Stinking Hard

For our struggle is not against flesh & blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  ~ Ephesians 6:12

Have you ever wondered why life has to be so stinking hard sometimes? Do you know that for some, this holiday season and every holiday season will be the worse time of their year?  Do you also realize you have an enemy of your soul who would like nothing better than to kill, steal, and destroy you?  We are in a constant spiritual battle with Satan and his host of minions.  These dark warriors are behind every attack of the evil one through prosecution of your Christian faith, evil deeds that we don't understand and the constant mind games of doubt played between your own two ears.  They are in charge of bringing you down at all costs!  As your day unfolds and bad things happen: you get into a heated argument, or your mind fills up with doubt over who you are, or you find yourself in constant conflict with an otherwise friendly coworker - STOP!  Understand what is going on - you are at war!  Call it out!  Call on the army you have awaiting to help and take charge!  You may not always feel it, but you are living in a war zone and you need to be the Commander of your own will and mind as to not let the Enemy get ahead and take charge.  Take notice!  Read the Word, pray constantly and give thanks for the many victories! ~ Amen

Called Believers

But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. ~ Psalm 3:3

Believers are called to walk in God's will for each one and to lift our heads high knowing that we have protection all around us.  "Shield" is meant as God's protection, but when you are walking outside of God's will, you may feel vulnerable and your head may feel heavy, over-burdened, worrisome and just plain downcast.  God will always be there for us no matter how our conflicts confront us, or even when we decide we can do this life on our own and don't need him.  Rejoice!  God is our ever present protection and help if we will call on him to lift us back up!  Committing sin is bound to happen.  To forget that we need him daily will sometimes happen. We are not perfect, but he knows that for he created us and he still loves us unconditionally!  Turn to our Heavenly Father and receive his help and grace so that you may lift your head high!  My constant reminder to my boys is that they are a prince of the Most High King!  A son of the Most High God!  Never forget that and hold your head up high!  Remember that you are a great treasure and rest in his grace.  He gives us ultimate victory! ~ AMEN

This Walk

This is how we know we are in Him:  whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.  
~ 1 John 2:5-6

Do you walk with Jesus everyday?  Do you show love, compassion and forgiveness?  Look at yourself and the company you keep to make sure your life lines up with Christ's, especially if you claim to be his faithful follower so as not to be called a hypocrite.  Do you talk the talk AND walk the walk?  Remember that your actions speak volumes louder than your sometimes careless words.  Look closely at your heart and examine your lifestyle for both must be red hot for the Lord; lukewarm is not allowed according to Revelation 3:16 - "So because you are lukewarm-neither hot, nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  See the example, study His word and pray for a revival in your soul - to treat people as the Lord would and to love them without passing hurtful judgement.  Notice that even our Lord was tempted in the desert by our evil adversary, so why wouldn't we be?  Hold tight, pray and conquer!  Trust that if you know Him, live in Him and follow His mighty ways, you also will be able to stand firm as a witness against Satan and as a mighty warrior and child of God.  Walk with Jesus everyday, no questions asked.  AMEN. ~

Lying Tongues

"O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for the wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues." ~ Psalm 109:1-2

This is a hard Psalm for me to thoroughly understand.  One part of me says, 'Hey, you better be careful with your words and the gossip, you don't want someone praying this about you'; then another part asks, 'Yeah, but this kind of appeal and cry out to God is not what he listens to, I mean, after all, God is love, not a God of mean spirited justice, right?'" But I DO think this is a plea for God to shut the mouths of wicked and downright deceitful mankind, and I DO think he can and does sometimes "shut" things, not just mouths, up.  Sometimes I think we forget that even God gets angry and that even though He is a merciful, gracious and loving God, he also HATES certain things about mankind that we have turned over to the "world".  Please notice the supernatural difference - He hates ABOUT mankind, those things the Destroyer has influenced, but GOD CANNOT HATE  MANKIND for that would be hating a very part of HIS own image.  Satan has a sharp two edged sword and uses people to be unrelenting in their trouble making lies and false accusations about you, me, and others that you love.  This is often a direct hit when we are winning for the kingdom of God and our Adversary HATES our progress.  We must stand steadfast and keep on with great perseverance "the race marked out for us" for our Almighty King!  Watching and guarding our tongues is a great place to start! ~ AMEN

Atoning Sacrifice

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. ~ 1 John 2:1-2

John knew that even born again Christians would sometimes stumble with sin.  Surprise, surprise!  He knew that if sneaky Satan can get into our susceptible minds that a lot of damage and discouragement could be, and still can be done.  We need to remember that we are no longer alone in our journey against the evil one's tasteless tactics, that in fact, it says in the bible that our Savior was tempted "in every way" by the devil.  He understands!  He came down to the earth as a sinless and perfect man to take all my wretched shame so that I could be forgiven every time I foul up (which is often enough). We have a great, merciful and gracious Savior!  I try my hardest not to fall into the many traps that Satan has lined out for me on a daily basis, but when I do fall, I need to remember that I have the greatest Advocate on my side who has loved me with open arms and a fierce passion wrapped up in unconditional love (unlike me, unfortunately, but I'm working on it)  for me from even BEFORE my birth.  Even when I make the decision to turn my back on him and  follow the world, or slimy Satan, I have a way back into relationship with God through Jesus Christ and when I come to him he is always waiting and willing to accept me right back. For that I will be eternally thankful. ~ AMEN

Our Image

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

We are made in God's image!  You, me, everybody!  Did you catch that?  Read it again - WE ARE MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE!  I am not a product of evolution; I was created by a Master Creator to have relationship and fellowship with Him.  "Evolution" would suggest that I have "evolved" from something, or become better over time; whereas "creation" and being "created" means I have been specially thought about, poured over uniquely, fashioned, fit and formed together to be a special creation all my own.  I am a unique design.  There is no one else like me.  I may have the same characteristics, features, bone structure, but my DNA is different than yours, or anyone elses' and my relationship with God is meant to be the same way - Special!  We are special!  We are unique!  I was lovingly thought of before being put on this earth, and so were you!  Evolution would have us believe otherwise; you are just something that came to be without any real thought, that you are what nature intended and there was really no reason for my existence.  NO!  I am to become what my Creator intended!  A Masterpiece. A work of art.  Not a happenstance, but a work of immeasurable love, thought, fortitude and insight; a being to love and to be loved.  Not only have I been made in God's "image", but also in his "likeness" so that I may have fellowship with God and respond and give Him praise daily.  Both male and female were created in God's likeness so that we could show Christ's love for all humanity no matter color, race, gender, political status, ethnicity and dare I say, sexual orientation/preference.  Incredibly, we were all made in God's image and likeness and we need to love each other as Christ first loved us.  I am a special part of His plan and a creation of His.  People are precious!  We are his first priority, and He should be ours as we learn to reflect His image back to him.  ~

Given Rule

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  ~ Genesis 1:26

While everything on this planet and in the universe was created by God, we humans hold a significant part in the Master plan.  There is no other species of plant, nor animal that can say with certainty that they were made in the image of our loving Father.  God made us not only to praise Him, but we were given dominion and rule over the animal world and charged to take stewardship and pride in his creation of Earth.  However, we must be careful!  I have seen two extremes to our charge:  1) That we can bring ruin and destruction to God's creation for no apparent reason, or 2) That we put the rest of God's creation as our equal, or even a higher priority then the human race.  Both are wrong!  Since creation is part of God's glory, we need to treat it as such, but let's never forget that the human race is His crown jewel that he sent his son to die for!  We should be servants to each other first and foremost and we should protect each other first and foremost. We should be fighting for our neighbors rights just as much as we fight for the rights of animals.  In fact, dare I say, we need to be sure we are showing the same grace and care to each other and the human race as we would to our planet and the animal world, but to many times the planet and animal world are given priority over us.  Remember who you are, a child of Christ, and you should treat others with the same respect and dignity.  All in all, let's not forget that all creation deserves our best!   ~ AMEN

Perishable Seed

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."  ~ 1 Peter 1:23

Words are extraordinary.  They can bring life, or death.  They can lift up, or tear down and they have the unique ability to bring tears of joy, or of overwhelming sadness.  They are the hardest "things" to hold on to as sometimes they wield their way out of our mouths before we have the opportunity to shut our often to flippant lips.  When used properly, words can inspire instrumental thought and power and build up a child's confidence to monumental heights.  God's word, or words, as in the Bible, are that much more important - life giving!  Alive and just as active today as the day they were spoken and recorded, God's words have given his children many profound promises and God breathed seeds of wisdom.  The holy word tells us of an everlasting love and a grace that knows no bounds and teaches us how to be born again through Him.  Let's learn His words; words of wisdom, love, grace and truth that can not be matched in a dieing world.  I don't want to be silent about his truth, for someone out there could be saved by his enduring words and could be given a fresh start with the imperishable knowledge of a loving God if I will only share.  Let's share words of good seed and encouragement in 2013! ~  AMEN