Welcome Readers!


"Hello" to all my regular readers and those who are here for the first time!
I hope that this blog enlightens and encourages those who read it but I also hope that it will wake up those who have been asleep to the clock that is ticking within our beautiful nation and within the body of Christ. It is my goal to glorify our Lord and share the Truth with anyone who will listen!
I pray that the Lord will give you strength and courage each day to do His will and to glorify Him. It seems to be getting harder and harder these days to keep our heads above water, but He does promise us that He will not allow the waters to overtake us! Praise Him for that promise!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Who have we forgotten on Memorial day?

Each year, a few days before the Memorial Day weekend, television programs start to center around our veterans and the sacrifices that they have made for our country. We are able to hear stories about long-lost heroes, watch documentaries on America's history and participate in the patriotism that is celebrated this time of year. It is a time of reflection and remembrance. This year in particular has been somewhat emotional for me. I haven't had a loved one die in a war nor was I raised in a military family, but I am an American and as I watch the country which generations have fought for, deteriorate before my eyes, I begin to appreciate my country's godly history even more.

The one thing that is missing from most of the media coverage is the fact that we were blessed with victory and success from God. It is because of His hand of protection that America has thrived and prospered. As we cut our ties with the Lord God Almighty, the security and strength that He has afforded us is removed. If we think for a minute that we can remove Him from our schools, court systems, public buildings and our most of all our government and not pay a price, we are sadly mistaken. As I watched some of the programs on TV this week that depicted our country's history, I was amazed at the odds which America faced to defeat the British. Yet, thanks to God fearing leaders, we did. God promises in His Word that He will prosper those who abide by His laws and follow His leading. As we stray from the faith that our founding fathers exemplified, we head down a path of destruction and I fear for our future.

Most of the time, the problem seems overwhelming to me. I wonder what I can do to help, to not allow the fallen men's lives go to waste. A daunting task it seems, but a few things came to my mind. First of all, we need to never forget that this nation IS a godly nation, even though it isn't acting like it. Secondly, we can make a difference by being involved and not just sitting on the sidelines: Vote, join local organizations, write to your representative and PRAY! And last but not least, choose to live a godly life: Don't participate in sinful activities, boycott corrupt and dishonest businesses, stand for godly values and morals and continue to seek God's will in your life. He will never lead you down a road of unrighteous behavior or actions. If those who claim to be God fearing Christians follow these guidelines, no matter how ungodly our country becomes, God's hand of protection may remain; if not, we haven't a chance.

GOD, BLESS AMERICA!

Psalm 33:12, Proverbs 14:34, Deuteronomy 6:3

Monday, May 24, 2010

Spring Cleaning

I guess organizing is on my mind these days. Yesterday I cleaned out a closet that I use to store miscellaneous items in and every so often I go through it and thin things out. It amazes me that I can see things differently in just a few months; items that I thought I absolutely needed awhile back are now considered donations for the local charity. As each day, week, month and year of life passes by, our circumstances and needs change and so do our tastes and desires. This fact is reflected by the things that we may sort through from time to time. This is also a truth of our walk with the Lord. The Bible study that I am involved with has a number of faithful women in it who have been attending for years. I don't mean three or four years but fifteen and twenty years and some even longer than that! As we share about the things that we are learning and how God is growing us up, we find that even though we may have previously completed a particular study, new truths continue to be revealed to us as we go through it again. I am learning that God is into spring cleaning as well!

Just like in my closet, I find things in my spiritual life that I had never really noticed before. "Oh. Where did that come from and do I really need it in my closet (life)?" Or, "Gosh I really used to enjoy that pass time, but I don't think it is something that I will continue to do so let's get it out of here." Can you relate, not only to the closet but to your spiritual condition? God is so good to allow us to clean house a little at a time. He never just backs up the dump truck and says "OK. Let's get you cleaned up today!" He knows that we would never be able to handle that any more than I would be ready to clean out everything in my closet. I have emotional ties to some of my "stuff". I am not ready to say goodbye to all of my pet sins. In fact I don't even notice all of them. He is so faithful to just clean us out a little at a time. It can still be painful when He points to something and says that it's time to say goodbye, but most of the time I am ready for the freedom that comes from allowing those things to be removed from my storage closet. And you know what? It's not too long before I realize that I don't even miss those things.

What areas of your life are becoming cluttered with useless habits or hobbies? Do you smoke? Maybe it's time to let go of that! Think of all the benefits! Do you spend too much time watching TV or on the computer? Maybe you waste money that could be better spent helping others? How about your language? Do you use words or expressions that you may not use if a child was present or better yet Jesus? (By the way, He IS present with you in His Spirit!) It doesn't matter what God may be pricking your heart about, I am sure that He IS convicting you of something right now that needs to be discarded. Will you choose to do some spring cleaning and allow God to bless you with the freedom that comes with letting go of the clutter? Fall isn't too far away and the process will start all over again!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Recycle Bin

Typically I am not someone who digs up my past failures or sins only to live them over and over again. Usually I let the past be the past and get on with things. That is of course, as long as it's in MY past. I may not be so quick to let those things go in someone else's past...but I am working on that! Anyhow, I attend a Bible study that met today and one of the ladies mentioned that she is someone who has a tendency to relive her past and struggles with letting the forgiven sins go by the wayside. Her comment caused me to consider this and to visualize what this may look like. I pictured the recycle bin on my computer and thought about how when you delete something, you have the opportunity to retrieve it again unless you empty the recycle bin; in which case it is lost for good..."So long!" I like to keep my recycle bin emptied regularly. Why hang on to those things and allow them to take up valuable space on my hard drive? Our past sins and failures may quite possibly become just like items in the recycle bin.

Which type are you? Are you cautious to not empty the RB (recycle bin) too quickly just in case you made a mistake and deleted something important? Maybe you are like me and are in a hurry to remove trash that is cluttering up your memory. If you are the latter then you probably don't struggle too much with your past, which frees up your time to organize and de-clutter not only your computer but your house, your husband's garage and the kids' rooms, just to name a few areas that probably need your assistance! However, if you do tend to revisit the RB on a regular basis and just can't bring yourself to clean house regularly then you and the Lord need to talk!

God promises believers in His Word that He forgets our sins as far as the east is from the west. If you are traveling east, will you ever catch up with the west? No, you won't...ever. That is God's point. He will never bring up your past sins or failures because He chooses to forget them. When Christ died on the cross, He carried the weight, humility, guilt and shame of every sin you, me, the mailman and the rest of the world ever committed; from the beginning of time to the end! They have been paid for in full and there is nothing that you can do to bring them back to God's mind. So, why hang on to the pain and guilt from them in your own life if God has already moved on? Possibly it is a spiritual battle that Satan, our long-lived enemy is waging with you hoping you will feel inadequate for God to use or causing you to question your salvation. Another option is that you don't feel that Jesus' death was sufficient to pay the price for your sins because they were just too horrific. Well never fear, which ever the case God will and does prevail! Satan can't use the past against you unless you allow it and Jesus' death WAS sufficient for even the worst of sins. Do you realize that if Hitler acknowledged Jesus as his Lord and savior prior to his death that he would be in right relationship with God?

Recycle bins have their purpose on your computer. I myself have retrieved things from mine a time or two, but we don't need them in our relationship with the Lord. As you take your sins to God, you are hitting the delete button once and for all, and so is God. With Him, there is no RB to have to empty or that will allow your nasty mistakes or bad decisions to linger for a later day when you are tempted to revisit your past. So will you trust in the work that Jesus did on the cross and believe that it was a complete and final payment for your sins? Because it was! And the next time that you are tempted to go digging through the trash ask the Lord to remind you of His love and forgiveness and delete that trash from your life once and for all!