Caught Unaware; Where Is God?

 Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

We are four full months into the New Year and already we have mounted up disaster after disaster. Just this week a swath of storms and tornadoes crawled across the US leaving death and destruction in its path.

The stretch of storms rolled over Nebraska making its way east touching down and crippling cities and states catching many unaware as warning sirens were knocked out by high winds allowing the storm quiet entry and in the terror of its wake, many dead.

The weather is downright strange! We have been under high wind warnings for weeks, possibly months now since the evidence still sits in my front yard of a tree toppled by high winds.

The 20^th of April we had high winds and blizzard like conditions leaving us under a blanket of snow as my springtime perennials were making their show. We warmed up nicely and Saturday the 26^th we hit daytime high of 80 degrees although the winds were still gusty as we made a trip to Lincoln.

Yesterday the 29^th, I rose to the heater coming on as temps with windchills were dipping well below 30 degrees. As I sat writing it was 39 degrees and the windchill of 25 mph sustained winds made it feel like 24 degrees! And this is Spring? Winter just won’t let go!

The weekend storms are still rolling across the country threatening the east coast with flooding and torrential rains. They battered many states like Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee and were now threatening Georgia and the Carolina’s. So far the death total from these storms is at 30 with many still missing.

So where is God in all this death and destruction? I know He’s out there so where is He? Many people struggle with that question in an aftermath of such devastating brutality to their communities. They’re surrounded with why me questions and sometimes they find comfort in understanding God’s purpose but others just don’t get it. They are in shock and have every right.

Trevor Freeze wrote: “In response to an outbreak of tornadoes over the past few days, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is deploying to some of the hardest hit areas, with teams responding in Arkansas, Mississippi and Kansas.”

Aha! That’s where God is. He’s in the hearts and souls of men and women responding to these disasters. Neighbor’s who never spoke to each other before are now aiding in the search and rescue. Teams of Christian’s are banning together to aid the down trodden. Churches across the country are sending help (and you wonder where your tithes go each week you give?)

Without your tithing the church would never be able to send assistance so really, if you attend church regularly, tithe each week, you in essence are a part of the assistance sent to help if you can’t go yourself.

Yes, churches across the country send around tithing baskets asking you to contribute. This isn’t money to build bigger and better churches or to build statues this money is SUPPOSED to be used for the people.

Lev. 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

Yes, it is our DUTY to give to the Lord so that the Lord in turn uses the money to aid and assist in times of disaster. In times of distress, the Lord is seeing to it that you are comforted, you are aided and in turn YOU are doing the Lord’s service.

Where is God in these times? He’s right there among you. Do you see Atheist groups sending help? Do you witness hate groups backing communities up? In reality, not even our government is the first responders, church organizations are! The government goes through red-tape before assisting to send money. Churches send actual human beings to be there when a mother cries, a father dies, or a child is missing.

The Church – all of God’s people, react with ACTION, not words. If your church is not one that acts in a disaster, then maybe seeking out a new church is in store because we the people of the church KNOW there is money to give out to the people in need and the Churches across the nation are there. People of the Church respond!

So when you hear that a mother finds her lifeless child among the rubble of a tornado stricken home, know that there is someone of God’s right behind her doling out comfort. We see it, but many won’t acknowledge it as the hand of God. Usually it’s the ones that don’t believe in God or His Almighty strength and power!

God IS alive!

2 Sam. 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

A World of Hate

Pss. 86:17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

They fall. They fall hard. I watch as they spin the web of hate. They lure. They lure people into their hate and have them feed. They are filled with intolerance. From behind the safety net of their walls they disagree, they paint a picture sometimes (rarely) with truth, but mostly full of discontent.

I watch them. They’re falling; falling for the deceivers web and they share the same angst and go about filling others with the same enmity. Do they sleep well at night knowing they walked doing the Lord’s work that day or do they toss and turn unending wondering what more can they fill with obliquity.

I see. I see them as a false witness spewing scripture as if they live the word when anyone can find an answer to make themselves look good. They’re not called, they’re fixated on deception. Wallowing in the murkiness of it all while pulling others with them into believing the mask that is being worn.

They hate. They are so full of hate that they can’t even see themselves. They see themselves as bearers of information but they are breeders of hate. Their sole purpose is to align society with the same anger that they are filled with. They line up one by one to follow in the misty venom.

They are cunning. Batting eyes in a pretentious manner in a stoic like stance. They are men/women who have deceived, proudly dancing in the aftermath of their destruction. They don’t see it as destruction; blindly they have been led too. Sleepwalking they are, as others walk behind.

The deception has won. How can a mere morsel of love overcome the world of hate? It is a battle that will only be won in the end times when God himself comes and lines people up. So few. So few will be ready; so few will be prepared; so few will care. They feel they have time, time in which they don’t have.

I am not full of hate. I will not serve two masters. Love and hate are masters of the psyche filling your insides to overflowing on this planet; I see hate winning as it is supposed to I guess but where will I be standing? Will I follow the wolf or lay with the Lamb?

I’m awake. I’m not walking blindly and not caring; I’m fully awake. When I see disaster, I pray. When hate is on my waking page, I pray. When animosity scatters across the streets, I don’t share the malicious content, I pray. If men/women are too lazy and blind to read and let it go, they then fill themselves with the same malevolence.

Let it go. By praying you are opening the doorway to love, allowing love to override the negative stature of the human race. You don’t align yourself with hate because in the world of love, you win.

As I walk through the thicket of the war of words, I will fear no evil. I will fill myself in the bastion of love and bathe in the luxuriousness of my Savior. I will wash off all the abomination and be cradled by the power of the Lord that wells up inside me. My shield will gallantly protect me from the heinous wolf who tries to attack me.

I will block; block the force of evil that tries to prevail in these darkened times. I will win. I will win my fight because I fight not alone; I have a shining Light that will burn out any darkness that tries to seep in.

I will fall. I will bruise my knees and skin my elbows. I will bleed in righteousness, as the walk is long and hard. I will bear. I will bear witness to the strength within me as rising up from the Lord’s hand and be a witness to all His glory.

Gather; gather yourselves among the likeness of the King. Bask in His ever-present glow and win with me. Join me in the army of Christian soldiers marching toward the One and Only Savior. Gather not with the wolves. Gather not with the talebearers, gossip-mongers, the elite of troubled ways. Gather yourselves not in a world of hate.

Pss. 35:19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.

Poetry Sunday ~ O Soul of Mine

Isa. 42:25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

O Soul of Mine

O fretful soul of mine that grieves
Is it thou that freely leaves?
Lost amid the fruitful wine
Fleshing over such fragrant vine.

Will thou remain a mystery;
True divine I never see?
Or wilt thou rain on me with blessing,
Teach me yet another lesson?

Scouring through the murky mire,
Passion snared for earthly desire.
A valiant cross that I must bear.
My heart entwines in thy snare.

O earthly soul for all I gave,
Dwells within a darkened cave.
Allow thy shield of purity,
Seep in through my elegy.

Allow thy light to shine on me,
O soul of mine I thrive on thee.
Bequeath me in thy blazon glory;
Release from me this inner fury.

Pss. 11:1 In the LORD put I my trust: How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

Happy BIRTHday Astri

What the mother sings to the cradle goes all the way down to the coffin. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

 

Astri's Tenth Birthday

I look around for a sign

of her soul's existence.

I cannot find her anywhere

through all my tried persistence.

A gently cradled baby;

A stroller passes by.

My eyes begin to fill with tears.

I ask the question why.

Why is she not here with me?

Why has she gone away?

Why am I the lonely one?

Left to brave each day?

Is she now safe in heavens abode?

Are the Angels now her mother?

Is she there within the vibrant realm,

that's home to her own brother?

Does she think of me, as I of her,

with every passing day?

Will we ever meet again?

I'm lost for what I'd say.

I feel her in the warm swift breeze,

I sense her in a flower;

The birds all sing a song for her

A gentle rains her shower.

Ten years have passed I mark the day

The day that I gave birth;

The day I seen her soul depart

From this luscious earth.

Born~ 4-26-04 Went to heaven ~ 4-26-04

Don't ever think a day passes that my thoughts are not with my kids.

Two ANGELS, that never breathed one breath of this earth. 

I know, they are BOTH in a much better place!

Godspeed kids! Mom loves you!

The Wolves are Rising

Matt. 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves

The Wolves are Rising

We are living in a day and age where false teachers are rising in record number. We have the mega churches taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars on one Sunday and not using the money for the greater good of the church.

I can’t be sure what they’re using the funds for, but to see them dressed in $200 leather loafers, and a three-hundred dollar suit, drive off in their Mercedes, they are really giving off the aroma of smelly pulpit behavior.

Matt. 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Am I the only one seeing wolves in sheep clothing on the rise? Am I the only one that sees people flocking to false teachings like it was the bread of Christ being delivered by Himself right to their, what, computer? Television?

This is why I think it is important to attend a church, physically. By physically being present, physically seeking out the one that fits you, you will in turn become part of the fruits of the Spirit that Jesus was referring to. Otherwise you’re allowing yourself to become an unsound tree. By being that, you are more susceptible to false teachings. Every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit.

When you fall prey to a false teacher, you then pass on his/her information as if it were truth. You then allow yourself to be an open doorway of bearing bad fruit. If you are so wrapped up in knowing the age of the Earth; so enamored with the timeline of the universe; if you’re so fickle in knowing the lineage of Adam and the age of man, you are missing the entire point of the Holy Bible. You are losing sight of what God was trying to do. You are minimizing God extensively and putting your faith in a ravenous wolf.

Yesterday’s sermon brought it home for me. Pastor Dave spoke of the reality of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Had hundreds of people not witnessed the resurrection, would Jesus’ life have carried any weight over two-thousand years? The same goes for the flood and the parting of the sea and the miracles Jesus performed. Had there been no witnesses to the FACT, would Jesus’ Word been able to be carried for so many years?

I hear today people say that the bible is a myth. Think about it, are they saying that thousands upon thousands of eyewitnesses are liars? Are they saying that the pastor standing in front of me is a part of this massive conspiracy to bring lies to man?  Has he been fooled along with millions of others?

The power of the resurrection brought about a reality. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all wrote what THEY had seen. Are these men just liars? Are they just a part of the grand myth? The Holy Bible has withstood the test of time, the very time that so many men are trying to put an actual timeline on. The Bible stands its ground and carries the weight of gold in the very words handed down from man to man.

1 Corinthians 15 says it all. If we as believers of the risen Christ believe in a myth then all of our steadfast faith is in vain? Yes wolves are running about wanting you to believe that your faith is in vain; that all you hold true is false; that the book you hold in your hand, called the Holy Bible, is full of false witnesses, lying scholars, who just wanted to hand down an elaborate fairytale for you to tell your children so that millions and millions of people would believe in this One God.

If believing in Christ makes me a liar, then so be it, I stand with millions who have fallen for the Glorious Risen King! I need no proof of the ages, no physical evidence of sediment, I need no visual papyrus and I need no physical proof to build my faith on.

While the wolves are out and about trying to give you this proof, they are taking money to build themselves up, build museums for you to come and see for yourself the artifacts that they have; or to build mega churches where you can give more money so they can have more nice things.

If you are following these wolves that are teaching false things or guiding you in an unsavory manner remember you are a part of the den of thieves that Jesus was referring to.

My Savior is ALIVE. He’s not dead, bound for dissection; He is ALIVE! And I have eternal life through Him. What do you have, cold hard facts? And that helps you sleep at night?  I have nothing against wolves as a species but I do have something against the false prophets in the bible. The men (wolves) are out to devour the sheep (the Christ followers.)

Awake you sleeping nation. While the atheists are trying to get you to believe that the Bible is a myth, Christians are coming out by the millions to testify and become a part of the witnessing that still continues to this day of a living God and a Risen Savior.

I would rather put my faith in eternity (spiritual), than something temporal (physical); eternal love, hope, joy and blessings versus sadness, sorrow, death and a cold hard coffin? Yeah, I choose CHRIST!

1 Cor. 15: 3-14 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Poetry Sunday

Matt. 18: 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

The Son

One love, the greatest love

God’s sacrificial Son.

He carries us on wayward shores

We’re unified as one.

One love, eternal love

Our sins have washed away.

Bonding Truth boundless glory,

Our Lord has shown the way.

Obedient love, embracing love

Our Father, the One to guide us

Faithful servants we become

To Him we sing a chorus!

Ps. 66:2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

Lent: Day Forty-six ~ Quotation Saturday ~ Easter

Pss. 69: 16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

LENT

"All throughout my life I have been living recklessly. I have sinned a lot and done things that I know I should not have done. Now I will return back to God and change myself."

~  Genevieve Shaw

"As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus' thirst...'Repent and believe' Jesus tells us. What are we to repent?  Our indifference, our hardness of heart.  What are we to believe?  Jesus thirsts even now, in your heart and in the poor -- He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you." 

~ Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces of against evil …”

~ E.M. Bounds

"Lent is like a long 'retreat' during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to defeat the temptations of the Evil One. It is a period of spiritual 'combat' which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption, but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the word of God and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our Baptism."

~ Pope Benedict XVI

FAITH

If I cannot hear “The sound of rain’ long before the rain falls, and then go out to some hilltop of the Spirit, as near to my God as I can and have faith to wait there with my face between my knees, though six times or sixty times I am told “There is nothing’, till at last there arises a little cloud out of the sea, then I know nothing of Calvary love. (Read 1 Kings 18:41-45)

~ Amy Carmichael

Believe that when you come into the presence of God you can have all you came for. You can take it away, and you can use it, for all the power of God is at your disposal in response to your faith.

~ Smith Wigglesworth

The issue of faith is not so much whether we believe in God, but whether we believe the God we believe in.

~ R. C. Sproul

The more we allow ourselves to personally experience sanctification by faith, the more we also experience healing by faith. These two doctrines walk together. The more the Spirit of God lives and acts in the soul of believers, the more miracles He will work in the body. By this, the world will recognize what redemption means.

~ Andrew Murray

 EASTER

When a man really gives up trying to make something out of himself – a saint, or a converted sinner, or a churchman, a righteous or unrighteous man,…when in the fullness of tasks, questions, success or ill-hap, experiences and perplexities, a man throws himself into the arms of God…then he wakes with Christ in Gethsemane. That is faith, and it is thus that he becomes a man and Christian.

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Come, see the place where the Lord lay,” with joy and gladness. He does not lie there now. Weep, when ye see the tomb of Christ, but rejoice because it is empty. Thy sin slew him, but his divinity raised him up. Thy guilt hath murdered him, but his righteousness hath restored him. Oh! he hath burst the bonds of death, he hath ungirt the cerements of the tomb, and hath come out more than conqueror, crushing death beneath his feet. Rejoice, O Christian, for he is not there—he is risen.

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here.

~ St Augustine

“Dost thou understand me, sinful soul? He wrestled with justice, that thou mightest have rest; He wept and mourned, that thou mightest laugh and rejoice; He was betrayed, that thou mightest go free; was apprehended, that thou mightest escape; He was condemned, that thou mightest be justified; and was killed, that thou mightest live; He wore a crown of thorns, that thou mightest wear a crown of glory; and was nailed to the cross, with His arms wide open, to show with what freeness all His merits shall be bestowed on the coming soul; and how heartily He will receive it into His bosom?”

~ John Bunyan

NEW YEAR

If this is to be a Happy New Year, a year of usefulness, a year in which we shall live to make this earth better, it is because God will direct our pathway. How important then, to feel our dependence upon Him!  

~ Matthew Simpson

I pray that the Lord might crown this year with His goodness and in the coming one give you a hallowed dare-devil spirit in lifting the biting sword of Truth, consuming you with a passion that is called by the cultured citizen of Christendom ‘fanaticism’, but known to God as that saint ly madness that led His Son through bloody sweat and hot tears to agony on a rude Cross—and Glory!

~ Jim Elliott

We should take advantage of His faithfulness and make every day a fresh start. Resolve to make each day the beginning of a new year, a new morning, a new adventure. He wipes the slate clean and goes back to zero so we can be filled up again with His spirit and give it out all day long. Enjoy the blessings of a new year, in Christ, one day at a time! 

~ Debbie Carroccio

Renewal is rooted in faith, not in resolutions! They are made for New Year’s and forgotten on an average of thirteen days later, say the surveys. Faith is the result of a decision about Christ. I cannot make a new me or a new you, but Christ can make you new and me new, as well, if we decide for Him. 

~ Frank Harrington

Easter Sunday I celebrate my New Year. It is when I renew my Spirit in the Lord and thus go forth to a year of transition and change.

May the Lord God be with you all. Have a blessed Easter one and all!

Luke 7:16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

Lent: Day Forty-five ~ It Is Finished

Matt. 13: 53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

It is finished…

When I began the Lenten season I never really thought I’d make forty-seven straight posts but here I sit with you today, Good Friday, and you have before you forty-five posts. I’ll have my Quotation Saturday post and Poetry Sunday to finish off the season.

Today is the day Jesus carried the cross, the one He was to be hung on. I remember for many years it seemed Good Friday was always a bright sunny day but around dinnertime it would always darken and possibly a storm would hit. I’d say, “Well it IS Good Friday.” Everyone celebrates Easter with food, family, friends, maybe a church visit, and candy, lots of candy. They’re celebrating the Risen Christ, but what do they remember of this day, the day He DIED?

I normally fast during Lent but God didn’t want me to this time. He asked me to write for forty-five days and tell people of His Son. I thought it would be an easy task to take on because I’m a writer, but this has been much harder than I thought it would be. Then I thought, but I gain so much cleansing when I fast, what is writing going to do for me?

It hit me Wednesday as I was writing my Salt and Light post; clarity. For some reason things are becoming so much more clearer to me. I sense things in a strange fashion not the normal kind of sensing things I’m accustomed to; clarity. I have gained clarity in these writings.

Let me tell you when I began my postings I had a list of things I wanted to write. Well wouldn’t ya know it, God had different plans and each day I sat down to write, I’d ask Him what do I write today; and there it would be, a post that I wrote but read and wondered where some of the stuff came from. Not really wondered I was more amazed than anything.

Five days passed, then ten and suddenly I saw a shift. My stats went from maybe ten a day to a whopping 100 page views. WHAT? I thought for sure google was doing something wrong, and no I don’t track my own hits that I only do once a day or responding to a comment left.

My comments weren’t going anywhere but my page hits ARE! There were days I’d sit down to post and freaky things were happening. Either my internet wouldn’t work, I’d  have the post all ready to ‘publish’ and the screen would freeze, or the formatting would change. I know science would have an answer as to why these things were happening, they have an answer for everything, but I knew differently, satan was not and still IS NOT happy with me possibly turning people to Christ. Oh and to top it all off, I had another birthday, a huge tree fell in my yard killing four smaller trees a dea th in the family AND it snowed in April! Ha!

You might ask why I don’t capitalize the name satan, even though it has a red line under it to make me want to change it; I won’t give in! I won’t allow his name, even though I KNOW it’s a proper noun, to be capitalized. I guess it is my little way of fighting back.

I post my blog to facebook and I know of only one man who has been a faithful reader every day, thank you Steve! You’re a good, fine, Christian man. But others got bored with my posts along the way, I could almost hear all the negative comments under their breath (whether it was my lousy grammar, or tiring topic) but I’m okay with that, I’m reaching WHO I needed to reach and it isn’t all about the FB people; I’m reaching out there, to the world! I didn’t write these posts for the grammar, I wrote them to reach ONE single person that might need a positive uplifting word to guide them in the right direction.

And while I changed my ways on facebook, things are about to change again. With Good Friday here, I’ve kept my promise to God and it’s time for me to reflect on all I’ve written and accomplished. I leave people to be one with their thoughts and reflect on themselves. Hopefully this is the time they’ll do it if at any time at all.

As I carry a heavy burden, I must bear the cross. I must release and let go. I must bleed whether blood, sweat or tears. I need a break. I’m worn thin and I must gather all of my strength to prepare for my New Year, to begin anew. Today I am saddened, but Easter will shine in me a new Light and I’ll carry it throughout the year. A year of change is in store.

If you’re reading this and you’re not a Christian, please respect my love and compassion for someone who is much grander than me, more vast than the universe, willing to die for my sin, so I may have eternal life through Him. ETERNAL LIFE.

If you’re a Christian reading this, may you walk with God and feel the blessings enrich your life. May you have a blessed Easter and may God be with you always, my friend.

Remember these words:

Matt. 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Happy Easter

2 Tim. 4: 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Lent: Day forty-four ~ Salt & Light

Matt. 5: 13-16 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Have you ever eaten a softened boiled potato, plain? How does that taste? I prefer a little salt on my food; seasoned up nicely otherwise it is very bland. Your life as a Christian should be making an impact on those around you just as the salt does to the potato, by adding seasoning to their life. Not a bold chili-pepper type of seasoning, just a tad bit of salt.

God is calling us to be the salt and Light of the earth.

Salt as a preservative ~ In ancient time salt was used to keep meat from spoiling. Salt in those days was as important as a refrigerator is to us today. If we faithfully represent Jesus, we can leave a positive effect on those around us.

Salt adds flavor ~ Just as salt can add a welcome flavor to your potato. Even if we’re not the brightest bulb in the world, we can allow the Holy-Spirit to shine through us thus adding a nice touch of flavor to those around you.

Salt penetrates ~ It doesn’t take too much salt on that potato to make the entire meal have extra flavor. A godly person has that penetrating capability to those around them.

Salt makes you thirsty ~ When you walk in a godly fashion through pain and strife and overcome obstacles that others struggle with, people want to know where you get that peace and strength from; they thirst for the same tranquility in their lives. We are called to be salt of the earth to show them that through God, they too can find the inner peace.

Salt spreads nicely ~ It doesn’t take an enormous amount of shaking of the salt-shaker to season the whole plate of food. Think of it this way, thousands of years ago, Jesus seasoned just a small batch of potatoes. Me sharing what Jesus has done in my life is the most effective form of spreading the Gospel.

Salt can lose its flavor ~ Matt. 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

This is what happens to believers who allow sin to rule their lives, they lose the impact they could have had on people when delivering the message of Christ.

Salt in excess can backfire ~ I remember my mother used to make chicken-noodle soup and share it with me, it always had way too much salt so I got the recipe and made my own, sharing it with her. She told me that mine tasted better than hers! Why? Because I used less salt.Too much salt is not a good thing.

One can spread too much gospel and actually deter people from Christ. Spreading the Gospel should be lightly seasoning lives not overpowering them to where they flee from Christ.

We are called to be the Light of the world. The Light within you comes from Christ. It can be a beacon for all to see. Just as a lighthouse is a guide, you can be a guide for others who are struggling in their belief. You don’t even need to be a lighthouse; just a simple candle in a darkened room can give just the right amount of Light.

But remember even a candle can lose its brightness. When we allow sin to permeate the environment the candle becomes dim. You need to keep the fire stoked by trimming off the excess wick so the flame burns brighter and brighter.  This is how obedience to Christ keeps us shining for all to see.

If you are being salt and light, you are impacting the world! Through your actions, behavior and treatment of others all lends to your Christian character. You can either guide the ships into a safe harbor, or drive them further out to sea. The Lord calls us to purify our souls and allow people to SEE the PURITY in you; you then become salt and Light to the world.

I hope by the end of reading this post I made you hungry, and not for potatoes and chicken noodle soup either, hungry for CHRIST! Now go on out into the world and add a little salt and Light.

Praise be to God!

Lent: Day Forty-three ~ Blessed are...

Gal. 1: 3-5 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessed are…

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Poor in spirit, not poor in the pocketbook. This, to me, means humility. We are to have humble spirits. We come to God as sinners and are usually spiritually empty inside and we seek the true beauty of the Spirit of God. We are not to come to Him in pride but in the humbleness of our souls.

Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.

I believe this to mean the mourning of our sinful nature. Jesus is telling us to align ourselves with Him and to turn from the world of sin. In our mournful state the Holy Spirit is bringing us to a purified state of mind and comforts us.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

Simply put: the humble, faithful and patient. Jesus was meek so when he asks us to be meek He is asking us to look to Him ALWAYS and be LIKE Him. Our inheritance of the land is a gift of the earth by God for being meek, humble and righteous in His eyes. I think the spiritualists will see this as loving God and the land as you love yourself. If you have one ounce of drivel of discourse in you, you are showing yourself as impatient and not meek and humble at all.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.

I love those words hunger and thirst. I find myself hungering for Christ daily and the spiritual renewal of the season is filling my cup to overflowing. I thirst. I feel parched when I am not aligned with God and there is only one quenching my soul can drink in to feel full and that is Christ.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

This one is pretty easy to understand to some, but not all have easiness with this one. Merciful is to be forgiving and compassionate. I see so many fly off the handle and instantly lash out at others before they have time to even think mercifully. How are they to obtain mercy if they cannot show mercy?

1 Pet. 1:3 “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

A pure heart will be clean, shameless, untainted by guilt. Being pure in heart involves having eyes set on God toward heavenly things not earthly. This one may be most difficult because the media is set on saturating us with earthly outlets that we succumb to very easily.  A pure heart has no deception, no trickery and no hidden motives. The pure in heart are transparent and have a desire to please God in all things. It is so much more than an external purity of your behavior; it is an internal purity of your soul.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called a child of God.

This one seems to be a no-brainer. Some people like to be at war with hateful words in their heart. We are not called to war but to bring peace to ones soul. Jesus gave His life to make peace between sinners and God and when we exhibit the message of peace to others, we are considered peacemakers. Only children of God can bring the peace of knowing God to others.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I understand this one to mean being persecuted for Christ. I have been told to stop pushing my faith on people just by posting a scripture or a picture with scripture. I am constantly looked at as  ‘holier than thou’, often told that I’m too strong in my beliefs. Too strong? I love the Lord my God. I walk with Christ as if He were beside me every single second of the day and choices I make, I distinguish mentally from the truth that man physically tries to shove down MY throat.

When I see believers allow the world to use them, I see them as weak testimonies to Christ. Their behavior runs side by side with the people whose life is given to all manner of selfishness and moral perversity. Christians who do not walk strongly in their faith typically are not the ones persecuted, for what would the reason to be? They’re not singing the praises of the Lord in a strong stance against the very things of their worldly nature to merit being persecuted for righteousness.

Pastor Dave a few weeks ago talked about the Beatitudes and how we as Christians should discern them. The first four should be seen as vertical, meaning making things align with God. (Man’s talk/walk with God) The other four should be intellectually seen as horizontally, meaning on the worldly level. (How we live/act/behave) By putting it this way everything made so much more sense to me. Clarity. That’s what this week is bathing me with.

To me, the Ten Commandments were the Laws given by God to Moses. The Beatitudes were the laws transformed by God delivered to man via Jesus. I find God to be the most amazing source of life and in death, I pray that I might meet the Maker and find eternal peace.

Praise be to God!

Pss. 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.

Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Lent: Day Forty-two ~ A Christian Revival

God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, “I love you.” ~ Billy Graham

I don’t know if 2014 is supposed to be the year of a revival but as a Christian I can feel something stirring around the world where more and more people are coming to Christ, they're waking up and noticing Him. Movies are being made and it feels as if God is making His move. Recently, one particular movie, God is Not Dead, is having a positive affect on the Christian community.

I noticed the churning earlier in the year with the Duck Dynasty controversy where a man spoke the truth of his faith in Jesus and was condemned. A multimillion dollar franchise was on the line but he didn’t care, he was not going to be swayed by the media to take back his statements he had made which offended people NOT of any denomination, just the politically correct people of America.

Then we see satan fighting back with a movie called Noah where the story’s only real biblical truth of the bible is Noah built an arc and a few other facts tossed in for good measure; much of the tale is fabricated by the writer who ironically is atheist who doesn’t call God, God he calls Him the creator.

In God is not Dead, we have a young man attending college and is met with a professor of philosophy who asks the kids to do an assignment. They have to basically say that God is not alive. One kid says, "No I’m a Christian, God is alive." He almost refuses to do the assignment and the professor got an earful by the young man when he declared in his words that God is NOT Dead and gave astonishing proof! He met the professor head on with God as the Creator and Christ the redeeming Savior.

I have not seen the movie myself but many at my church went to see the movie this weekend and came out with positive reviews of what an excellent movie it was. Will it beat Noah in the dollar amounts taken in at the box office? I doubt it. But will the message be loud and clear that God is not dead? A resounding YES!

It seems this is the year for a revival! A revival that God is ALIVE! I hear more and more frequently people coming to Christ. Our Pastor does missions in some parts of China and he said yes God is alive in China and more and more are coming to Christ. This isn’t just a local revival; I’m talking global revival!

In nations that don’t accept Christ or the banning of bibles takes place, everywhere there is a lone house sitting unknowingly holding Christians gathering together to read the one Bible someone did get a chance to smuggle in.

Did you know that Easter and Christmas the Churches of all denominations, fill to capacity and some even have to add extra seating? Why? Is it because it’s the ONE time a year people go to hear the word that is being spoken about so often that they too want to taste what’s being served up?

I never understood how some people could attend church once or twice a year and feel filled with the fullness of God and see that as their respect to Christ. The last time I checked Jesus DIED for you and me and that is all you can do for Him is give Him one or two days a year?  I know, I know, you read, you believe AND go to Church twice a year. That’s all well and good but as a revival year? If you’re claiming to be a Christian, you might want to rethink the debt you owe to Christ.

This week is Holy Week, the week that Jesus rode through the streets as believers laid palms at His feet and praised His name and sang Hosanna, Hosanna, loud enough for all to hear. Then by the end of the week they sent Him to the cross and watched as He died a bloody death.

I have heard many people ask, “If Jesus was God’s Son, why did He send Him to His death? Why didn’t He save Him?” You know, over two thousand years ago, there were men at Jesus’ feet asking the same thing. Let me enlighten you! He died to save US! To redeem us in God’s eyes. He saved us from our enemy SIN. And y’know, when someone dies for you, in my eyes you OWE Him a little more than a passing fancy. You owe Him your LIFE! Some people see it that way, while others could care less. I understand, somewhat.

You still don’t believe in Him? Well you’re going to see a revival; a fleeing TO Him in the coming year and you’re going to wind up either with Him singing out Hosanna, or against Him waving your hand for Him to move on as He passes by. Guess what, He gives you THAT choice too!

So while my words might sound a bit hokey to some, there are others right this minute asking Jesus to come into their lives and save them, by the thousands!!! THEY don’t thinks it’s hokey, they can FEEL the uprising taking place and they seek salvation to live eternally. Those that have an ear, let him hear.

May the grace and the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!

2 Peter 1:2-8 (KJV) Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lent: Day Forty-one ~ Transformation

Rom. 12:2 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.

Holy Week begins. This week we are winding down the Lent post. By Sunday I will have written forty- seven days in a row with a Christian theme every day. That is quite an accomplishment for me, since I’ve never written forty-seven days in a row ever before. What is my gain from all this? Transformation. A spiritual transformation! I am truly reaping what I sow.

While some people have gone on their merry way in life thinking Lent is just for the Catholics, I’m here to tell you that Lent is MORE than just a yearly observance in the Catholic church. Lent is so much more to me than an observance; Lent to me is a full-blown spiritual transformation.

To some, people take Lent serious, they will fast from meat from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday, some take it more serious than that and take a sabbatical from all things food, and some take it as ritualistic atonement and some never care about the season and don’t do anything. I watch from the background as addictions are still being fed; there is no break from the media onslaught of demoralization, no pause in footsteps of routine, no break from redundancy, no looking to Jesus for even a moment nevertheless forty-seven days.

One of the definitions of transform is this: change in form, appearance, nature or character. There hidden in a nutshell is what Lent is to me. I am busy being transformed but not by my own hand, by the grace of God and the Holy Spirit filling me day after day.

I don’t know if my form is changing, I’ve practically been the same size since I was eighteen give or take a few pounds. Form could mean a change in spirit, spirit being that which FORMS you. Yeah I like that better. Appearance could mean how I appear to others (and I don’t mean changing my hair color or adopting youthful sleaze-wear either.) Nature or character? Well yes! I’ve always been quite a character, that’s been my nature BUT I don’t think that is what that means either.

Lent is a transitional phase each year in my life, ending with the celebration of my New Year on Easter Sunday. I will either stay the same old person or I will be transformed and become the true natured person that God has planned for me. This is a ME thing and doesn’t mean in any way that all people or Christian’s celebrate Lent this way. I am dedicated to becoming a better Christian, and Lent is the best time for me to pause, breathe and drink in everything God pours out to me. This year He wanted me to write from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday and thus transforming me.

Forty-seven days of writing has caused me to focus on the Word more intently than I normally would; I have been more focused on God, I have plunged into research, I have dove into a spiritual awakening within and I have provided comfort and knowledge to anyone seeking and I can feel the transformation taking place within me. I think my appearance is changing in that people see the Light of the Lord more fully in me; which in turn shapes my character and the nature of my being.

If I haven’t touched one person in these forty-seven days of posts, then I’ve still gained because it is I who is being transformed by these posts. While my stats are up I’m also seeing that someone out there is enjoying my writing and finding them a comfort and warmth to their own soul.

As we come down to the last seven days of the Lenten season, may you be filled with Christ and may you find yourself growing in new and improved ways. May you find at the end of the week that you too have been transformed!

May God be with you all!

Revival begins in the individual’s heart. Let it begin with you on your face alone before God. Turn from every sin that might hinder. Renew yourself to a new devotion to the Saviour. 

~ Lee Roberson

Lent: Day Forty: Poetry Sunday ~ Cleansing

Mark 1:44And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Cleansing

I feel a peace wash over me

as snow falls from the sky.

Each flake falls down all around

like my God beginning to cry.

One by one His sorrow mounts

the drifts are formed by wind

Cleansing all my spirit

for that which I have sinned.

He blankets my soul as the fields

in warmth His arms surround.

A little wayward shepherd

who was lost and now is found.

I gather all the wandering sheep

mere shadows in the dark.

A shower of unconditional love,

igniting their inner spark.

A soul absolved of impurities

the snow now turns to rain

Restoring you to innocence

now freed from all your pain.

 

 

Lent: Day Thirty-nine ~ Quotation Saturday

LENT

"God does nothing except in response to believing prayer."

~ John Wesley

"You cannot be proud and expect to be transformed away from your sins. You need to humble yourself and have a spirit of repentance within you. Then you will see real change."

~ Mable Vine

“The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.”

~ St. John of the Cross

"It is not just about giving up our favorite food but its about going further and giving up things like hatred and unforgiveness. You need to clean your heart and prepare yourself for purity."

~ Amanda Jobs

FOLLOW

Matt. 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

“When you are posessed by evil spirits, it is crafty manipulations that you follow; but when you are posessed by the Holy Spirit of God, it is wise discretion's you pursue!”
~ Israelmore Ayivor

“We tend to think that refusing to exalt Christ is staying true to our self-will and personal freedom when really we are condemning ourselves. Sure, we can pretend to stay true to ourselves, but if you want to talk about reality, all of that is completely trivial if this life is an island and He's the only pilot with a plane and a flight plan.”
~ Criss Jami

“The beauty of obedience is that what God expects you to do, He also enables you to do.”
~ Jim George

WALK

Luke 1: 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

“Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.”
~ Steve Maraboli

“With God’s help, your trial today is leading to your wholeness tomorrow.”
~ Elizabeth George

“There comes a time when we must all learn to walk (with Christ) usually after we’ve crawled through the mire of pain and with God we walk uprightly to a better place.”

~ Joni Zipp

FAITH

Matt. 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

“Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.”
~ Max Lucado

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
~ C.S. Lewis

“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.”
~ Elbert Hubbard