Grinding The Coffee Beans

I have been working on a new blog story and so far just can’t get it the way I wanted. So, I am backing off. But one part of it is worthy to share. It’s a true story about me; I am telling on myself. The subject matter was the Biblical wife. Ladies, please don’t feel picked on, the guys’ time will come.

The other day I was in the kitchen feeling very frustrated and maybe a bit angry. Why? Well, it’s about the dumbest thing in the world, but I was in my HEAD having a conversation about Jeff. It went something like this. “Why am I the only one that ever grinds the coffee beans? “I” should not have to wake up in the morning and find there is no ground up coffee beans. Now I have to stand here and grind them myself; why doesn’t he ever help me grind coffee beans.” Like I said that conversation is really petty. But what I want to share is this. The Holy Spirit rose up inside of me and let me have it. I was like getting a spiritual spanking from my Father God– a harsh one. God has this magnificent way of in 2 seconds filling our hearts with an hours worth of information that He wants to impart to us, He is that kind of loving and good Father. It was in repentance and embarrassment to be honest with you that I repented before the Lord for my sickening attitudes. Jeff has worked so hard to provide; in fact, we have an awesome lineage with the men in our family that has that same trait- they work hard and long hours to provide. I am thankful for that but at the same time wish it wasn’t so needed to survive. With that said, the Holy Spirit reminded me that the least I can do is make sure our home is clean daily, good meals are cooked, laundry kept up, shopping is done, making sure our home is peaceful, organized, and clean. We ladies tend to forget at times the sacrifice our men make to provide; they ARE laying their lives down to care for us. Again, I know this sounds silly, but it’s my example from my stupidity, I have no right to expect Jeff to grind coffee beans, (or do laundry, or cooking, or cleaning- EVER when he works so very hard to keep our lives provided for. I do get it that it is fair to share “some” responsibilities, during times of sickness or whatever….. and when both work outside the home, but we must be careful to never make that our lifestyle or our excuse because there is no excuse.

I went back and read Proverbs 31 that day, and realized that there is NOTHING, not covered in the Bible for instruction- – including our duties as a woman. We must always be careful to keep every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus; Satan loves to start feeding our minds with lies and criticisms. At every opportunity, he will do so, as well as push us to entertain the wrong things, have the wrong friends, and have bad attitudes. We must take authority over him, and simply be obedient to do those things in which are pleasing to God, and not do the things that lead to dissention, strife and laziness. The only way we break bad habits, as well as dealing with our own demons, is feeding on the solid word of God and a lifestyle of living obediently. Gods’ way isn’t to ruin our fun- that’s never his purpose. His intent is to protect us, shield us, and draw us to Himself.

Words, Echoing Through Eternity

“WORDS….Echoing Through Eternity” is taking the place of Part 2 of “You & Me.”

I hope you are blessed and strengthened in your walk with God as you read.

Life is like a tidal wave at times. It sweeps over our attitudes, emotions, words, and actions. From the seemingly insignificant to the most meaningful words that we speak or don’t speak and should, the consequences can be monumental.

The Bible has a lot of say about our tongues. According to scripture, that many of us claim to “know and love,” there is much said. Some subject matters in the Bible have just a couple of verses to expound upon, but the Bible is full of scripture concerning the tongue.

There is no way to get around the subject of how we communicate today. WORDS, whether in spoken form or written, are still words. It is impossible to separate spoken words from written words because although the statistics vary, data shows that the average person texts or receives 59 to 89 texts per day. A lot of families text rather than TALK to one another from across the table, or back seat of a car. Marriages suffer because there is no quality time together because one or both partners are sitting there, texting, rather than giving to their loved one quality time and attention. It is a good way to create loneliness inside your own marriage and family. Have you ever sat in a restaurant and watched a whole family sitting there ignoring one another as they stare at their phones? I have, and it is the majority.

Much of the younger generation have never seen a landline phone or know what it is like to sit across from family and friends engaging in real communication. Many of our children and grandchildren do not have good memories of visiting one another by knocking on their door- because texting has become how they form relationships. There are dating websites, websites to find jobs, websites to advertise your skill and business, all of which are just part of today’s culture. We have sadly lost the art of talking face to face. Texting can be an easy way to gossip or talk about another human being. Social media and texting are an easy way to say things we’d never say to someone face. We wonder why hearts are growing lukewarm and cold! Have we become so insensitive that we fail to see that the words we are texting influence others in a multitude of ways- both good and bad? Technology is powerful. In the political realm, social media is used to influence a party or group’s agenda. The fact that untruths and exaggerations are being used doesn’t stop naive people to swallow it hook line and sinker as “truth.” The same is true with personal texting.

To conclude that social media is likely destroying more than it is achieving is an understatement. One side gets their messages out, and the other side reacts and gets their opposing response out. In almost all cases, it all creates an environment of disagreement, strife, and unrest. I wonder how worth it is to us individually, as well as collectively?

Have you ever known anyone that thinks they are superior in their knowledge and beliefs? We can all say yes to that one, for it is most of the population. That old saying that birds of the same feather flock together is SO factual. We pull in those that think like us and mimic us; we have lost the value of differences being GOOD and healthy.

It is HARD to develop valuable relationships with those who want everyone on their side, everyone to agree with them, and everyone to esteem them as “knowledgeable.” Where we may be knowledgeable, that doesn’t mean we are superior or know more. Yes it is hard to be around a “know-it-all,” but we fail to see that while we are pointing fingers at THEM in criticism, we are ourselves being the very thing we hate.

There are issues of no compromise for sure. Some examples are the truths of the Bible, facts of a situation, or the standards outlined in The Constitution of the United States. We have become a people in many ways where we either have such low self-esteem, or carry a spirit of pride, that if we are not careful we won’t see what is happening before our very eyes. We gather others into our little clicks and circles and guard that line making sure that no one that thinks different is made welcome, or allowed in. Differences should not make us enemies; they are quite needed and valuable. In the old testament of the Bible, covenants were built on differences, not on similarities. As a group, we become stronger in battle (spiritually and physically) more efficient, and safer when we have people that are different, think differently, and have different skills. It is no wonder that the world wants nothing to do with the church when they act like us. Attitudes speak loudly- even when we think no one sees it, or has the discernment to see it, they do.

Everyone has a skill(s), everyone has a personality differently than ours, and each person is created in the image of God. The Bible makes a big deal out of edifying one another and building others up. Much is said concerning being humble, KIND, loving, gentle, and merciful. We are to prefer others over ourselves. NO WHERE in the scripture will any of us find that it is acceptable to discuss others behind their back or spread our ill feelings around. Attitudes are like germs; they are so contagious. Just like love is contagious, so is dislike, criticalness, indifference and hate. My heart is grieved as we get further and further away from realizing that being Holy as He is Holy (I Peter 1:16) has everything to do with our thoughts and what we do with them. All sin starts with thoughts and just because someone agrees with us does not by any means, make us right, nor acceptable to God Almighty. Those things that are not acceptable to God, should equally be unacceptable to us. Paul said in I Corinthians 13 that we can have the tongues of men and angels, the gift of prophesy, understand all mysteries, all knowledge, have all faith but if we don’t have LOVE, we are but a clanging cymbal. It goes on to clarify what love is. Love is kind, it suffers long (patiently), it does not envy, it seeks not its own way, it is not easily provoked, it thinks no evil. It rejoices in TRUTH, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Humm, how do we each measure up? It is important to know this answer for we cannot correct what we do not see.

Here are a few scriptures about the tongue and words we say whether by speaking, writing, or texting.

James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. “

Psalms 120:2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.

Psalm 120:3 What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?

Proverbs 16:27 A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Isaiah 50:11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who array yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of your fire and in the firebrands you have lit! This is what you will receive from My hand: You will lie down in a place of torment.

Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

Matthew 15:11 A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”

Matthew 15:18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.

Our words are a big deal. They give life, and they destroy hope. They make others feel loved and also make others feel insignificant, lonely and hurt. It is my prayer that we would all be honest with ourselves and make the needed changes. Your friends and those that think like you and agree with you won’t be judging you. It will be you, your words, and your actions with God and God alone. Think about that.

I would suggest that most of us might need to make some changes and create a new story with how we use our thoughts and therefore our words.

Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

You and Me, Part 1

apps blur button close up — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

We are so unconnected face to face nowadays that it makes life hard and lonely.

I have written a 2 part series, one on social media and government control, the other article on social media and the family. Two entirely different subject matters but both equally important. I hope you will tune in and become part of my group on my WordPress blog. I am about to release a new blog on social media and family and am working on another in sharing my breast cancer experience. So, stay tuned in! Many of us are having to disguise subject matters in our titles, that might not accurately reflect the subject matter of the article because otherwise, we will be shut down by FB, or other social media.

You can contact me directly at givinghope51@gmail.com, or find everything I have written at https://wordpress.com/view/uniquelyyou.blog To access my articles you may have to enter your email address, etc… but no one will contact you or use your data from what I have been told in my paid contract for the use of WordPress. It cost me, but it doesn’t cost you anything to read. It would be an honor to have you as part of my group. Sadly I should state that you might want to write my email address down, and my blog site because I have zero confidence that Facebook will allow this to stay on my FB page. So… let’s continue.

Especially in a day when we are all so shut up in our homes- this day of government control, pandemics, and riots, social media can be a help to keep us connected to family and friends. It can be a platform to educate one another about politics, about God, family, and to share personal experiences. As in ALL THINGS, there is a good side, but there is also a really bad side.

In America, we live (at least presently are SUPPOSED to be living) in a place of Freedom of Speech. I, for one, have had severe scrutiny and control from the social platform of Facebook. They make the rules and interpreted them to meet their own political agenda which by the way is not the pursuit of facts. Facts are where truth comes from. I have spoken of the use of facemasks several times, as written by experts, scientist, OSHA regulation, doctors, etc…. showing the use of face masks are not only detrimental to our own health (as we breathe in our own germs and breeding germs from the use of facemasks) but shown absolute scientific data and facts that covering our mouth and nose with a facemask absolutely does NOT protect us or others from the COVID 19 virus pandemic. Only specific facemasks do that- which are not for the most part, available to the general public. We see facemasks for sale everywhere and people are submitting to government control and buying useless, germ breeding pieces of material to wear to comply. I think we all know unless we are ignorant that there is much more to what is going on than a disease. My personal Facebook account has been taken down several times by their little people who sit behind a desk to find people who are speaking the truth because they don’t want the general public to know something. Our world is dark right now and as we watch the TV News channels spews their propaganda; it has become difficult to know where to find truth anymore. I for one have only found 2 sources, and they are sources that I do have to pay for. The costs are $9.99 a month but it’s the best ten bucks I have ever spent. For me, it is BLAZE TV. It is an app, and for many in the older generation such as World War II citizens that are still alive, and many of us baby boomers that are still alive technology can be difficult for us. Thankfully we can call on the help of our children and grandchildren for they speak technology language far better than they know how to communicate face to face. (certainly not all, but many). So, ask for help if you’re interested.

Blaze TV is an app I downloaded to my TV; it features Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, and other well-known fact finders and presenters such as Phil Robertson, Steve Deace, Chad Prather, and Candace Owens. Mind you, these people are all conservatives, but so far, in the camp of politics, I am more interested in TRUTH, than in gray areas, political agenda, and lies. There are speakers presented in interviews that show both sides of an issue so that in the end we can all make up our own minds. I am not a paid promoter of this app, it’s just where I go to get my “news.” and is a source of getting the actual facts, rather than the convoluted mixture of a message that is filled with lies and misnomers. It is a sad day in which we live but for those of us that put our hope in Jesus Christ, we are aware that it is possible that this all MUST come and happen. We don’t KNOW, but we suspect it could be the case. There are many Bible references that make statements concerning the dismantling of natural love, the destruction of family, earthquakes, and phenomenon that will be part of the end times.

My hope and prayer are that you have a great and peaceful day. Don’t forget to pray for our President, his family, and for the dismantling of the evil plots that are trying to take America down.

From my house to yours I send hugs.

COVID-19

Just some thoughts to share about the COVID-19 pandemic.

I talk to my mother every day to check up on her and give her some love. She is 93 years old, lives alone (because she wants to) and is 1100 miles away from my home in Texas! I struggle with that!

Mom had spent the former month with me and was due to go visit my brother in Arizona to complete her annual “get out of Michigan during the bitter cold season.” During her visit with me, it became apparent that our country was being hit with the Coronavirus and daily new information was coming to light concerning the seriousness of it. The day before she was due to fly from Texas to Arizona plans abruptly changed. My brother felt it best that she not get on an airplane and possibly get the virus; that along with the concerns he had for his very young and vulnerable grandchildren as well as his wife that is a cancer survivor, so that portion of her trip was canceled. We were getting hit daily with the severity of this situation, something that none of us had experienced in our lifetimes. I asked mom to stay here with me, but she decided that she would just go home and “get back to life as normal, seeing her friends and being involved in her church family.” Little did any of us know, but normal had gone away- at least for the near future. We all love our homes and the sense of security they give us! I understood, but little did Mother know that she was walking into almost total isolation as this horrible disease took over our land. Where to date we have only lost a few over 4000- those are 400 LIVES that are now gone. The severity of the contagiousness of the Coronavirus is something that I don’t think Americans cannot properly comprehend.

In sharing a little about my Mothers visit, but I thought that some might find it interesting to hear of some of our conversations. She told me first-hand accounts of the scarlet fever epidemic that happened in America when she was a child. In that time in history, when someone in the family got scarlet fever, they were required by law to be quarantined in their home. They had to place a Notice of Quarantine in their windows so that no one would approach. It was very contagious. She has vivid memories of that as well as the great depression that affected our country from about 1929-1939. She remembers having little food and standing in lines to get supplies and people being out of work. Most of us have no clue about hardships like that. We are complaining now about the inconvenience and lack of freedom. Yes, I know this situation has hit some harder than others and I have great compassion for those out of work, and the concerns about getting sick and where rent will come from. Nevertheless, I wonder if we are a spoiled people? The things to really feel bad about, are for the sick and their isolation especially if they are having severe respiratory problems; My heart goes out to their families having to stay away from their dying family members, those in nursing homes, those in cancer centers going through chemo, the elderly, the exhausted doctors, nurses, and first responders.

It is good to study history and talk to the few elders that are still alive about these things because most of us have never experienced anything like it. I am 68, Jeff 72 years old. Our grandkids call us “old” and where we don’t feel old that is how we are seen. We have never experienced anything like what is happening with COVID-19. The difference between us and other generations is that we have memories of our parents and grandparents telling us accounts for the kinds of things that took place and how their families handled it. Baby boomers, for the most part, get it; but many (not all) of the other generations are just complaining and theorizing. Then the younger set of our population has gone so far to say this COVID 19 is no big deal as they defy the laws, the practice of safe distancing, and careful hygiene.

Many are mad because there are so many government-mandated things going on. Where we all feel a real sense of injustice for this whole issue, and where many have well thought out and researched facts, formulating educated opinions, we still are required if we are Jesus followers, to trust GOD, and conduct ourselves as Jesus would. He said to “count it all joy.” Are we?

The evils of Washington DC and the left, have taken political advantage everywhere they can, has made it hard for some of us to remain cool and calm. Yes? yes. America has come to know that certain leaders are on the payroll of organizations that do not care about we the people. Donald Trump is not one of them; His business background and lack of political experience has actually been the best thing that could have happened to America. Yes, this is my opinion, and God bless him! He’s not perfect but neither are you, nor am I. I am so thankful that He is in charge. I feel bad for him as he has to listen to the world’s top doctors and agencies to know how to proceed for best safety measures to be taken; My guess is that he might do some things differently if he followed his own instincts but he has been placed in a horrible position. Can we all get off of our soap operas long enough to realize the position he has been placed in? He will be damned for every move and decision he makes by the left. For that man to continue to lead us, he has to listen and follow experts in the field of disease control. Everyone wants to blame someone but come on- no man can control the wind, the waves, the sea and as hard as we try there are a lot of diseases that we still have found no lasting cure for.

Where this pandemic is being used to further line people’s pocketbooks and assert their political agenda; where the left is an embarrassment to most decent Americans, COVID-19 remains a serious threat to us all both physically and economically.

You may disagree, you may have your own theory and feel you are 100% right. Nevertheless, the data and numbers are telling the truth in reference to the need to flatline this disease so that our hospitals, doctors, medical workers, and first responders can catch up. Hospitals are near capacity now, as our National Guard are working hard at building makeshift hospitals to house what is due to hit us within days. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg unless America turns from her wicked ways and turns back to God in repentance. In that case, God says HE will heal our land. Our hope is in the Lord, but our responsibility is for all of us to clean up our lives and reach out to share the good news of the gospel and to live out daily, what it ACTUALLY means to be a Jesus follower.

Most of us are pretty much isolated in our homes; Why not choose to seek the face of God?

I don’t know if this is true, but I have read that it is felt that we will all get this virus when all is said and done. Hopefully not, but maybe? The goal is to slow it down so that the hospitals can handle the numbers. There is an enormous amount of information out there. Data says that MOST healthy people will survive it, although many healthy people are also dying right now. Those with cancer, asthma, respiratory problems, and weakened immune systems, as well as the elderly, are at risk. In all actuality, this country could lose a whole generation of people, people that according to The Bible are needed in all generations to teach wisdom and experience and skills that other generations have yet to learn. There is a prevailing attitude in society, that the older retired population doesn’t know anything anyway, so consideration for them is almost nonexistent by the average citizen. When we treat these issues so cavalier we are putting everyone at risk, even if we ourselves have healthy bodies and dispositions.

We are angry about losing incomes, not being able to pay bills, for having opportunities wrecked, and having to deal with crazy people who hoard toilet paper, and other life essentials. There is a lot to this when it comes to the details of what we the people are having to deal with. I think we’re all angry over the way the left is using this to promote their political agenda. Many Americans are very fearful and most of us are intelligent enough to know that anger and fear can cloud our judgment. People, this alone should be a signal that we might need to take a step back and reconsider some of our thoughts and beliefs, as well as maybe just perhaps choose to recognize we cannot change what has happened, but we can pray. Jesus said in the gospels to walk by faith- and even if you don’t know how to do that you can intellectually know that not controlling our emotions is never a good thing and leads to all kinds of trouble and broken relationships. We have such a need to point a finger and be right. God forgive us all.

Churches are rising up and calling their people to prayer and fasting for the eradication of COVID-19. We can pray. We can take this time to examine our own lives and pull ourselves in line with the written word. We can call loved ones and friends and encourage them and let them know that they are loved. We can go out of our way even while closed up in our homes, to be part of the solution, rather than to join the bandwagon of complainers.

If what the scientists are saying is true, ( ????) things are going to get a whole lot worse. We may never get another chance to reach out and fix stuff with people that needs to be fixed. We have a great opportunity to change how we do things and turn our homes unashamedly into houses of prayer and families of prayer. ALL of us have developed habits and lifestyles that we are so used to, few take the time to stop and look at those things and ask…. “is this correct as far as God almighty is concerned?” Does he approve of our negativity? Our talking about others in ways that are not uplifting? gossip? justification? lies? Do we not appreciate others as we should? Do we hold people at an arm’s length emotionally rather than engage them in life, love, and friendship? Are our sense of humor and kidding, pure in the eyes of the Lord? are we actually willing to let go of the need to be popular and liked and stand up for the principals of godly conduct and conversation?

Please forgive me for being long-winded; I just have such a deep concern over the matters at hand. It is a wise person that really understands that when we each take our last breathe that “our group”, our spouse, our family, our friends, our church- and all those that we want to like and love us, will not be holding our hands defending us when we stand before the Lord almighty. We will all step to the other side ALONE. We will ALL give account for every detail of our lives, our conversations and our motives. I believe God would have us use this time of isolation to get back in touch with HIM and to pull our lives in line with the purity that He is. He is our helper, and our ability to live the life that He has called us all to live in faith, purity, and wholeness. Outside of Him, we cannot. We actually have been handed a lot of time to get with God. We can come out of this thing, alive, with God’s blueprints and instructions for our own lives. Knowing God, hearing his voice and leading, takes time, and right now we all have that. It is being forced on us. Instead of rebelling because it IS being forced, why not choose to flow with it and use this time. It can change the rest of your life if you will.

As always I hope I have said something to cause you to think and search your heart and the heart of God. If this has blessed you would you please share it and pass it on?

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and…turn from their wicked ways...I (God) will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14

To Be Refined

Iron sharpens iron

During our Texas winter when working in my yard, I noticed one of my rose bushes standing there with bare ugly, thin branches. It had not produced it’s the normal lovely crop of roses the summer before. Standing there mulling over what to do, I decided to prune it way back knowing I may kill it, but the only other alternative I had was to just dig it up and throw it away. I usually do well with rose bushes but this one looked like it was dying and certainly was not pretty. I grabbed my loppers and literally butchered that bush; by the time I was done, there was practically nothing left of it. That was okay- it just wasn’t doing what it was created to do which is to be beautiful. To my delight, this new season brought me a wonderful surprise; I was so glad I gave it another chance to be beautiful and produce. It is now full of beautiful new branches, and many buds that will be opening as it warms up. That’s what God does to us. The pruning is sincerely painful, but He loves us enough to refine us into his image and for his glory.

In those moments when I was first waking up from sleep this morning I had that rose bush on my mind. I realized that God was doing the same thing to me; I was being pruned. Ouch. I think we can all agree that to be pruned really hurts. In the human sense, it is hard to come to terms with our humanness, mistakes, lack of perfect communication, and being misunderstood. Equally, it is hard to be attacked and have loved ones be so diligent to point out everyone’s flaws, except their own. The truth is, we are all flawed, all make mistakes, all are imperfect and will be until the day we leave this earth and enter into the presence of the Lord.
Life is hard, and frankly, humans make it hard on one another by their lack of even wanting to understand. We make life hard for ourselves when we refuse to see our own faults, and this deep-seated need mankind must be “right.” Pride is our enemy for sure, and there can be much destruction when pride is running the show. Some people have disabilities, some have those wonderful high IQ’s, some lack common sense and some have an overabundance of it. Some are born with DNA that leads them to addictions, others suffer from great physical disabilities, and many are insecure and in need of acceptance and love. None of us are all good or all bad, but a combination of both. Humans tend to wrongly judge others according to their own particular circumstances and perspectives, most especially when they lack self-clarity about their own selves.
The Bible says to think the best of one another and show mercy over judgment. Hours could be spent quoting the scripture about how Jesus expects us to live out our relationship with him, and others. It’s impossible to have a good relationship with Jesus without equally extending that love to mankind. People pride themselves in not being offended, but when the rubber meets to road they point fingers and condemn others without EQUALLY pointing them back at themself and seeing their own faults and lack the clarity to see their own. Jesus said we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Jesus says if someone takes your coat to give them your shirt too. He also said if someone strikes you on one cheek, to offer up your other cheek. Well, we all at least have the thought pass through our brains, “ya you hit me on one of my cheeks, I’ll flatten you totally, then run over you and if that doesn’t work go get my Glock. “ (Just kidding) But you all get the point, right? We all need help.

We are all imperfect. We all make mistakes, we all at times don’t communicate clearly and accurately, we all, ALL are just as imperfect as the other. Period. Wouldn’t it be far better if we as a lifestyle thought like Jesus thinks? Would it not be better if, when issues come up, that we still chose to think well of others and go to them for open communication to find out the facts face to face? When you chose to think well of others, you place your self in the best position to be a person Jesus can use. There is always something helpful to be discovered when we are open to listening with the heart of reconciliation. Instead, more often than not, we tend to plant our feet fast to the ground in our supposed rightness, and gather around us those who will strengthen our belief and stand? Sadly, it is far more common (even among Christians, to find their little circle of like-minded people and discuss the perceived wrong done and as a group. Everyone feels cohesively connected “cause we all agree.” The problem with that is it separates even the closest of friends and family, and it is void of all the facts and all the truth. The problem with that, is its 100% NOT Biblical.
We live in the day of Matthew 10 and Luke 12; Parents against children, children against parents, friends against friends. The stronghold of deceit on the earth among mankind is huge. HUGE. Just because we THINK we are right, does not make us right. Just because you’re or my “group” thinks we are right, does not make you or me right. The majority in the world at this point, call evil good and good evil. It’s a slippery slope in which we all are on and it takes a willingness to communicate, to listen, to choose to understand, to stop being critical and needing to be right. It takes a man or woman with the heart of God to live 24/7 as Jesus has called us to live. At home, at work, at dinner, at the grocery store, everywhere, in all that we do and all that we talk about. A parent that takes the fall for their child or spouse and lies to protect them, is showing that child or spouse that sin is okay, and honesty conditional. A spouse that excuses sin, is making room for more sin. Setting a standard means doing as Jesus would do all the time, regardless of any circumstance. Thankfully, when we make a mistake, and even when we sin purposefully, we have the opportunity to repent and make things right with God and man. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. ALL.

There are two old sayings that I love. One is “The birds of the same feather flock together.” I don’t know what your mind does with that one, but I see that as a two-sided coin. One side good, one side bad. Flocking together with those that AGREE with you, can keep you on board and empowered with wrong beliefs and understandings. Gangs flock with their own, drug-addicted flock together, sports lovers flock together. Whatever our issues, we can go look for the support of like-minded people who will agree with us or we can step dangerously out and go look for the other side, or the other belief, of the “other” whatever. Only then will we find the truth. Our flocks can be good, but they can also aid us in staying in error. The good side of that coin is it is nice to belong and feel loved and cared about. That’s what a family should be to ALL their own. The other saying, I love comes from Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens Iron, so one person sharpens another. Now that’s love, even though it does not feel like love at the time it’s going on. Iron must be melted down in a hot furnace to softened in order to be sharpened. I am that, to my husband. I can tell you firsthand that initially, he hates it, but literally, every time we had one of those iron sharpens iron confrontations, he has come back and said thank you for helping him to be a better person. The person that allows the hard confrontations, the words of truth to penetrate their soul will be the one that God can use and the one that you know for sure has a heart for truth and for God. There are a lot of pretenders out there- this is one way to judge.

May God minister truth to us all today. You are deeply loved and cared about. God never leaves his children in their comfort zones, and it is because of that LOVE that He has for us all.

What if?

Quoting one of my favorite movies, “Letters of Juliet” are two words, “what and if.” Put them together and you have the question, what if? A question that is wise for 100% of us to be asking about everything and anything pertinent to our lives and situations.

What if there is really a God?

What if the Bible is really true?

What if this is a lie?

What if it isn’t?

What if God is able to bridge any gap?

What if I am the one that really does not understand?

What if I gave my life to Christ?

What if my fundamental thinking process is in error?

What if I misunderstood?

What if they are telling me the truth?

What if I made a mistake?

What if I owe someone an apology?

What if I have been looking at this wrong?

What if I have a common cold, and it’s not the Coronavirus?

What if there really is no reason for panic?

What if I really am not ignorant?

What if I am who God says I am?

What if I have been rude and disrespectful?

What if there is really a plan in this?

What if there really is a need for forgiveness?

What if there is a need to ask forgiveness?

What if diseases won’t come near me?

What if I choose to believe?

Pages and volumes could be filled with what-if questions on nearly every level and subject. My point for the What if question today is to hopefully cause that question to rise up in all of to the degree that we are willing to put down our self-righteousness and pride, and sincerely ask, “what if?”

Those words have the power to change everything, but only if we have the maturity and willingness to sincerely ask it.

What if?

It is Time

The purpose behind writing this blog comes from thoughts and the heartache that many of us feel in the remembrance of the over 6 million Jews that were murdered under Adolf Hilter between 1941 and 1945. We celebrated the liberation of Auschwitz, January 27, 1945, this week. According to history and the personal writings and speeches of Adolf Hilter, his claims of Ethnic cleansing was for the well-being of the people. He was so convincing in his daily charismatic broadcasts and speeches that people just liked the man. Why?

It could easily be a fictional story along with Star Wars, Narnia, and many others that we have read. But it is not. It happened. It is almost beyond comprehension that any society could be so passive and blind to just follow along and do nothing. Why didn’t they stop this evil man?

What we do know is that he told the same lie over and over and over again. The man was their leader; it sounded accurate and convincing. The people clearly had no foundation for truth, nor a moral compass that pointed due North.

America just celebrated the beginning of a new century, 2020. It is frankly downright scary listening to the news reports, and what is happening on social media. Our society is either naïve or just plain ignorant as we watch much the same rhetoric filled with lies, half-truths, exaggerations and falsehoods, all for political gain and money. Lies concerning our President, a push toward disarming our population of their gun rights that are upheld in the US Constitution, the prevailing attitude in the people that the government (and everyone else) owes them something. We have a society that will not take responsibility for their own actions. I could go on and on but won’t.

Much of our population supports the Democratic party. The democratic party is supportive of the same kind of genocide. Their constant babbling, saying the same things over and over again, have washed the brains of weak-minded people to believe their rhetoric. Evil has become good, and good evil in the world today. Six million Jews were massacred in the 1940s, and today we have a count of over 61 million aborted babies since Roe vs Wade. How can a decent person align themself with such evil?

Clearly, not everyone wants to know TRUTH, nor the FACTS of certain situations because it does not line up with what they WANT the truth to be. The Bible calls it evil for those who are knowingly participating, and those who are turning a blind eye to truth. Remember that doing nothing is still doing something; NOTHING. And our opinions have nothing to do with facts and truth. Our opinions are just that, opinions.

A more ACCURATE description concerning Hitler would be that he BRAINWASHED the people into thinking like he thought. He hated the Jewish people and he wanted everyone around him to hate them too. The people became so defensive of their leader that they followed him blindly. It has been 70 plus years since that time, and though we are somewhat more educated as a society, it is clear that a high percentage of Americans still blindly follow people, ideas, or the rhetoric that they present.

Look at the definition of Rhetoric.

rhet·o·ric

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques language designed to have a persuasive impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.

“Where rhetoric is using words in a clever way to persuade others to accept an idea, rhetoric is the use of words that include half-truths and untruth to purposely cause an emotional negative reaction, emphasize differences to an extreme, create bias, bigotry, and unrest.”

As I mentioned, this new decade brings with it some of the most horrendous political and media rhetoric that we have ever seen. Perhaps I should clarify myself in stating it this way, “their empty, lying, deceiving” rhetoric. The media has lost its way. Baby boomers remember well the name Walter Cronkite. He was the journalist America trusted to tell the truth and tell the facts. He stated the facts as they were and kept his opinion out of it. He was a gentleman and a professional. The media today, for the most part, is an embarrassing joke. Like it or not- regardless if you are a democrat or republican or somewhere in-between we’d be showing our stupidity to not admit that truth. There is so much data out there to prove facts and truth. Wanting to believe something does not make it true, and it is very dangerous.

Whether it is lies being told in Washington, DC, or lying rhetoric being told in a family, we are laying ourselves open to deep loss. It is a loss and wounding that has literally destroyed families, churches, governments, and society not to mention the eternal destination of people.

Self-deception in a family is the worst because there are no easy answers, except for the one involved in their “pretend life” comes face to face with the one that is truth; Jesus Christ.

Self-deception inside an abusive marriage is much the same. Until the truth is dealt with, or the one being abused finds a way to escape, there is little hope. The help that could be given cannot be given until someone is willing to hear the facts. Then resources can come into play.

Deception in the United States Congress is somewhat easier to deal with. Others on the inside and the American people can at least to some degree, hold their feet to the fire. It all depends on how deep the deception runs. As analysts have been actively uncovering what has actually been behind this small group of political liars that have been on an all-out attack on our President. Tell lies often enough weak people will start to believe them. That is their hope. It has become very clear that they have an agenda that is completely and utterly dishonest. Chuck Schumer (Democrat, N.Y.) wrote a compelling letter on the seriousness of Impeachment in 1999 during the Bill Clinton trial. Somehow he conveniently forgot what he said. We live in a day where facts are not allowed to stand. Opinions matter, but not facts and truth, and opinions do not have anything whatsoever to do with TRUTH.

We all search for hope. Honestly many of us wonder if things will improve in any area on this earth with the moral decay that has happened. There is a high possibility that it won’t, but I do know this; As we pray for our families, friends and society, we have to keep our eyes on the Lord. The prophetic writings of the Bible clearly indicate that things are going to get worse, and oh my… that is hard to deal with. So, we pray for those living in deception, and for the children that are held captive to their parents’ deception, and for our churches that are made up of families, and our society and government the same. I believe that God is not done with us yet, and together we can make a difference. Psalms 121 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

We pray for healing; healing in our families, churches, society, and government. If we’d all just deal with our own homes, our own neighborhoods, and families, we could make a difference. It’s hard to be proactive at times; honestly, its easier to turn a blind eye because evil people will make your life pure hell. BUT we are called to the truth no matter what and in all situations. “We lack true love when we refuse to address issues that are destroying people. “(John Bevere) I pray for God to raise up an Army that truly loves people and is willing to get their hands dirty. We know we will be hated, but that’s okay, so was our Lord. It is time to fall on our knees, and then roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Let Go, and Let God.

I entered this new year with some goals, one of those being that the month of January would be a time set aside for God. More prayer, more Bible study, more seeking the Lord for correction and understanding. My husband and I have been taking some classes at church. The first class turned out to contain an answer to a question I have been seeking for years. In one moment, it stood in front of me in the form of scripture that followed with teaching by the pastor. It is a scripture that you hear very little about; one that for me produces holy reverential fear.

I Corinthians 5:5 (from the Hebrew Bible)

“You are to turn such a fellow over to Satan for the destruction of his fleshly nature, so that his spirit (his eternal self) may be saved in the day of the Lord Yeshua.” This verse referenced Proverbs 23: 14, which says “Punish him with a rod and deliver his soul from Sheol (hell).

The chapter context of I Corinthians 5:5 is discussing a man that is being sexually immoral with his father’s wife. Proverbs 23:14 context is an instruction in how to raise and discipline your children.

I bring up the subject matters in both scripture because I want to always know that I am not taking a verse out of context. Presently I have done enough studying to be able to responsibly state that this type of correction is spoken of often, where there is a punishment set forth as instructed by God. In first Corinthians Paul (the author) is giving the instruction for the believers to give that person over to Satan. In Proverbs King Solomon (the likely writer) is instructing parents how to raise godly children. Proverbs is called the book of WISDOM.

The Bible says that all scripture is God-breathed, meaning though it was scribed by man, it was dictated (dictation) by God. Timothy 3:16-17 says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (v-17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

I was going to just quote a few scripture references, but I don’t want anything out of context or offend any reader that might feel I am doing that, so here is Matthew 18 out of the Hebrew Bible.

18:1 At that hour the disciples came to Yeshua, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

²And He called a child to Himself, set him in the midst of them, ³and said, “Amen, I tell you, unless you turn and become like children, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever then shall humble himself like this child, this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes one such child in My name, welcomes Me.

⁶“But whoever causes one of these little ones who trust in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and to be sunk in the depth of the sea! ⁷Woe to the world because of snares! For snares must come, but woe to that man through whom the snare comes!

⁸“And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It’s better for you to enter life crippled or lame than, having two hands or two feet, to be thrown into fiery Gehenna. ⁹If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It’s better for you to enter life with one eye than, having two eyes, to be thrown into fiery Gehenna. (Hell)

Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹⁰“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father in heaven. (¹¹)

¹²“What do you think? If a certain man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go looking for the one that is straying? ¹³And if he finds it, amen I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t stray. ¹⁴Even so, it’s not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

Restoring a Lost Brother

¹⁵“Now if your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault while you’re with him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.’ ¹⁷But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to Messiah’s community. And if he refuses to listen even to Messiah’s community, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.

¹⁸“Amen, I tell you, whatever you forbid on earth will have been forbidden in heaven and what you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven. ¹⁹Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.”

Lessons about Forgiveness

²¹Then Peter came to Him and said, “Master, how often shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²²Yeshua said to him, “No, not up to seven times, I tell you, but seventy times seven! ²³Therefore, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴When he had begun to settle up, a man was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵But since he didn’t have the money to repay, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶Then the slave fell on his knees and begged him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll repay you everything.’ ²⁷And the master of that slave, filled with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.

²⁸“Now that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii. And he grabbed him and started choking him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe!’

²⁹“So his fellow slave fell down and kept begging him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ³⁰Yet he was unwilling. Instead, he went off and threw the man into prison until he paid back all he owed.

³¹“So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply distressed. They went to their master and reported in detail all that had happened. ³²Then summoning the first slave, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³Wasn’t it necessary for you also to show mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed mercy to you?’ 34 Enraged, the master handed him over to the torturers until he paid back all he owed.

³⁵“So also My heavenly Father will do to you, unless each of you, from your hearts, forgives his brother.”

So what is my point? What did I learn?

Life is not easy. Even as Christians we deal with diseases, death, we see families dealing with suicide, drugs, alcohol, addictions of all sorts. Good and godly people deal with increasing hard things as we are on the count-down to our time on the earth. All this will come to an end. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden when sin entered the world, we have been on a downhill spiral.

Our earth has been polluted causing mutation/destruction of our water and food sources; Foods are preserved with unhealthy and disease-causing ingredients. The drug companies have become overly rich as they develop more and more drugs, most with serious side-effects. Yes, they save lives, and yes they change our bodies from generation to generation. Cholesterol drugs have been linked to Alzheimer’s and dementia, many chemicals are now known to cause cancer. Stress is at an all-time high level and living in this mess, is sometimes hard. With that said, it is not surprising anymore to see good God-fearing people die from cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, etc… It can be a blow to our belief system, and at times can be unnerving, to say the least. I don’t doubt Gods’ Word, I simply have come to terms with mankind’s ability to stand firm unwavering with so much pain and suffering. I have been a firm believer that God will in all cases heal, but I have been forced to back away from that because I live here, and I see what is taking place. That doesn’t mean Gods’ word is not true. As a breast cancer patient, I struggled with this issue. I know me, I know my heart, and I know that when I made Jesus LORD of my life, over 25 years ago, I went 100% out for the Lord and being a Jesus follower. Have I made mistakes? Yes, but quickly in every case, the Holy Spirit of God grabbed my attention, I repented and turned away from that mistake choosing to not do it again. My heart is 100% for God and for people. Yet, I was not healed. I opted out to act immediately and went through two years of 7 surgeries and 3 blood clots that almost claimed my life.

The Holy Spirit rose up inside me and reminded me of the stress levels I have lived in. He allowed me to see that not taking control of the stress, was totally on me. I had not yet learned how to use the tools of keeping stress out. There is enough data out that to give the medical scientist enough information to show that stress is at the root of breast cancer and a lot of heart disease. I had to swallow that hard pill. This information has not caused me to pull away from God or His word, it has caused me simply to dig deeper. In the very end what really matters is that we TRUST GOD and His ultimate plan. I have learned that God does not operate in our system. He is eternal minded and even at our best, we tend to forget that. In His kingdom to give is gain. In ours to give is to lose something. If I have a $100 and give $50.00 away, I am down $50.00. In His kingdom, we must die to live. In our earth kingdom, we live and then someday die. In His kingdom, when we close our eyes and take our last breath we simply transitioned to true life. Here, when someone dies, we say words like die, and dead like this person no longer exists. But they do. The question simply is, where?

The Bible says that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways. I Corinthians 5:5 is one of those scriptures where it just doesn’t seem like something a loving God would say; BUT, God sees it all from His kingdom eternal perspective. When HE instructs Christians to hand someone over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh, FOR the salvation of their soul, it actually is a very kind, loving and good act because God loves us, and cares more about our eternity than he does our earthly life. WOW. That was my revelation. It’s so deep that it is hard to comprehend. I guess he knew mankind didn’t at times have the sense to do life obediently until, and unless He backed us into the corner. I’d rather be backed into a corner any day than go to hell for an eternity separated from God and those I love.

Equally important is this. We MUST forgive. Forgiveness is not an option in the Kingdom of God. If we don’t forgive, we hand ourselves over to Satan and his kingdom to do as he wishes. In the case of Matthew 18, it was “The Master” that handed his servant over to Satan. The Master in that verse is parallel to represent God.

Have you ever seen anyone who goes from disaster to disaster? Ever seen a family where everything in their lives is filled with bitterness, hate, lies, gossip, pride, pretending to be what they are not, accidents, addictions, financial loss, health loss, bodily injury—over and over again? It is so heart wrenching when they won’t listen and continue in their pretend made-up life.

There are sad, sad times when nothing else makes any sense when you see this kind of destruction with its prevailing acts of loss and evil. In my lifetime I have seen this type of situation at the most, two times. I don’t think that it is terribly common, and maybe it is and I am just naive. When your family is so profoundly affected, you ask questions. Frankly, it is hard to even talk; our heart’s desire is to protect those we love even when all they have done is lie and trash you. It IS the LOVE OF GOD that leads a man to repentance and until recently I realized that there can come a time when the most caring and loving thing we can do is just step back and take our hands off as we acknowledge our helpless in helping one who year after year lives publicly a life of pretend, while inside their four walls is a sheer hell on earth. A home like that is filled with rage, abuse sometimes physically as well as mentally. It is often a place of brainwashing as the adults want their children to see like they see and believe like they want them to believe. Until the children become adults they do not even stand a chance to find the truth…and statistically, they rarely do. Just like Hitler turned the hearts and minds of a whole society through constant rhetoric, so homes and families go when the adult in charge is a purposeful deceiver.

Our hope must be maintained in God; He IS faithful, and He IS a good God. This situation has driven me to my knees for years. First and foremost, I know God demands me to judge myself- on a daily basis. It is not hard to love people that are so lost, especially if they are family. Love has power and life and we have every right to have HOPE. Prayer and intercession carry great power and helps to align whatever must take place to bring deliverance to our loved ones and friends. God loves them. Quite honestly friends, there is no good place to end this kind of nonfiction, so I will just close out saying I am yet again reminded that there does come a time when we are called to “let go, and walk away in the physical” Because we love so deeply none of us want to be a hindrance in God reaching them. Our job is to go deeper and deeper with God in intercession. It can hard, but we either trust God with our loved ones or we do not.

Taking it By Force Part 1

What a great scripture that we can all identify with. We have all suffered rejection and been harassed or made fun of because we are a Jesus follower. We do suffer the violence of the prince of the power of the air and the people that love this world and its ways. On the flip side, “the violent take it by force.” That’s us. To be violent in the Kingdom of God is talking about the relentless child of the highest God that will not give up winning their lost family and friends, calling healing in for those who are sick, bringing peace back to a broken marriage or family. Taking it by force may mean in part, losing sleep as you intercede for that one who is so tied up in spiritual blindness, praying for needs and situations of all forms. It is hard, it takes time, energy, emotions, and commitment. It is a lifestyle.

I started out this month with an emphasis on starting my year with the goal of more prayer, more Bible study. and more reading. I have been crying out to God for the lost in my family and know that many of you share the same heartfelt cry. I have also been crying out for myself to be more like Jesus as the devil has used various situations and people to bring that sting of rejection that many of us battle. It has been hard to comprehend why we have not had the answers to prayer that we need to be the whole, healthy and dynamic family that God called us to be. I have to be transparent in my weakness and pain and say that my particular situation has felt almost hopeless.

As I have been on my face seeking the Lord this New Year of 2020, my heart and mind have gone deep and centered in on the one that is lost. I seem to have this prayer under my breathe nearly continually that God will put the right discerning individual(s) in their path. Deception can be mastered with enough practice, and it takes someone directly connected to the spirit of God to “know” when you are standing before a person that has given themself over to the dark side. We all think we know certain facts, but I assure you that unless we were directly involved, and physically present chances are high we don’t know truth and facts in ANY SITUATION that involves others.

Stay in the Word (The Bible) daily. It IS a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. The Word will show us the way to navigate this painful path.
Stay in prayer. I don’t know about you, but I pray while cleaning the house, doing yard work, doing my hair and getting ready for the day; I pray while I am driving my car and doing grocery shopping. The attitude of constant prayer is essential. Countless times God has interrupted me and given me needed instruction.
Keep praise before your lips, and in your ears. Personally, I have had Hillsong playing on my devices at home almost 24/7. I want my physical house permeated with the presence of God.
Find one or two spiritually mature people that you can talk to. It is essential. If they are mature AND have the spirit of truth in them, they will listen, and always turn your heart back to that person in your family that is so lost. They won’t get in agreement with your hopelessness. The Bible says that it is the LOVE of God that leads a man to repentance. Sometimes love is mushy and sometimes love is hard and confronting. Loves motive is ALWAYS to bring unity and healing. ALWAYS AND IN ALL CASES. Setting aside time away from the abuse and lies may be necessary for God’s intervention. The sum total of what a “pretending person” does, when their whole life is bound up by the devil is BEYOND description. God may have us step back and release that person to be dealt with as HE sees fit. As “Mothers” that’s one of the hardest things in the world to do. It is Gods’ nature, therefore ours also, to huddle over, love and protect our chicks.
Forgive yourself. No mother or father is perfect. Many of us came out of homes where there was little to no teaching. Many of us really messed up life early on. We cannot love others or even forgive others until we realize that God loves us the same way that He loves them. There is another false doctrine about judging that is rampant in the church world today. It is a good idea to know the whole counsel of God, not just use a scripture at our convenience. The Bible does NOT say, not to judge. It gives parameters of judgment. (Read my next blog on “judging).” The Bible says we are not supposed to judge the world, because it has already judged itself. To see the wrongdoing in another person’s life who claims to be a Christian is necessary. (Matthew 18:15….. If your brother sins against you, go to him…. (read the whole chapter) We cannot go to our brother if we are not supposed to see his actions as sin. People call that “judging). We are to simply judge them no differently than we judge our self. God wants the scales of judgment balanced, not blind to sin. We are called to forgive them and forgive ourselves. We live in a crazy upside-down world, and there are all kinds of OPINIONS out there that can justify anything we WANT to believe. Make no mistake that the heart of God is to bring love, unity, and healing in all cases. God’s WILL is to draw all men/women in, not separate and have division. There has been so much damage in the church and by the church for their non-biblical counsel. (ie: we the people are “the church.”)
There are times when we have to have an unpleasant conversation, discussing unpleasant FACTS. Remember earthly facts are subject to change and we DO have a God of miracles; in the end, we must trust God’s final result. It makes no sense when someone that loves the Lord dies; when someone that loves the Lord gets breast cancer or gets dementia. BUT…the bottom line is trusting God and knowing He sees the big picture. Its simply time to sink into HIM, not abandon Him because He didn’t do things the way we thought He should. He is a good God all the time and we cannot know all the factors involved with any person. The Bible even says ONLY the spirit of the man, knows the man. (I Cor. 2: 11-13). God is God and there is no greater than He. It is impossible to please God without faith. Hope is the substance of things hoped for, but Faith is the action(s) behind our hope. When you feel like your chest is going to burst open with the pain, grab onto Hope and Faith. They WILL CARRY YOU THROUGH this storm.

I want to pray for you and your family, and I humbly ask that you would pray for me and my family. I believe that we can make a mighty force if joined together as one in agreement. The one that this message will speak to is the one that has a similar situation in their family. You may be the mother or father. You may be the son, or daughter, or grandparent, sister or brother. We understand the pain. We understand the deception that is almost mastered to the point that only the truly connected to the spirit of the living God will see. The Bible says that Jesus left the whole flock to find one that is lost. I for one, am praying that daily and thanking God that He is doing that now. Do I get discouraged? Oh yes. But in the end, we must acknowledge that our children were entrusted to us, and they really are HIS anyway. God’s heart is to restore, my job is to stay aligned. Will you pray with me?

Trial, Temptation, or Attack?

Have you ever been so slammed with circumstances and situations that you feel like you cannot stand it another minute? I have and must also admit these come somewhat frequently. Recently I was talking to someone about a hard situation they were going through; it seemed like an all-out war in the spirit world, coming against them. The consensus of our opinions was, “WOW the devil is going at you, non-stop.”

It seems that insight comes to me at night, a time when my mind is unfruitful and out of the way. When I woke up this morning, I had the thought, “are you sure this is an attack? or is it a trial?” That caused me to take a step back and pull my Bible out. Here is what I found in Gods’ living word. As a Warrior of almighty God we must know how to strategically fight. Who is the enemy? Where is the battle? or is this a test or am I am trial from my Father God?

James 1:13-15 (The Message Bible) concerning temptation;

13-15 Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood and becomes a real killer.

1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 (The Message Bible) concerning trials;

“ 3-5 (Paul wrote) God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you, we’re not after crowd approval—only God’s approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smokescreen to take advantage of you.

6-8 Even though we had some standing as Christ’s apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren’t aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you, dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.”

With that said, I pose the thought that it is essential to know if you are under attack, or if in fact, God is checking you out to see where you stand. It could be either one, a test, or a temptation. We live in evil times. People are under so much pressure, and like a catsup bottle, when you squeeze, whatever is in that bottle will be what comes out. The same is valid for people. Whatever is inside will come to the outside when we get squeezed.

We are human, and none of us are perfect nor fully mature. It is human nature, and sometimes even emotional survival to blame the devil, blame the boss, blame the spouse or family member that is acting out. But just what if? What if it is none of those things, and God has His eye on you for something that He needs you to do while living on the earth? What will your response be under pressure? Are you and I ready to carry the torch that God has called us to carry? God already knows that answer, but in His infinite wisdom, He knows that we need to know that answer. We will at some time be answering to superiors here on the earth, and how can we go forward if we don’t even have the confidence in our actions and reactions when the pressure hits.

God tested Paul, and God tested Abraham, the Father of our faith. God tested all those that had a call on their life. The Bible and all that it contains is truth, but the days of earthly life are not over. I believe our lives are part of the end of the story, so let’s make sure that we are not so quick to blame the wrong source. It can be empowering to grasp that our God loves us so much that He is making sure we are ready for what is ahead. We need to pass this test so that we can move forward to the next one. It is onward and upward in the Kingdom of God.

Life can be hard, but God is good. Sometimes we need to wrap ourselves in the arms of the one that loves us the most and remind ourselves that He promised that He would never leave or forsake us. Our power is in that relationship. He is Father God. Trust Him to correct you lovingly, trust Him when He said he has given us all power over the enemy. He partners with you, and it’s in HIS name that we defeat the enemy. It is all about Him, and none about us. Our part is to believe, to obey, and to trust. Is it the devil trying to stop you? Then it’s warfare time, and warfare happens with a very strategic action of staying in control, keeping old bad habits out, walking in love, and speaking to the powers and principalities of the darkness. It is an excellent experience when we have that deep down “know” that no matter what comes at us, we will still be safe in the care of our Father God. In that knowledge, we hold power that enables us to react to the hate of others, and the unfair treatment. It gives us the surety that when squeezed, self-control, kindness, love, and strength of who we are in Christ will be how we respond.

And hey, if you failed this test, ask God to forgive you; ask for his strength to enable you and pick up and do it right the next time. It’s just that simple. Father God is not looking to clobber you over the head with a two by four, but instead, surround you with HIS LOVE and HIS strength that enables us all to grow and expand in what He has called us to do.

Let’s pray for each other. Let’s stop talking about what they or we cannot do right, and major on the great God that can-do great things through humble and imperfect people. When you see your brother or sister in sin, pray. The traditional church deserves the bad rap that we have because we are about the only ones that attack their own. Let’s stop that on purpose. Let’s be the ones that steer the conversation to words that are uplifting and edifying. Church buildings have all kinds of names, but those buildings are not the church. WE are THE CHURCH. It’s way past time to put away the rationalizations of why we do what we do and just repent. Our families need healing, and the church won’t get their healing until families do. I suggest we keep it simple. Let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and turn from our wicked ways. We’d all be pleasantly surprised at how many of lifes’ attacks would stop if we’d just go back to basics and repent and change how we do what we do.

So… is it a temptation or a trial? Thank God for the tools HE gives us that are active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It’s all in the WORD and wielding the sword rightly.