is one for you today:

Dear (Say your name here), I’ve been trying to talk to you but you haven’t taken the time to notice so I decided to write you this letter. As you got up this morning, I watched you, and hoped you would talk to me, even if it were just a few words, ask my opinion or thank me for something good that happened in your life yesterday. But I noticed you were too busy, trying to find the right outfit to wear. When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were to busy. At one point, you had to wait fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip instead. I watched patiently all day long. With all our activities, I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you were embarrassed to talk to me that is why you didn't bow your head. You glanced three or four tables over and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That’s okay. There is still more time left, and I hope that you will talk to me. You went home and there were lots of things you had to do. After a few of them were done, you turned on the TV. I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it not thinking about anything, just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched the TV and ate your meal, but again you didn't talk to me. Bedtime, well I guess you felt too tired. After you said goodnight to your family you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience, more than you will ever know.... I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought, or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation. Well, you are getting up once again. Once again, I will wait, with nothing but love for you. I’m hoping that today you will give me some time. Hey maybe you could even sit down and write me a letter that would be ok with me if you weren’t comfortable talking with me yet. Have a nice day! With Love, Jesus

It Wasn't Me....It was him...

Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. Luke 6:42

The Other Guy

I'm mad at you you're mad at me why is it we can't agree?
Is it because you think I'm wrong? I'll prove I'm right it won't take long
Back and forth, we fight and bicker while those on every side get sicker

Ceaselessly trying to prove our point constantly staying out of joint
Agonizing to dislodge the splinter bringing about a spiritual winter
Never observing the log in our eye we invariably insist it's the other guy
Forgetting the lesson of reaping & sowing Confident that we're in the knowing

Amnesic that a soft reply softens the wrath and anger defies
Neglectful to teach others with meekness
Failing to realize we have the same weakness
Depending on our words to win the debate
Unmindful to stand on Gods word and wait

The battles not won with the war of our words
It's won when in prayer the spirit is stirred
Our weapons are mighty our warfare is strong
Prayer changes hearts giving lost man song

So in choosing your words to do battle today
Tell them to Jesus when you pray
Your view will change while looking at others
No longer your enemy maybe your brother

Frontier of Silence

But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. Matthew 12:36

During the time of my unexplored frontier of silence, the Lord taught me quite a bit. I am a teacher and I so enjoy teaching someone who has a desire to learn. When you have students who don’t want to learn you want to ignore them and not waste your time because you know their heart is not in the lesson. I have found that I don’t even teach them the same things or the same way that I teach someone who is eager to learn. I believe the Lord is the same way. He gives to those who are seeking and asking not to those who really don’t want to know. Below is a list of things that I noticed during my time of silence on how people react to silence:

When I wrote to ask them something they immediately assumed that I couldn’t hear.
They would talk loud because of thinking that I couldn’t hear
They would want to write back the answer thinking that because I couldn’t talk, neither could they.
They would whisper thinking that maybe I would whisper back.
They would tell me it was ok to talk to them

What did these things teach me?

People assume a lot by your actions
When they assume something their actions reflect what they have assumed
People will begin to act like you even though they don’t have to.
People will try to get you to compromise just a little even if it’s just a whisper
People thought that because of who they were I should talk to them even though I wasn’t supposed to (pride)


I realized that 90% of most conversation is unnecessary. We should take heed to the scripture Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. Make sure your words are not idle; speak life to those around you.

Your Unspoken Life

Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. Zechariah 2:13

At one point in my life I was unable to talk. During this time I was the youth leader at my church. I wanted to call someone and let him or her take my place but the Lord told me to trust him and to teach the class in silence. What? How could I teach 14 children from 7th-12th grade without speaking and how would I maintain order? The Lord told me to dress up like a mime and to mime my lesson so that is what I did.

In the first lesson, I would walk into an invisible wall. That quieted them down and they began to pay attention. I kept trying to get around the wall but there was no way around it. I couldn’t climb over it, I couldn’t get under it, and I couldn’t get around it no matter what I tried. I tried to break it with a sledgehammer. I tried to blow it up with dynamite but nothing worked. I looked at the students with a big question and then I had an idea! I knelt and prayed and like magic, the wall was gone. The lesson was that we all have walls in our lives. They could represent alcohol, drugs, sex, ungodly relationships, laziness, bad language, and any number of other things. The only way to get rid of those walls is to communicate with Almighty God. Nothing we do in the flesh will work. Only God is mighty to deliver us from the walls within us.

I was amazed that you could hear a pin drop they were so into this lesson and I hadn’t even spoken a word. It was the Holy Spirit speaking to them. They begged for more.

In the next lesson, I began to wash a window and there was this one spot on it that would not come off. I washed harder, scrubbed and scraped but the spot would not come off. Then with the idea stance from the mime! I walked into a door, went into the inside of the invisible room, and began to clean the spot from the inside. Then it could be cleaned. Lesson was we can clean up on the outside all we want but God is looking at the inside (the heart) and that is where he does the cleaning.

I believe that those students learned more that night than a thousand lessons spoken and preached to them. We must learn to depend on the spirit of God to lead us. Maybe someone is watching your unspoken life. Are you teaching the right lessons? They can’t hear what you’re saying for what you’re doing!

Come On In The Door Is Open

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus Hebrews 10:19

When you go home to see your folks, do you enter into your home with fear and trepidation? I don’t. I walk right in and don’t even knock. Actually if they aren’t at home I have a key. That is my home and I know that I am welcome. I have boldness because I am their child. But when it comes to entering my heavenly fathers’ presence there were times in my life when I would have a hard time entering into prayer. I would wonder why God would want to talk to me or to let me talk to him. I based my privilege and ability to pray on how I had acted that day. I believe that Satan uses this tactic on many in the body of Christ. If he can get us to quit praying, he has in essence taken us out of the battle. One day when I was kneeling down to pray the Spirit of God brought the above scripture to mind. That day I had been particularly horrible and I thought to myself, how can I boldly come to God? but there it was I was to come boldly not because I had been the perfect Christian but because of the blood of Christ. It covers me it gives me a way into the throne room. He has given me a key. When I’m there, talking with the Lord, he is seeing the blood covering me, and it makes me acceptable to him. Wow! Knowing this and applying this in my life has made a tremendous difference in how I approach God. I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter his courts with praise. I will say this is the day that the Lord hath made. I will rejoice for he has made me glad.


I walk into the throne room and I look around in fear
Then I am reminded that Christ's blood has brought me here
It's not what I've accomplished or whom I think I am
It's because of my sweet Jesus the sacrificial lamb
He bought for me this privilege to enter with no fear
I'm covered in his precious blood and my father pulls me near
He draws me to his bosom embraces me in his arms
Loving me protecting me from all imagined harms
He whispers to my spirit instilling faith and hope
Allows me to relax in him and gives me strength to cope
Rising from my knees to face another day
I comprehend his saying I'm the truth, the life, the way

What Was I Thinking?

And he said unto them, why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Luke 24:38

Did you ever find yourself thinking too much? Have you ever heard the saying an idle mind is the devil’s workshop? The word thought can mean reasoning, imagination, doubtful, or disputing. The word says in Matthew 15:19 for out of the heart precede evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. I have found that when I have too much time on my hands I think too much. I not talking about thinking on the word or meditating on it, but I’m talking about just random thinking, imagining, or reasoning. I have found that this tends to get me in trouble. The word says that these thoughts come from my heart. Some are good but I’ve noticed that some are not. Now I know that according to 2Corinthians 10:5 I am to be casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. You know what if you don’t practice this you end up dwelling on things that you should not be thinking about. Then when you dwell on that thing long enough you begin to lust after it. And according to James 1:15 then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. So, I believe that the true battleground is your mind. What you think about long enough you act upon. So guard your thoughts with all diligence, take up the shield of faith and quench every fiery dart that the wicked one sends against you.

So, what are you supposed to think about? Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Silent Thoughts, words unspoken
Mental torment, heart broken
Thoughts repeated, spoken loud
Mind content, peace plowed
Silence broken, decision made
Continued trouble, can't evade
Outcome questioned, God controlled
Prayer bathed heart consoled

The Green Eyed Monster

The Green Eyed Monster
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Song of Solomon 8:6

Have you ever known a jealous person? I have and I think anyone who ever went to high school has. Did you ever notice how miserable these people are? They are envious, resentful, mistrusting, and suspicious and a whole lot of other things that aren’t good. Did you ever stop and wonder why they are jealous? I believe it is because they do not like themselves. The scripture says that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. (Le 19:18) They are incapable of loving others because they don’t love themselves. Have you ever been jealous? I have and immediately the Spirit rebuked me. As a believer when I become jealous I must ask myself, what I’m really saying to God in that moment. I am saying Lord you are not fair you are not just, you are not enough. How that must grieve him.

They say it has green eyes
Is dressed in covert lies
It pouts life isn’t fair
It drives its owner to despair

If confronted when it’s seen
It can become quite mean
It has been known to steal
And if provoked will kill

It shouts hey look at me
I’m the one you ought to see
J E A L O U S Y

Good Ole Boy!

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things, which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal. 2Corinthians 4:18

Recently a man that I had known most of my life suddenly died. Everyone in town was affected. When I myself heard the news, I became physically sick. I was not a close friend with this man but everyone knew him and liked him. Around here, we call them good old boy’s. The turnout at the visitation was so tremendous that you had to wait in line. The funeral turnout was just as large. As I pondered on this, I ask myself why had this man’s death so affected people, including me? I believe it was because he was a good ole boy but at the same time, he was not a practicing Christian and as far as I know he had never made a profession that he was. Some of the preachers here have a saying you may be a good ole boy but if you don’t know Jesus you will still split hell wide open. Maybe it affected so many including me because they knew this and it disturbed them. It disturbed me because even though I knew him I had never attempted to approach him about salvation, and maybe that’s why the other’s who knew Christ were so affected. The unsaved, maybe they were so affected because they knew that he didn’t have another chance to accept Christ and maybe they were scared because they see themselves as good old boy’s. It’s too late for him but what about your neighbor, your friend, and your family member? Will you take a step of faith and speak to them about their need for Jesus Christ in their life. I sure wish I had made the time to speak to this man. I’ll never have another chance with him. Don’t waste your time on things that really don’t matter.

What's up? What's down?
Who's your God? Who wears the crown?
Is heaven real? Is Hell a lie?
What will happen? When you die?
What's the choice you will make?
Are you real or are you fake?

There's Not Enough Oxygen

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19

In the word, the Body of Christ is compared to a physical body. I began to meditate on this and realized that even though the body has many organs like the heart, lung, and liver that these organs would not be able to operate without blood. Blood supplies the necessary oxygen for theses organs to operate. In the body of Christ, maybe some of us are called to be red blood cells carrying this supply of oxygen to the body parts. What is the oxygen? I believe it is the presence of the Father in our lives. Or maybe the entire body of Christ is called to be red blood cells to the world to bring necessary oxygen (life) (Christ) into the world so that they may experience life. The Christians in the early church according to the book of Acts carried with them the presence of the Lord. When Peter walked by and his shadow fell on those around him, they were healed (the presence of the Lord). When Ananias and Sapphire lied to the apostles, they fell down dead (the presence of the Lord). When Ananias laid his hands on Saul of Tarsus and he received his sight (the presence of the Lord). Isn’t this all what we need, times of refreshing from the presence of the father? Yes, but for that to come we must repent and be converted. When we do this then we are able to carry that oxygen, the presence of the father with us into the world and believe me it will be noticed.

Why can't I see Jesus? In those who claim your name
It seems that they are playing some twisted sordid game
They come to church so faithfully and perfectly play the part
The dress, the look, the way they speak it's become and accepted art
But when I'm hurting deep inside and being tempted sore
Are they interceding? Do they realize this is war?
Where's the word I seriously need to encourage and renew
Are they standing in the gap? Is that something that they do?
So father let it not be said that I am like the they
Cover me with your presence and touch someone today
Remind me that this is a war one with casualties
Strengthen me to intercede for all fatalities
And when you come to judge us Lord. Be merciful I pray
For it hasn't been so long ago that I was like the they

Be Patient Don’t be in such a hurry.

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. James 5:11

Have you ever seen someone who just looks sad? I met a woman one day and the Lord spoke to me in my spirit about this woman. She was the saddest woman I believe I had ever seen. Oh, on the outside she covered it well but the Lord let me see the inside. The Lord brought me into this woman’s life through a job and I befriended her. She told me about her life and then I understood how she could be so sad on the inside. She had been through several men in her life and she had suffered the tragedy of losing her daughter in an accident. This was an educated woman but she had no peace and no joy. The Lord began to minister to her and I began to love this woman. We began to pray together and God did abundantly above what we could ask or think. She is now one of my most treasured friends. God had developed in her joy, peace, and compassion that only He could produce. I believe this was produced in her because she was patient, she endured, and the Lord was full of mercy.

Isolated I pass the houses
Occupied with light and spouses
Questioning will my time arrive
Doubting if I can survive
I enter my house it's dark and shaded
Where's my light so long I've waited
Love's sweet echo beckons me
I ponder will it ever be
Then unplanned the encounter arises
This life is filled with delightful surprises
He enters my life he enters my heart
Changing my life erasing the dark
How thankful I am while in running this race,
God lifted me up, and he gave me his grace
Love has shined where darkness fell
Love lights the house where now I dwell

Hope

And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: Hebrews 6:11

Lately I have been dealing with my daughter about her role as a wife. She has only been married a short time and is having a hard time adjusting to her role. The first year really is hard when you are meshing two people’s lives but God’s grace truly is sufficient. My husband and I have been married 26 years and for the first 8 years of our marriage he was unsaved and an alcoholic. My life during that time was very difficult. My hope and my focus during that time had to be only on Christ or we would not be a family today. I am trying to teach my daughter to rely on His word, His promises that he has given and even though the days may seem long and the journey wearisome, the rewards far surpass the pain and suffering that obedience sometimes requires of us. My reward has been a husband who is Godly, a father who is Godly, and a man who loves and cherishes me. I never thought I would be able to say that but here I am living proof and maybe hope for someone else who has a long journey ahead of them.

Does this pain ever flee?
From the deafening grieving sea
Will there be a day go by
When happiness comes and I don’t cry
Life moves forward through the pain
Some days crazy some days sane
Healing comes slow with time
Leaving scars without a rhyme
God takes the scars from all the pain
He brings fresh flowers from the rain
The pain has taught me how to cope
It wove a tapestry of hope

Going in Circles

But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. 2Thessalonians 3:13

One morning I was sitting on my porch reading the bible, praying, and happen to look up at the trees in front of my house. I noticed a leaf floating in the air but suddenly a single strand of spider web caught it. As it hung there suspended in midair, I heard the Lord tell me to watch this leaf. Therefore, I began to watch the leaf trying to proceed to its destination, the ground. It began to spin in circles. There really wasn’t any wind so I watched in amazement as this leaf continued to spin in circles. I told the lord well its not going anywhere. He simply said to keep watching so I did. After what seemed like forever, the leaf suddenly broke free and floated to the ground. The lesson?

We as Christian’s will be on our way to our destination of being conformed to the image of Christ and all of a sudden we are trapped like that leaf by something almost invisible to the human eye. Perhaps by a besetting sin or a circumstance and it seems that we will never escape the situation or overcome the sin that has us trapped. Nevertheless, we can learn a lesson from the leaf. If we keep trying, even if it means we feel like we are just going in circles. If we continue trying and persevering on the road to our destination we will eventually be set free. God has promised us that the work that he started he will complete. What a peace and comfort to know that God is faithful to get us to our destination. Our job is to continue even if it means going in circles. We are to never stop going, continuing, persevering. Have you given up today? I want to challenge you to take another step and then another step and then another. Trust that God will do his part and deliver you to your destination, conformity to His own image. This he has promised.

ID Required?

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7

Working as a 911 dispatcher gave me many, opportunities to run an ID check on many different people. The first thing the officer does is read me a number and I have to check and see if this is a valid ID. Have you ever been through a roadblock? Most of us have. What’s the first thing they ask you for, your ID. How about when you go to open up a checking account? They want your ID. What if you want to get a post office box? You need two forms of ID. I have worked as a part time 911 dispatcher and this has caused me to think about the identification thing. We have been duped by the devil and the world to believe that everyone must prove them selves true, and there is very little trust left in the world. Yet, don’t we as Christians do the same thing to God? When everything is going just great we trust him, but when circumstances come into our life that we can’t seem to handle. We cry out to God and shy where are you? In essence we are saying to God “Hey God show me your ID”. Then we say prove that its valid by asking him for some further proof that he is who he says he is. Do you ask your friends to show you their ID card so that you can know that they are who they say they are? I think not. When we come to know Christ in a close and personal relationship, I believe that we won’t ask him for his ID. I know there have been times in my life when I have asked God to prove himself or show is ID. I wonder how that made him feel?

Do we really trust that he is who he says he is? Do we really know him as a close personal friend, or are we constantly asking him to show us proof of who he is. I would like you to examine yourself today and ask yourself the question “Have you ever ask God to show you his ID”. If you have, repent and get into his word and spend much time in his presence in prayer getting to know him in an intimate way. I guarantee you that you will begin to trust God and know that his word is true and that he keeps his promises. You won’t need proof anymore for you will know. There will be no ID required.

A Car Bomb Went Off

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 2Co 10:

You know most people don't know we’re in a war zone, but we are. Things can be just wonderful and boom, a car bomb hits. We don't see it coming everything is normal traffic is flowing like it does everyday. But then the car blows up our ears are ringing there is blood everywhere and our world has just changed for the worse.

It sounds like I’m talking about Iraq but I’m talking about your life. Satan is the car bomb and you are the target. But like all car bombs they just kind of hit everyone around us. Right now you feel like a car bomb went off, you don't know why and you’re not sure if you’re hurt or not. The truth is God put a flack jacket on you right before the explosion. You felt the shock wave you heard the noise and you think your hurt. But the truth is your ok you just have to get through the attack. War is a funny thing you never know when the next attack will come so we have to be ready. You are a soldier in a holy war you are made to do battle. But like all soldiers you have to be ready at all times and that means training. Your t