Our Christian Life....Part One

1 John 5:14¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

There's the kicker - if we ask anything according to His will - that's when He hears us.  I can pray until I'm blue in the face, etc, but if it's not according to God's will, I'm wasting my time and God's time.  In so many ways it's hard to accept that my way/will isn't His.  I know that God knows best, that it's best to wait on His will to be done, in His time, but even though I know it, I most often don't accept it.   You would think that I would have learned by now the results of not waiting on God's will to be done. But I haven't, so therefore, I need to change.

James 5:⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

I need to remember this verse - about not grumbling against others.  When we grumble we are not showing Christ's love.  When we grumble against others, we are taking from them - we are harming them by our mouth. That is not right.  It all goes back to guarding our thoughts and taming our tongues.

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

I believe when I act with love towards others, despite what they have done to me, said to me, etc, I receive a blessing - as long as I don't act like a martyr (one of my many sins) or feel proud of myself!  When we love others, we are showing Christ.  We shouldn't try to bring attention to our own "goodness".  It's all about Christ and HIS LOVE being spread.

I AM BLESSED!!!!
KEEP SMILING!!  :)

The "Trinity"

This is a work in progress..... 

A dear friend, a "Sister in Christ" and I have discussed the "Trinity".  I thought some of my thoughts might be good for a blog...

Scripture doesn't specifically use the word "TRINITY", but there are references to the Three working together. I actually decided to look for the word in Scripture - NOT THERE! But the instances are there where they are mentioned together. So, then I googled trinity. Wikipedia was very informative. I didn't read it all, so I need to send myself a note to work and print it there! 
I believe all three are God, but separate facets of God.  I believe They were together when the world was created.  I believe They were all present when Jesus was baptized. I believe that when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we are in union with Them.  I also believe that there is NO reason to make an issue of this.

Some interesting points. Because Jesus was born of a woman (through the Holy Spirit - THAT in itself is a mind-twister!), He became a man. He is both human and divine. His mission on earth was to draw all men to God, to show people what God was truly like. He was also here to show us how to live - in close communion with God - from whom He drew His strength. He healed people of their diseases, He raised people from the dead, He forgave people their sins. Only God can forgive sins, right? But Jesus forgave. Peter, John and Paul healed people - but through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was humble. He knew He was God, but He didn't demand the glory given to Him. (Satan, on the other hand, wants to be worshipped. He wants to be God.) Because Adam sinned, he had to die. God warned him that he would die if he disobeyed God. But who would atone for the death? There had to be blood for blood. An animal really can't take our sins. The animal sacrifice was a "TYPE". Someone perfectly sinless had to die for the sins of the world, so Jesus came to this earth to show man that it is possible to live in perfect obedience to God. Then He died for all of us.

As for how the Holy Spirit can be in more than one place at a time and still be a person? Lol, I have no clue. But I accept it.

 
John 14:8-10

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

Mark 3:28-30

²⁸ Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

Luke 12:9-11

⁹ But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
Numbers 11:16-18

¹⁶ The LORD said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.

Leviticus 24:15-16

¹⁵ Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; ¹⁶ anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.

John 4:23-25

²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 

Hebrews 11:1

¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Following are a bunch of Scipture references....Feel free to look them up:

HOLY SPIRITGen 1:20,26, 3:22, 6:3, 11:7
Ex 31:3
Num 24:2, 11:17,25,26
Judges 6:34, 3:10, 11:29
1 Sam 10:6
Job 33:4, 34:14,15
Ps 104:30
Isaiah 42:1, 48:16, 63:11
Joel 2:28

Matt 12:31,32, 28:19, 3:16,17, 1:18-20
Mark 1:9,10
Luke 12:12; 1:35, 24:49, 4:1
John 16:7-9,13,14; 7:39, 20:22, 14:16-18, 3:5, 15:26, 17:3
Acts 15:28, 13:2, 5:3,4; 1:8 2:2-4,33, 16:7,
Rom 8:2, 15:30, 8:9,11,26;
1 Cor 2:10-11, 12:3-13, 3:16
2 Cor 13:4;
Gal 4:6
Eph 4:30
Phil 1:19
Heb. 9:14,15
1 Peter 1:2,11;
2 Peter 1:21;


JESUSPs 16:10, 34:20, 8:5
Is 7:14, 9:6,7, 61:1,2, 53:2-8, 42:1
Daniel 9:24-27
Micah 5:2
Zech 12:10

Matt 28:18-20, 9:6, 3:3, 1:18-23, 21:9, 26:39-44
Mark 1:15,24, 6:3,46
Luke 3:21,22, 24:36-43
John 1:2-4,14,18,31-37, 4:18,19, 5:26-29, 11:25,26, 17:2, 8:58, 20:7, 10:30, 19:30
Acts 2:22,29-31
Rom 1:3,
1 Cor 15:45,47
Gal 4:4
Phil 2:6-11
Col 1:16,17, 2:3,
1 Tim 3:16, 2:5
Heb 13:8, 1:3,6, 5:7-9, 2:9,10,14-18, 4:15
1 Pet. 1:19
1 John 4:2
Rev 1:17,18

I AM BLESSED!!!!
KEEP SMILING!!  :)

What I Want to Say to Our Girls...

The world is such a crazy place.  There is so much garbage bombarding each and every one of us.  I worry about our youth.  I especially worry about our girls.  There are several things I want to say to them...

When one the girls said her views on love have changed, she asked what does love mean to us... This is what I said:

"To me love is accepting the person for who they are, encouraging them to be the best they can be, being there for them, not giving up on them, putting their needs first before your own, doing the little things for them to brighten their day... or to help them out. Sometimes it's also telling them "no", or letting them know they are wrong. Love is also saying "I'm sorry" or accepting their apology. Love is not "What are you going to give me or do for me?"... It's "What can I do for you?" It's also realizing nobody is perfect, least of all yourself. Love YOU. ♥"

When one of the girls said "It's like your screaming and no one can hear. You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important. That without them, you feel like nothing. No one will ever understand how much it hurts. You feel hopeless; like nothing can save you. And when it's over, and it's gone, you almost wish that you could have all the bad stuff back, just so you could have the good♥", this is what I said:

"Actually, others who have gone through it before WOULD understand. They would say, "Just HANG ON. It WILL get better. There IS something better waiting to happen in your life." There are those who would add to it, telling you all of that, plus, "Give it to God. He can, and will, help you through this. He has such an awesome plan for your life!! He will heal your heart." That is what I would say...and never, ever forget how much you are really, truly loved."

I have told our girls, and a few other teenage girls, the following: "Do not settle for someone who you cannot trust. Do not settle for someone who does not see the jewel that you are. Do not settle for someone who is only going to continue to rip your heart in pieces. Do not listen to their bs, their lies, their sweet talk, their promises. Stand strong and turn around and walk away."

I've told the girls to WAIT for that special someone.  I've been crass enough to say "Keep your legs closed".  For those who have already given away their virginity, I've said "Please, don't have sex anymore.  Wait.  Sex is such a beautiful thing and should be reserved for your husband.  Each time you have sex with someone, you BOND with that person.  You have become one with that person.  Then, when the relationship doesn't work out, it's that much harder on you because of that BOND."  If I don't know for sure whether or not they've had sex, I tell them to wait.  I tell them what I've just typed, and I add to it - I tell them once you have had sex, it's hard not to have it again.  It's hard to wait.  It CAN be done, but why put yourself through that?  Also, why put yourself at risk for STD's?  I know they think "I won't get one of those" and "That won't happen to me"... But you might and it can. 

I want our girls to know, that even when it feels as though our heart will never mend, it will. It might take awhile, but it WILL mend.  It is okay to cry. BUT, you cannot wallow in it.  Allow the grieving, then get up and go on.  Do something constructive.  Help someone else.  Exercise.  Something that will help you feel good because you did something good.

I want our girls to know, that even when I don't understand, or I disagree, I am still there for them.  I will love them, I will encourage them, I will share their joys, sorrows, frustrations.  I will fight for them.  I will be the "psycho mom", "psycho step-mom", "psycho substitute mom", for them OR to them, depending on the situation....(lol).  I want them to know that they can come to me with anything, and I do mean ANYTHING.  If it's something really stupid that they have done, I might yell, (simply because that would probably be my first reaction - I'm working on that and God is working with me), BUT, then I will be reasonable.  It doesn't mean I love them less, it means that I'm human.  We will work on it together.  Somehow.

I want our girls to know, that even when people fail them, and everyone fails someone at some time or another, God is ALWAYS there.  He NEVER fails us.  He is our comfort, our strength, our peace, our help, our protector, our provider.  I want them to know that God has a  plan and a purpose for each one of them.  He has said so in His Word: 

Jeremiah 29:11-13

¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Most of all, I want our girls to know they are LOVED, BEAUTIFUL, WORTHY, AMAZING, PRECIOUS.  Not just to us.  But also to God.  Whether they believe in God or not, He believes in them.  And I believe in them too.

I AM BLESSED.

KEEP SMILING!! :)

 

Our Society

I am so thankful we have freedom of religion and I hope that is never, ever taken away. God, Himself, gave us that choice. HE gave us the freedom to follow Him, or not. We can choose to love, honor and follow Him, or we can choose not to. The problem is, we have taken that freedom and used it to make gods out of money, power, sex, drugs, alcohol, music AND ourselves. We have not only taken God out of our schools, we have taken Him out of our lives, our marriages, our homes.

We have become a "politically correct" society. We are not "allowed" to say "THIS BEHAVIOR IS WRONG". 

We try to fill a void in our lives, not realizing that void can only be filled with God Himself. Then we wonder, what is wrong with our society? Why do our children act as they do? Why is their so much ugliness? People need to open up their eyes, open their hearts and, OPEN THEIR BIBLE and READ IT. 

But think about this: when did this problem really start? It started in heaven, with Satan.  You don't think so?  "⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." Revelation 12:7-9.  Let's not forget: ¹² How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! ¹³ You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.^{[b] 14} I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14.  Now, read Genesis 1.  What's the main theme?  Creation - and everything God created was GOOD.  Then, go to Genesis 3.  What happened?  ⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  Genesis 3:4-5. 

You can go on to Exodus and read about how God pulled the Israelites out of Egypt.  He had a beautiful country for them.  He promised them blessings if they followed Him and warned them of curses if they chose not to follow Him.  What did they do?  They went after other "gods". So, bad things happened.  Then they'd come back to Him.  God wanted to be their King.  But they wanted a human king.  You don't think so?  Read 1 Samuel 8. 

Better yet, read the whole Bible.  From cover to cover.  I know you might get bogged down in the geneologies, or the building of the sanctuary and all that went in it, etc.  But read the Bible anyway.  Ask the Holy Spirit to be with  you as you read the Bible.  The Bible is history.  It's a love story.  It's instructions on how to live, how to raise our children, how to treat others.  It's one adventure after another.  It's the Word of God.  The true God.  Our Creator and Redeemer.  

I AM BLESSED!!!

Keep Smiling!!  :)  

God Will Provide

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

I have three wonderful children.  Seriously.  They are wonderful.  And like all wonderful children, they are each different and have each tried my patience, made me cry, made me laugh and made me proud.  I thank God for them EVERY day.
During most of their growing up years, I was a single mom.  I lived paycheck to paycheck.  Sometimes I wondered how far that paycheck would go, but God is good.  He always provided.
I often wondered if I was showing my children my love for, and faith in, God.  I worried often about what kind of example I was for my children.  I wanted to be a good example, but knew I often failed.
I kept my children in church all throughout their youth.  I honestly believe that is one of the best things a parent can do for their children... If, for some reason, we couldn't make it to church, we would have a little lesson study at home. As they became adults, they made the choice on whether or not to continue to go to church.
My son is a normal young man.  He is friendly, he loves his family, he is a hard-worker, etc.  Well, he stopped going to church.  He would hang out with his friends, go to ball games, go to clubs, drink a little here and there, etc.  Not a bad guy at all, but, I worried about him - that he lost his love for Christ.  I kept praying.
Then he started going to church with friends of ours, became on fire for Christ and was re-baptized.  He then decided he wanted to go on a mission trip to Tanzania.  He, with help, raised the funds necessary for the trip.  He actually raised enough money to pay his bills while he was gone, which was a special blessing, because he had not mentioned to anyone that while he was gone, he would not receive a paycheck from work.  After it was announced at church how much money had been raised for the Tanzania trip, and that my son's bills would be covered while he was gone, one of the church members asked my son, "Why didn't you tell anyone that you wouldn't be getting a paycheck while you were gone?".  My son answered, "My mom taught me: 'God will provide'."
Wow. He WAS paying attention!!!
I AM BLESSED...
Keep Smiling!!  :)