I don't want to fall away from You!

There's a Shawn McDonald song, "Gravity" that I love to hear. The chorus says, "I don't wanna fall away from You. Gravity is pulling me to the ground." When I think of my relationship with Christ I think of how easy it would be to fall away from Him. This world is the gravitating force that pulls us in all different directions, beckoning us to believe that what it has to offer could be anywhere near the life we live in Christ. 

Many days I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. My burden for my family and friend's salvation becomes so heavy in my heart that I begin to struggle in my own walk. My attitude changes, my prayer life changes, and my need to read my Bible changes. Then the thoughts of walking away come....Who would care if I turned my back on Christ? Would anybody notice? Would they encourage me to go back to my old lifestyle of cussing and drinking, neglecting my family, fighting with my husband, caring only of my own needs and never concerning myself with others needs, and completely disregarding what God had done in my life? What if I gave up teaching, praying, mentoring, and loving people? Would anything in my life with Christ have made such an impact that someone might beg me to come back to Him? These thoughts are not from God! Because God says in His word, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." 

I visited the Billy Graham Library a few weeks ago and I heard this quote, "I have never met a man that regretted giving his life to Jesus." I made a promise to God when He saved my husband, that no matter the cost, I would walk with Him whether my husband and family continued on. Now, almost 4 years later, I am more in love with Christ today than any other time in my life and I have never regretted giving Him my life. Thank you God for reeling me back in. I don't want to fall away from You, Lord, don't let the gravity of this world get me down.

Psalm 139 is my favorite Psalm. This is why I love Him so! "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."

Think about it!
Would anybody notice if you turned your back on Christ? Is your life now a reflection of Christ? Do you love Him more than anything or anybody? Do you know that the void you are feeling, is where God wants to be? Call on Him today. Get desperate in His Presence and let Him live in you. You will never regret it, I promise!

The Woman Behind the Man.....

I have a hard time praying for myself most days. It seems kind of selfish to me to ask God for blessings for myself, but what I find almost impossible to do is pray for my husband. It's not that I don't love him, because I do greatly, I think it has more to do with him being our spiritual leader. I feel that because he has that role he doesn't need me praying for him, right? WRONG! I was driving home from church tonight and God really laid this one on my heart. So,who is the woman behind my man?

Proverbs 31:10-31 explains it most appropriately: "Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household,And a portion for her maidservants.She considers a field and buys it;From her profits she plants a vineyard.She girds herself with strength,And strengthens her arms.
¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is good,And her lamp does not go out by night.She stretches out her hands to the distaff,And her hand holds the spindle.She extends her hand to the poor,Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household,For all her household is clothed with scarlet.She makes tapestry for herself;Her clothing is fine linen and purple.Her husband is known in the gates,When he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them,And supplies sashes for the merchants.Strength and honor are her clothing;She shall rejoice in time to come.She opens her mouth with wisdom,And on her tongue is the law of kindness.She watches over the ways of her household,And does not eat the bread of idleness.Her children rise up and call her blessed;Her husband also, and he praises her:“Many daughters have done well,But you excel them all.”Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.Give her of the fruit of her hands,And let her own works praise her in the gates. "

It seems that this woman they speak of has her stuff together! She is worth far more than rubies, the heart of her husband safely trusts her, and she does him good and not evil! I struggle with that last one; she does him good and not evil. Why is it that the one person we should love and respect the most gets the least amount of good things from us and the bulk of the venom we sometimes spew to him, our friends, and anybody that will listen? I'm afraid, for me anyways, it is selfishness and a nature that wants to always be right. For goodness sake, the Proverbs 31 wife brings her food from afar...I have a hard time getting food from Wal-Mart to the house without having a complete meltdown much less afar!!  

Are the days of being proper and modest gone completely? Imagine the change in the world if we could open our mouths and speak wisdom with the law of kindness beginning with our husbands. When a man is loved, he is confident and secure. He can lead his family, set an example for his community, and look at his wife, the wife of his youth, with eyes of love that exceed beauty and charm. I want God to mold me into the wife I should be and while my relationship with Him grows, I pray that he brings me and my husband that much closer.

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." Ephesians 6:14. 

Think About it!

So ladies, who is the woman behind your man? Where does she stand? I will stand behind my husband with my arms girded around his waist in Truth and Love. Will you join me?

I Won't Give In and I Won't Back Down

I have found over the past few years that the more I read my Bible the more I have to take a stand for what I not only believe is right, but for what I know is true. Too many times as Christians we cower down to what the world wants us to believe is "right" and we go along knowing in our hearts that God said that all these things are "SIN". My Bible says in Proverbs 21:2 that "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts." If every way of man is right in his own eyes, then who is my focal point, my center, my core if I look to the world for advice? If God is all these things to me shouldn't it show in ALL that I do, say, think, and respond? Love covers a multitude of sins, but it doesn't give me the right to continue to live in perpetual sin. That is not a true relationship with God.

I'm going to make a bold statement: The Bible is my handbook. It directs my paths, it heals my hurts, it fosters love, and it grants me wisdom. I will stand on the truth come whatever the consequences. I will not stand up for what the world believes to be right anymore. I will choose to love people in spite of the lifestyle that they live, but no longer will I say that everything you do is okay because it's not. My fight is not with people. Ephesians 6:12 states, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." My concern is to warn people of the dangers that result from sin without a relationship with Jesus which is Hell, as much as it to tell people that God forgives and welcomes them if they will humble themselves and repent of their sins. 

When I think of standing up for God and His principles, I think about the years when I was raising my children. As they were growing, I had to protect them from danger: Don't stick that in an electrical outlet, don't cross the street without an adult, and never play with matches. As they got older, the warnings became more about values: Treat others as you want to be treated, don't lie, don't steal, and work hard to make good grades. It was a standard that I had for my kids and when they broke the rule/standard then they got punished for it. So why is that we think that we can break God's standards and not be punished. Matthew 10:33 proclaims, "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven." If I profess to be a Christian and I stand against the principles of Jesus He will deny me before God. Deny that He ever knew me! He has that power! My salvation is a gift and I won't desecrate the gift by choosing to be liberal with my thoughts and actions.

So in closing let me say, that I will stand against abortion-no matter the reason, I will stand for marriage between one man and one woman, I will do my best not to lie, to steal, to cheat, to covet my neighbor and his belongings, to seek justice, to love mercy and to love my Lord my God with all my heart soul and strength! I will treat all people, regardless of their lifestyle, with respect and love and let God in His infinite wisdom, take care of the rest.

Think about it!

Are you standing up for something that is against the Word of God? If Jesus were to weigh your heart today would He deny you to His Father? Is it time to start reading your Bible and taking God at His Word? Don't be fooled by the world. All things are not "right".

Why Won't They Come to Church?

I remember when I was growing up, I was probably about 9 years old and the First Free Will Baptist Church bus used to come through our apartment complex. I would get up and get on that bus all by myself on Sunday mornings. I remember coming home one Sunday with anticipation because I had heard the story of Jesus! I went into my bedroom later that day and knelt next by my bed and asked God into my heart. It's funny how when you are an innocent child you can comprehend the simplicity of the Gospel: God sent His son to live as man, he was crucified, died for our sins, resurrected, and now lives! So why as adults do we find it so hard believe that, live like it's true, or even attend church?

The truth is there are too many of us that claim to be Christians, but nothing in our lives reflects a change in any way. We stroll into church every other week, ask God to forgive us for some broad spectrum sins, toss a $20 in the offering plate and live the rest of our lives like God never came as man, died on a cross for our sins, and left the Holy Spirit to comfort us and live through us! Sure you don't have to go to church to be a Christian, but what are you doing in place of the time you would be spending at church? Are you helping the poor, the widows & orphans, the homeless? What are people seeing in you that makes them think that you are any different from them? If we are truly saved shouldn't we want to be with other Christians praising God for all He's done for us? The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, " And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." If Christians who are saved won't go to church than why would somebody who is lost go? God is coming soon. "The Day approaching" is the coming of Christ. Are we going to be found in Christ when He comes or will we be doing our own worldly thing?

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us how we should live and I have put them in previous blogs. Titus 3:3 says, "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another."I don't want the lost to see that in me! I once was those things, but not any more! I am a new creation! I'm not who I used to be, nor do I want to be her again. We are to stand out from the world, not fit in.  

When you are visiting family and you are the only Christian, do you invite your family to go visit a church because you don't want to miss what's going on with God, even for one Sunday? When family comes to visit, do they understand that you and your family go to church on Sunday morning and Sunday night, no excuses and if they want to spend time with you then they can come with you? Do people see you and think, "Man, she sure loves God!"? We don't have to have perfect attendance and shouldn't feel guilty when we don't go to church every Sunday, Sunday night, or Wednesday night, but there should be a want to be at church, to talk about God to people, and show your family that God is the priority over everything. 

I got an email yesterday with a prayer for our country by Billy Graham. This is what he said, "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable... We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and Set us free. Amen!' With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we once again can be called 'One nation under God!'

I don't think I could even begin to add to this prayer anything other than an another "Amen!" 

Think about it!

Are you ready to be a stand up Christian? One that not only attends church but is the church? Is it time to be courageous and show your family and unsaved friends that God and church coincide and are most important in your life? Don't let "the Day" pass you by, leaving you behind wondering what it was you could have done. Get your relationship with Christ settled today and know that you know that you know, He is your Savior for real!

To My Chicky Baby: I wish you could see what I see

I Wish You Could See What I See

I wish you could see what I see when I look at you: a loving young woman, a mother, and a daughter too. 


The outside is just a shell of the real girl in the mirror. If only you could see what I see maybe you could see yourself clearer. 


The number on the scale is not a measure of your worth, no matter your size, you were wonderfully and fearfully made even before your birth.  


We believe the lies of world, that skinny is in. If you want to be happy, well then get yourself thin!


The devil is a deceiver and he will make you believe, that your outside is more important than the heart God perceives.


Stop beating yourself up with words that are unkind. Climb into the arms of Jesus...relax and unwind.


And when you get down and discouraged and sad, just say a prayer then live in victory! Because God made us in the image of Him, but He also made you in the image of me.


So from here on out, let it be heard, "That you my dear chicky baby, are the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world!"


Love you!
Mom

They Don't Know God

I recently joined another website to promote my blog. Usually this never turns out well for me. The reason is that I have a very strong convictions about my faith and when I see the comments that some people make about God being a superstition and how nature just magically appeared I get super hot mad!! The truth is I don't need to read those comments first of all, and second of all I have to love those people in spite of what they think. We all have had times in our lives when we were not connected to God and most definitely not in a relationship with Jesus. I personally remember a time that my feelings toward God were: as long as He was there when I was in trouble I was good with Him hanging around. It's funny, not LOL funny, that I used to be one of those people that didn't understand fully what and who God really was and the impact He could have on my life if I only surrendered myself to His will.

My pastor said this about the Bible, "The Bible doesn't have to be defended. It defends itself." If you have never picked up your Bible and read any scripture then you can't truthfully make a decision about whether it's contents are true or not. Many intellectuals have studied and read and tried to disprove the Bible only to find themselves believing the very thing they set out to disprove! God is real and very much alive! So what does the Bible say about these things? Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." This is how powerful the Word of God is for those who read it and hear it! It cuts to your heart revealing things to God that you had hidden from the world, exposing them so that He can provide healing. It goes to the bone, the very marrow of the bone, and penetrates even the hardest of hearts. It radically changes your behavior, your thought processes, and your attitude! 

It's easy to say that the Bible is not relevant, or old fashioned or even a myth if you have never even read one scripture. It's like going trying to be a doctor and never going to med school. How can you be knowledgeable about something you know nothing about? I fought for many years to allow God to change my Christian walk. I didn't want to be changed. I was "good enough", so I thought. But on that special day in March of 2000, not only was my heart changed, it was broken and today it breaks for what breaks God's heart. As hard headed and hard hearted as I was, God pierced my heart with His Word. If you have ever read the book of Job you know that not only was Job tried with trials, he was completely stripped of everything that mattered to him and when he was at his weakest and could curse God for even being born, he realized God's greatness. Job 9:2-13 says, “Truly I know it is so,But how can a man be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him,He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? He removes the mountains, and they do not know when He overturns them in His anger; He shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out,Yes, wonders without number. If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him."

Sometimes, we have to put our intellect aside and listen to what God is saying to us. I've heard this saying many times, "God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called." It is in knowing Him that we come to know the things that are important in eternity. The reality is, that without God, my life would leave no legacy.

Think about it!

Do you think God is real? That He is the creator of all things? That He loves you whether you believe in Him or not? Will you open your Bible and let God pierce your heart with His Word? What are you afraid to give up so He can change you? Let Go and let God!! Love Y'all!

I Love My Father...Most of the Time

Most of us have daddy issues(& mommy issues, if you asked my kids) for one reason or another. I often think back to how my life was when I was growing up and how my parents raised me. Was their parenting effective? Did I learn anything from the punishments that I experienced? Did the punishment fit the crime? Yes, I think their parenting was effective. I turned out pretty normal. I'd say I learned from most punishments what not to do. Do I believe the punishment always fit the crime? Not always. As a kid I didn't always think getting a spanking, being sent to my room, or having the phone taken away was very fair punishment for whatever "wrong" I had committed. My dad was usually the one to spank me and my younger sister if my mom had just had enough. We knew the belt was coming if daddy was coming! I was a bit of a hard head around the age of 8 or so, so I laughed and exclaimed, "that didn't hurt!" Of course that didn't help. After the spanking, I returned to my room and screamed and yelled and spouted, "I hate you daddy!" Did I really hate him? At the time, yes, but honestly no I didn't. I didn't want to be disciplined. My dad's love had not changed for me because he had to punish me. He had to do a very difficult thing. I now know he didn't enjoy spanking me as much as I thought. None of us likes discipline, but the truth of the matter is that is necessary and in most cases vital in order for us to grow and to learn.
I was posting the Jesus Calling Devotional online  and one of the verses was Hebrews 12:1-13. The devotional only referred to verses 1-2 but this whole chapter was so awesome that I had to put it all in here! 1"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.  5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us,and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."

I don't know about you, but that humbles me! So let's break this down a little bit. The first few verses explain that because so many are watching what we do that we have to shake off our everyday woes and build our strength in Jesus by keeping our focus on Him. Remembering that Jesus endured the Cross for our sin, my sin, your sin, and we have not been persecuted to the point of death or even the slightest  bloodshed. This is where it gets interesting. Verse 5 speaks about the fact that we have forgotten God's strong urging against hating His discipline and to not be discouraged when He has to discipline us. Then the later verses go onto explain that because God loves us He has to punish us. (Wait, that sounds like my dad! That can't be right!) He does it for our benefit to prosper us and make us more like Him. (Remember this is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you?) Now here's where it gets good! Verse 11 says that while we don't enjoy being punished and we don't like the pain we endure from the punishment, afterwards we will benefit from the experience. Imagine that...being punished (spanked, sent to your room, grounded) and then learning from it (not being sassy, respecting your parents, and repenting). It sounds like a good plan to me! 

My favorite verses are 12 & 13. Keep your hands and legs strong so that you can stay on the right path and you won't have to worry about stumbling or getting weak because your focus will be on Jesus who makes us strong!! Punishment comes when we lose sight of what's really important and choose to do our own thing. Sound like your kids or you as a kid?

So, my conclusion is that, yes, I love my fathers; the one here on earth and the One who sits at the right hand of God in Heaven because they both first loved me!

Think about it!
Do you feel like God is punishing you? Is there an unrepented sin in your life? What are you learning from this punishment? What can you do to strengthen your arms and legs to keep you on His path?