I TRUST GOD

What is the most important question to ask yourself about God?  It's not whether you believe in God. Even demons believe in God.  Satan was one in the very presence of God and still rebelled.  It's not whether you love God.  Love as we understand it today is a warm fuzzy feeling.  Love is fickle as we see by our country's divorce rate.  The question is DO I TRUST GOD? Trust more than love is essential in a RELATIONSHIP. God desires relationship with us. He wants friendship and family with us.  That's why He gave us earthly families.  If you are lucky, you had a Dad or someone that you knew would protect you to the death.  Someone who would love you no matter what you'd done.  Who kissed boo boo's and would give the world just to see you smile. Someone who if they disciplined you, you knew it was still love.  Someone you trust. DO I TRUST GOD when it's hard? DO I TRUST GOD when the answer is no? DO I TRUST GOD when obeying Him hurts? DO I TRUST GOD when it's my children? DO I TRUST GOD when it's a terminal diagnosis.  DO I TRUST GOD with my last dime? DO I TRUST GOD to defend me?  To vindicate me? To lead me? To hear me? To love me? To defend me? DO I TRUST GOD? Do you?  If you don't know and I didn't for a loooong time you can.  Trust him just a tiny bit.  Mustard seed faith. He will show you miraculous things.  And one day you will know that you know that you know that God is faithful and true. Ask me.  I'll tell you why I TRUST GOD.

He wouldn't let me go

There was a time that I wanted God to release me. I kept failing Him. I couldn't get my act together. I just had a vision of what that must have looked like spiritually. You ever seen an unwanted hug. It kinda looks like a fight with one person holding on and the other pushing away.  He wouldn't let me go first because he loves me and second because (from Matrix 2) some promises can't be unmade. I was sealed and given the Holy Spirit. It had not been and is not always easy, but years ago I stopped fighting the hug. I just stood there because I didn't know what to do. In the last 18 months I've learned to lean into that hug and hold on like everything depended on it. Because it does. He's my Father and the immovable Rock I cling to when the world goes crazy. Ask me about it. I would love to tell you.

The end is only the beginning--My experience

I have had a tremendous fear of death since I was a child. During my childhood people just disappeared and I was told they died. There was no cancer or heart attacks or strokes and there were no funerals. We may not have attended funerals because we didn’t have a car when I was growing up. It may have been because my mother was trying to shield us from death. So I always imagined people falling into a peaceful sleep forever. As you might imagine this naïve perspective could not last long. I watched a movie on Nostradamus and became terrified of dying in a nuclear attack. End of innocence.

Next was my closely related fear of hell. Because of some of the poor choice I had made in my life and because of what I had been taught about salvation, I was in constant fear that I would go to hell when I died. Some of my blogs will explain why I found it incredibly unfair that I would have survived so much only to go to hell.

Last year my aunt died after a short battle with lung cancer. She was in her early 50′s. The year before that my daughter’s boyfriend struggling with kidney failure died of a massive heart attack at 25 before my granddaughter was born. My little brother died in his 20′s. My very good friend from high school had a massive heart attack in her early 30′s. If you are fortunate, you die in your sleep at a good old age. In reality it may be a car crash, a capsized boat, a brain eating amoeba, AIDS, Cancer, heart attack, stoke, a hit and run, a gunman’s bullet as you pump gas, or thousands other causes.

The bottom line is WE ARE ALL DYING.

How do I respond to that? That depends on your belief system. If I believed that there was no God and no heaven and no hell, death would be more frightening to me. It would be a matter of just ceasing to exist. I would mean my life was essentially a long walk on a short pier that will unexpectantly drop off and I will disappear. That would mean this life is it.

I believe that all the people I’ve lost are not lost. They are not even lost to me. I know that I’ll see them again. My growing faith is making so many things clearer for me. I do not fear death anymore and I’m trying to raise my children not to fear it either. My son at 9 or 10 said it best. He said I don’t fear death, I fear dying. I fear dying in pain and fear. I fear dying badly. But I don’t fear death. The transition is what causes the fear. The unknown is what causes the fear. There are things I do know. I know that death is not the end. I know that Jesus purchased my eternity and I will see Him face to face one day. I know that I have a Father that loves me whose presence I will be in forever. I know I will spend far more time in my eternal life than I will have in this earthly one. No sickness and no sadness. This live will seem like a memory in the light of eternity.
Please pray for my friend and my sister in Christ, Joan.

Be blessed.

The Christian Chronicle: He walks like a Christian, calls like a duck

The Christian Chronicle: He walks like a Christian, calls like a duck

If we are the Body...

I'm only just realizing the benefits of being the church, the bride of Christ and the body of Christ, and children of God. We are co-heirs with Christ. We have the Holy Spirit of God WITHIN us empowering us to fulfill His purpose. We are disciples of God. I am realizing more and more that whatever Jesus did on this earth is what we need to be doing as our PRIMARY function and our priviledge. My roles as wife, mother, employee, member of my forever family (local congregation) are opportunites to reflect Jesus and to lead others to him or encourage the body.

Coming back to the Heart of Worship

Worship -- I've been guilty of being a little obsessive in relationships (real or imaged). It goes like this: I wake up and I think of him. All through the day I wonder what kind of food he liked or what sports and music he liked or just what he was doing. When I do something, I wonder what he would think about it. I tell everyone about about how great he is. And then (if he knows I'm alive, lol) it's over. What if I worshipped God like I worshipped my crush of the day in high school. What if God was the first thing I thought of in the morning and the last thing I thought of at night? What if I spent time wondering what God thought and what His will is? What if I thought about what God would think of my actions before I acted? What if I told everyone how great our God is? What if worship is not about Sunday or Wednesday or music? Romans 12:1 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Maybe our life is our Worship. BE BLESSED.

Bible app

Do you have the Bible App? I love it, and I think you would too. Here's the link: http://bible.com/app

Children and psychiatric diagnoses

And how many adults would be more productive had their psychiatric illness been diagnosis in childhood? How many children suffer today because their parents have undiagnosed disorders? We only hear about these things after a major tragedy like a child's abuse ending in death, a suicide or  mass shootings . For every one of these tragedies, there are children suffering that will never make headlines. That said, some children would benefit more from a lovingly administered spanking than all the Adderal in the world. Kids drugged into oblivion are certainly easier to parent. In conclusion, we must always be mindful of those whose circumstances we can't really relate to. And those of us who can relate to specific stuggles such as mental disorders, addictions, children with behavior problems, hoarding tendencies, wherever, can be such a blessing to others who are going through these things as well by bring honest in our struggles. Be blessed.

Hearing God's voice

It's an important note that as sure as God speaks to you, so does Satan. It may be easier to give an example of that because while I believe you have to be familiar with God to hear him or know if he is speaking to you, satans lies are usually loud and clear. Psychiatrists would probably call it "negative self talk". But we are familiar with times that we make a mistake and we hear accusations saying we are so "enter your favorite insult". Or that you'll never be smart enough good enough, etc. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. If he can convince you that you're not worthy of love he can keep you from accepting God or anyone else's love. God is the whisper reminding you of his words and his promises and his faithfulness. He's the one that allows you to be calm in chaos by reminding you the your God commands the wind and rain. He reminds you that you are not powerless or alone because you have his spirit with you. Knowing his word helps you recognize his voice and is a weapon against the lies of Satan.

The Gospel according to the Duck Commander

Watch "Duck Commander - Preachin' Hard - ShellShocked Outdoors" on YouTube

Who are you trying to please?

Who are you making decisions to please? I'm started a new program today to refine and solidify my answer. I want to say the answer is 100% God but not so much some days. In most areas of my life I just do whatever my flesh says. Extra piece of cake? Sure, flesh. Does he need a piece if my mind? I'm on top if that, flesh. Hit the snooze button again? Can do,flesh. Put it on credit? Done,  flesh. I often talk about running my thoughts and actions through a God filter. Is it helpful to others? What would Jesus do? Is God being glorified? This is day one in yielding my will and flesh to God. Be blessed.

A new take on an old parable

I was walking down a dirt road.  And I saw a person lying there unconsious and bleeding.  I ran to that person and I saw my enemy.  She was a lady who hurt me at every turn.  She stole from me.  She lied to me.  She slandered my name for her own amusement.  She did not see me but I looked down at her dying form and I didn't know what to feel.  Then I heard a voice saying, "Take her home and nurse her back to health."  I looked around to see who was talking but there was noone around.  It was the voice of God.  In the most reverent voice I could muster I asked , "What!!??".  I told God I'd call her a doctor.  He repeated, "Take her home and nurse her back to health." God said to take her home, lay her in my bed, dress her wounds, feed her and bathe her until she was well.  Because God must have forgotten the bitterness between this lady and myself, I commenced to explain it to Him.  I explained that I was not fair that I be asked to do this with all the bad blood between us.  I explained that she would in no way do the same for me.  To do this would not be reasonable or rational. 
God said to me "I've had this conversation before.  My Son asked if the cup of suffering could be passed from Him.  But I saw his human heart. In His humanity, My Son wondered why He would do this for the very people who would nail him to a cross.  His humanity cried at the unfairness of it all.  Many would not appreciated His sacrifice.  Many more would use His name for evil purposes. But My will was clear.  Jesus would purchase from eternal damnation all that would be saved by his very body, blood and life. Jesus' answer was yes and He humbly obeyed the will of His Father.  I ask you, daughter, would you save this my other prodigal daughter with your hands and with your home and with your heart as your Brother Jesus did for you.  What say you?"
   

Keep your head up, sisters.

To my sisters just making it through one day at a time, you are valuable and you are loved. You can't imagine what joy and peace are waiting for you on the other side of surrender. All those things you're heart yearns for, God is. Be blessed.

Religious attendance can lower risk of depression

Religious attendance can lower risk of depression

We are in this thing together.

Ok. I was about to make a sarcastic comment on a post. It was going to be that I hate when people make generalizations about groups of people. It may be based on race, religion, ethnicity or political beliefs. There us a word when we paint ALL of a certain group with the same brush. It's called prejudice. There is however a couple if things we all have in common: we are created in the image of God, He loves us, and He REQUIRES that we love each other. Be blessed.

Do you believe in magic

I have always been fascinated with the supernatural.  However, I was raised in the church.  I have always known that witchcraft and the occult were not to be dabbled with.  Only recently, however, have I been able to reason why I was so fascinated by it.  It goes way back so please be patient with me. :)

In the midst of my abuse and the aftermath, I developed a vivid fantasy life revolving around a family unit with powers and total dedication to each other.  "We" had the power to change shape and breathe underwater.  We were also very wealthy.  This was a direct contrast to my feelings of powerlessness, betrayal, un-loveliness, poverty.

In addition there were a number of television shows that combined family values and humor with the supernatural. "Bewitched", "The Munsters" and "The Addams Family" showed those same attributes:  close families with comfortable lifestyles and magic.  I was about 10 and wanted to marry Gomez Addams.

Fast forward 20 years and the paranormal fiction like  "Twilight" and "Vampire Diaries" as well as paranormal erotic literature can be purchased at bookstores or watched on television or in theaters.  Why?  What is the lure?  What are some of the lies magic tries to sell us?

Control

Lie:  
Magic controls You can tell the future. Mind control.  Control of the environment.

Truth:
Only God is in control.  Even our creator does not take away our right to choose our direction. However, one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control. Give control of your life to an all-knowing God who loves you. 

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Power

Lie:
Supposedly it can create wealth, love or a different destiny. You can go from powerless to powerful.

Truth:
There is power in God through Christ.  The power of the Holy Spirit. 

Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"

Ephesians 3:14-15 "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man

Life

Lie:
The lure of long life.  Avoiding death.  Life after death. A stronger powerful body.

Truth:
The lure of long life
John 5:24 (NKJV)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life

Avoiding death
Revelation 20:6 (NKJV)
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Life after death
I Thessalonians 4:16 (NKJV)
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

A stronger powerful body
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (NKJV)
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Put your faith in God not "magic". Be Blessed.

 

OUR FATHERS PART 2

Our Fathers



From "Daughter" by John Mayer

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

What I'm writing about will not be a new thought. It will not be rocket science.

FATHERS ARE IMPORTANT. 

The ideal father disciplines. Did your father disciple fairly? At all?
Proverbs 23:13-15 (NKJV)Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell. I do not advocate beating children with rods. Discipline of any type without equal part love and compassion will fail and is probably abuse. But a spanking or "negative reinforcement" did not harm generations of children. But a lack of spanking has.
Proverbs 13:24 (NKJV) He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly

The ideal father has your best interest in all things.
Proverb 4:3-6
³ When I was my father’s son,
Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
⁴ He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live.
⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you

Fathers are not perfect and make mistakes but the ideal father does the best in his power to provide the best for his family. Do you trust your father? Would you trust your father even if you did understand the decision? Do your trust God completely? Do you trust Him when the answer is wait or no? Do you trust him with your finances? Your marriage? Your life? Your children's life? Your eternity?

But our fathers no matter how great, bad or absent are not God. Whereas our fathers do the best within their power, God is perfect. He is omnipotent (all powerful). He is omnipresent (ever present). He is omniscience (all knowing). He is love. 1 John 4:8(NKJV) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

So in conclusion, to fathers, who you are to your children may have eternal implications.

 

To children in need of fathers, God is the father to the fatherless. Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

Be Blessed.

OUR FATHERS PART 1

Our Fathers

From "Daughter" by John Mayer

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

What I'm writing about will not be a new thought.  It will not be rocket science. 

FATHERS ARE IMPORTANT. 

It is no coincidence that God is referred to as our Father.  Because God's thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9), he often uses natural things to help us understand spiritual things.  Remember the parables spoken by Jesus.  The structure of the tabernacle and the sacrifices for sin. 
And the family. 

A mother's bond with a child begins before birth in a way that fathers can not experience. Proximity and pain create a nearly unbreakable bond.  Consequently, a father has to play catch up.  And the bond tends to be less so.  Let me qualify that by stating this has been my experience and observation. 

I believe that the attributes of our fathers' are those we later project onto God.

The ideal father loves unconditionally.  Do you feel unloved by your father? God? Do you feel that you have to earn your father's love? God's?  Read about the love of the prodigal son's father (Luke 15:11-32).

The ideal father provides. Do you feel comfortable asking your father to meet your needs?  Do you have trouble praying to God?  Luke 11:11-13 reads " ¹¹ If a son asks for bread^[d] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

The ideal father protects. Did your father make you feel safe? Do you feel like God is interested in you personally?
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17


Be Blessed and stay tuned for Part 2 begining with discipline.

WE ARE THE CHURCH!!!

The hurting world needs to see us at our most vulnerable. We need to tell people "and this is what God delivered me from." Church should be a place where people broken and beaten by the world and their own sin can drag their filthy rages and hopeless spirits to a place where they can be spiritual (and or physically) fed and bandaged and loved and accepted and led to the only thing in the world that saves, heals, protects, delivers, restores and leads to everlasting life...the Son of God, Jesus.  

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 


 

I don't mean the building. Are you a beacon to those hurting? Do you see those who are unlovely to look at but beloved of God with compassion? Do you go places that you may not be wanted and be subjected to ridicule for the sake of being whatever is necessary to bring one lost person to the truth?

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (New King James Version)

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

I don't and I should. I was there not so very long ago. I pray that God grants me opportunities to step outside my comfort zone and be willing to be used to bring hope to someone.

Christianity and Depression (as well as other psychiatric, personailty or addiction disorders) Part 1

Matthew 5:29-30 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

I have struggled with depression since I was about 10 years old.  I have had thoughts of suicide since I was about 12.  I had fits of rage.  I'd sleep 12 hours a day and spend most of the remaining 12 locked in a fantasy world fueled by TV, books or my on rapidly deteriorating imagination. 

When I became a Christian, I though that all of that would end....immediately.  And when it didn't I doubted my salvation and questioned whether I was too far gone to be forgiven. 

I think Christians should have a mentor for the first year.  A sponsor if you will.  Someone to tell you what to expect.  Someone to call when the demons attack (and they attack bad starting the moment you get out of the water). 

So. I'm a Christian but I'm so depressed that I can barely function. I'm still angry.  I don't behave like a Christian.  I'm trying to please everyone and I am failing. 

I try therapy.  But I'm a people pleaser and although I initiate the therapy, I am not honest.  I understate all my feelings trying to please the therapist.  But I begin taking antidepressants.  They help. 

There are some Christians that believe that if I pray hard enough and with enough faith, I would be healed.  They believe that using outside help shows a lack of faith.  I would suspect that these Christians have never experienced debilitating depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or other psychiatric illness or addiction.

This is what I believe. Based on the scripture above, Jesus would suggest that we should destroy a part of our body that God gave us in order to preserve our soul. 

Here's a joke..

The flood was coming and word was sent to evacuate. One farmer sat on his porch and told the rescue team. "I'm waiting for God, He'll save me." Soon the water rose and the farmer was forced to the second story of his house. The rescue boat came but he told them. "I'm waiting for God He'll save me." Soon the farmer was forced to the top of his roof. The rescue helicopter came but he told them. "I'm waiting for God, He'll save me." The water rose and the farmer drowned. On his arrival in heaven he asked God, "Why didn't you save me? I waited for you but you never came." God replied. "I came three times."

 

Sometimes God uses natural laws and humans to achieve his supernatural purposes. This does not minimize or exclude the existence of supernatural healing. 

Psychiatric drugs can be an aid but only Jesus is the answer.  

Jesus knows our heart and if our heart loves and seeks to please Him, He knows it.

When we get our resurrected bodies we won't have to worry about physical or mental limitations anymore.