Story about Frogs:
Two frogs were hopping through the woods together. As they talked they hopped right into a deep pit. When they realized how deep the pit was, they began trying to jump out but were unable to do so. As they continued to try to jump high enough to get out of the pit, the forest animals gathered around the top of the hole. They began yelling things such as "It's hopeless. Just give up and realize you are going to die". After some time, one of the frogs DID give up and just laid down and died. The other frog just kept trying harder and harder. The forest animals continued to yell and jump up and down swinging their arms and cupping their hands by their mouths. Finally, the frog gave one last hoorah jump and made it out. The animals were amazed and asked him why he hadn't given up like his friend. Couldn't you hear us telling you to give up? The frog told them that he was hard of hearing and when he looked up and saw them yelling and jumping up and down, he thought they were encouraging him to try.
Proverbs 18:21a o- Death and life are in the power of the tongue:
Proverbs 16:24
Everyone loves to be talked to sweetly. Sweet words warm our hearts and make us feel better. We call babies and kids cute little nicknames. Husbands & wives call each other special names (especially in private).
When husband calls me "baby", it makes me feel endeared to him. Makes me feel special to him. He only calls me that at moments when he feels close to me so I know it's a special term. He has never been someone who is overly critical or spoke negatively to me. It has been rare in our 32 years of marriage. However, those few times will come to mind at crazy times and cause pain all over again. WORDS ARE POWERFUL!
---It has been said that people will forget what you do to them but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Don't just speak empty words. WE to speak to people in a manner that the person hearing, whether child, spouse, relative or friend, BELIEVE what is being said. (empty I love yous overly said, have no real impact)
It is important for parents to talk sweetly to their kids. We should use positive words to edify, strengthen character, & make them feel loved. As mothers, we should be builders in our homes both of children & husband. - Prov. 14:1
---We tear down our homes when we are nagging & being critical of everything that someone does
---Using words like "you never" or "you always" followed by a negative statement causes feelings of failure & never good enough
---Be encouraging about what is actually right
In friendships we need to be careful of our talk - Prov. 16:28, 17:9
Gossip, that we are all guilty of at times, is very destructive. Also, there is a fine line between covering a transgression out of love and helping someone to continue in sin. While we should help up those who are down, because we which are spiritual are to restore such an one-- we are not to enable more sin. We don't have to go spread the wrong to everyone causing more destruction but neither should we not expose & confront the sin to the person. Accountability for sin is the best deterrent!
Words can be destructive or instructive. Prov. 16:21 - The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.
Sweet words can instruct. People will grow & blossom under an instructor (parent, teacher, pastor) if the words are spoken in truth, love & kindness. Prov. 15:2 & 7 When counseling, teaching or disciplining someone, always try to find a scripture to back up what you are saying. EX. - remind children that it is your duty given by God to discipline them & spank & show them the verses.
The opposite of sweet words is bitter words. Psalm 64:2-4 Harsh or negative words pierce like arrows & leave a wound that may never heal.
---Experts have said that physical abuse is often easier to overcome than verbal because bruises, cuts, & broken bones heal but words ring on forever in our minds.
Think about someone speaking that way from your past, whether childhood or something else. Prov. 15:1 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
--- Harsh & negative words come from anger & bitterness in the heart. It is hard to be around a person who is always angry or negative or critical.
These kinds of words contribute to people feeling unloved, unworthy, useless & rejected. People who live in the negative all the time are usually ill more often with ulcers, headaches or even serious illness.
People who have positive thoughts & give out positive comments are happy & rarely get sick.
James 3:3-10
Prov. 21:23 - Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Let me say up front that this post may be somewhat controversial. There's much in the news the past couple months about immigrants, refugees and the poor and the country is very divided on the subject. The reason for the divide is often based on misinformation being circulated by the media. Bible verses and even mottoes of the Statue of Liberty are being quoted. It's interesting to me how often Bible is misused and misinterpreted.
Let me say right off that I AM NOT AGAINST IMMIGRATION! LEGAL immigration. I believe fully that we need to secure our borders first and have good plans and laws in place to allow for people to become citizens of the USA. Good laws that ARE ENFORCED! It's absolutely ridiculous that so much is given to people who come here illegally while our veterans struggle for benefits (and don't get on here and comment that they aren't given aid, medical care, education, allowed jobs and it's even been proven that many are voting in our election system - this is the real reason many are against picture id voting) I am tired of hearing that employers are not allowed to hire undocumented immigrants when I can take you right to a company that manufactures whiskey barrels in a town in Missouri who absolutely hires illegals. Maybe if caught, the owner would get in trouble, but hasn't yet. He is quoted as saying "the Americans aren't willing to work doing what the Mexicans will". What he really means is that many won't work for the low wages he's willing to pay for hard labor and that he now doesn't have to pay FICA on the illegals because they have no social security number. Doesn't matter. ... He's not supposed to hire illegals, yet he does!
Now, about the "asylum" status. Legally, asylum is granted in the first country bordering the country they are leaving, not several away. If people were really wanting asylum from a country they feel the need to flee, why are they carrying that country's flag as they storm our border?! If I felt the need to flee some country where I was treated badly and couldn't physically and mentally survive, I'd want nothing to do with that country. I'd want no connection with it!
Now let's address the Bible verses being quoted. The commands in the Bible about caring for the needy, the orphans, the widows, etc. are being commanded either to individuals or to churches. NO WHERE IN GOD'S WORD IS IT COMMANDED THAT THE RULING GOVERNMENT TAX PEOPLE AND THEN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES WHO GETS THE DOLED OUT COMPASSION! As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that tax collection in the Bible times was used to make leaders richer and/or the collectors and to suppress those being taxed. Absolutely, we as individuals and as local churches, are to have compassion and help when we see a genuine need. My husband and I have helped people ourselves many times (not bragging just explaining) and our church where my husband pastors, also has helped many people in our local area and internationally, also. I am very, very thankful for the times people have stepped up and helped my family when we were in need. More than once someone has put food in our frig, freezer and pantry or given money to help take a severely hurt pet to the vet when we had no money to do so. I believe fully that it's okay to accept help when you are in need but also when you can help fill another's needs, you should. Gal. 6:10 - As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Still, not to come from the government. If you want to know how and why governmental aid was started you surely can google it! Even FDR had stipulations and was quoted as saying it was to be temporary and that if not temporary would lead to spiritual and moral and mental despair in individuals and then the country. This was based on the premise that people feel good about themselves when they learn to provide for themselves.
Moving on to the Statue of Liberty motto... Please do some research on your own about how citizenship was obtained years ago. I will be the first to agree that some of it was quite unethical and is good it's not still in place. Things such as charging a 50 cent per head tax on any immigrants coming from an Asian country. However, there has always been and still are rules and regulations of how to obtain citizenship. Everyone who has gone through proper and legal channels has had to follow those rules. Some of which was to prove themselves worthy to become citizens by being healthy, getting a job, learning the language, passing a written test and pledging allegiance with the United States and denouncing allegiance with any other country. Before someone wants to call me a bigot or a racist, let me just say that my Aunt was full blooded Mexican who was raised in Arizona and whose parents came to America LEGALLY many years ago when it wasn't as easy as just getting across the border somehow. They went through proper channels and became full fledged citizens. They spoke English and Spanish. They never desired to go back to Mexico to live. They were thankful for the opportunity to begin a new life and raise their children in America. My Aunt's father worked in the mines of Merenci, Arizona. I was blessed to know them and have them in my family. I AM NOT ANTI-IMMIGRANT! I, after all, am a descendant of German and Irish immigrants! I am for secured borders with laws that protect the citizens FIRST and makes allowance for those with good intentions to take steps to become an AMERICAN! Not come here and demand that every desire and culture from their homeland be enforced here in the USA. If their homeland was so wonderful, then why bother to come here?
BTW, I also find it interesting that those who will fight tooth and nail against "right to work" in a state are those fighting so hard to allow the "caravan" immigrants in who WILL lower wages and eat up jobs. Just a side note!
Well, I am sure there will be many angered by this post. I hope I have clearly articulated my position, however and will make some stop and think.
If you notice in this verse it says "a" man. This verse is referring to Israel but God was looking for just one man (a man) among them. That one man would have been all it took for God NOT to destroy the land. Much like Sodom in Abraham's day, when God would have spared for just 10 righteous. This verse in Ezekiel shows God's mercy for He was only looking for one!
What was He looking for that one to do? First, to make up the hedge. A hedge is any protective barrier around a person or city or country. This may be physical or spiritual. God was looking for a man that would protect the land from the evil influence that He had commanded against. He wanted a man that would not allow Israel to go astray in worship. As Christian parents we should be that protective hedge for our children, both physically to protect as much as possible from harm, but also from evil influence that would lead them astray from God's Word. As Christian men and women, we should also make up a hedge around those we have contact with. We should do our best to protect them by teaching what God's Word says so that they may be able to fight off the influence of the world. I pray often for God to put a protective hedge around my family.
Second, to stand in the gap before Him for the land. This is done in a couple of ways. The most important way is by prayer. Praying for our nation and those who lead and run it is extremely important. I pray daily for this country and for godly leaders to be put in place and for wisdom for those leading. I also pray for protection from those who seek to destroy it from within and from without. Make no mistake, there are many inside this nation who want to destroy it! Another way to stand in the gap is to stand firmly on the Word of God. When society tries to make the Bible obsolete or make laws that go against God's commands, we are to "obey God rather than man".
This verse is so sad for it ends with "but I found none". God found not one man to do the things He was looking for. I believe right now in the USA that there are still more than one making the hedge and standing in the gap. I pray often for God to remember the remnant here that still love and serve Him and not to destroy the righteous with the wicked. I am pretty sure that God will someday just allow this country to self destruct. I pray it isn't until after the rapture.
Will you be the one? Will you do your best to make up the hedge and stand in the gap before Him? Pray. Pray for strength to be the one. Pray for your family, your friends, your town, your county, your school, your church and your country. Take a stand on God's Word. Do not allow society to sway you from obedience to God.
Just want to share some thoughts about getting older. I recently turned 52. It seems I've had a downward spiral in health since hitting that half century mark. If you are a regular reader, you know I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroid Disease about a year ago. This past spring we found out that my normal body temp was 97.5* which explains why I was cold so much. That has been fixed with low dose natural thyroid meds. Now, I'm hot all the time! Plus, that getting older and gaining weight thing doesn't help. I have struggled with joint pain since age 18 due to the trauma of my car/train accident but the older I get, the worse it gets.
Four days ago I had a partial hysterectomy because of multiple uterine fibroids. Surprisingly, I have had little pain. I'm tender and slow moving but not having to live on pain killers. Easiest surgery I've ever had as far as pain goes. What is my surgery count? Let's see... tonsillectomy 1984, surgery to put steel nail in right femur (thigh bone) 1985, surgery to remove nail 1990, laparoscopy to unblock Fallopian tubes 1990 (they ended up not being blocked when they got in there!) C-section 1991, tuba ligation 1993, uterine balloon oblation 2000 (not a real surgery but I was knocked out for procedure and was pretty sore after), appendectomy 2002, hysterectomy 2018. That's nine surgeries! At least they were spread out over the years! :) This may be too much info for some of you but oh well. My life is often an open book. Hoping the last one helps with many symptoms.
A friend of ours who is older than us, once told us that "getting old ain't for sissies!" He sure was right! Some days you just want to stop dealing with it and are ready for the Lord to come. Watching your body stop working the way it once did is hard some days. But, I am thankful it's not worse. I know many, many people suffer and deal with more health issues than I do.
One of the hardest things to deal with being so stiff and achy and not being as strong as I used to be, is not being able to play with my grandkids as I would like. I just can't have them jumping on me or get on the floor as easily as I used to. It hurts! Sometimes I have trouble picking them up because of joint pain. I find ways to enjoy them anyway though.
I reckon the point of this post is that even though my body is slowly deteriorating, I'm still glad to be above ground. I'm glad I'm still here on earth to enjoy the things God has provided. Also, if you are young, do the things necessary to keep your body more agile and healthy. No matter what you do, you will not live forever on this earth (you can have eternal life in heaven though, if you accept what Jesus did on the cross) but you can keep yourself strong, agile, and healthy longer, if you try. It's much easier to maintain than to fix and rebuild as I am having to do. I had no example to follow of maintaining good health as I grew up or in my young adulthood. When we know better we can strive to do better! Don't assume your young body will hold out into old age without routine maintenance because it won't! Do what's necessary NOW! Make changes where you need to and ward off old age ailments as long as you can. Keep the above meme in mind as you grow older. There is only one classic you!
Many people walk around in life with the attitude that life isn't fair. They are upset that they missed out on something in life or that they lost something in life or that life is easier for others than them. They live life jealous, angry, bitter, depressed, and defeated because life isn't the way they feel it should be for them.
Weeelll, I hate to tell you this if you're one of those people but LIFE ISN'T FAIR! God never promised it would be fair. You must just accept that and move on. Acceptance of a situation as fact, as the way it is, is the first step to moving past it and having peace about it. It will not mean the situation has changed or fixed but it will mean that you can have a different attitude. There will always be someone somewhere that will have a life situation that is worse than yours or that makes them feel life is unfair. Move past the jealousy and realize that someone somewhere is jealous of you! For instance, while you may feel it isn't fair that your baby has not slept through the night yet at age one and you are completely sleep deprived; there is another parent somewhere that is jealous you have a typical, healthy baby while they struggle with medical trial after medical trial. Yet another parent is feeling life is unfair because they lost their child. These are extreme examples but for every person feeling life is unfair because they were not blessed with a pretty face (in their opinion) or a great body shape there is someone else wishing they had better hair or height or weight. Yet others are jealous because someone has a better paying job while they struggle to make ends meet.
The point is, instead of getting upset that "life isn't fair" or over the lemons handed you in life --- make some lemonade from those lemons! Make the best of it. You can sit around whining and complaining or you can do what you can in the situation to make it better and push through the rough times and plunge ahead. Try being thankful for what IS RIGHT and what you DO HAVE -- life will be much sweeter that way!
So start making some lemonade or better yet...
Cuz dessert is much more soothing! hee hee
No matter how you slice it, life is ever changing. There are different seasons and with them blessings and trials go hand in hand. Though each season may have different blessings and trials...they still have both.
Remember when you were a child and life was simple and had little responsibility? In this season of life (though some children endure much heartache and grief), in general, kids have most necessities given to them and life consists of having fun and doing some school work with no thought of keeping the electric on, figuring out their next meal or taking care of a home. The trials may consist of trying to make friends and fit in. Trying to figure out who you are and your place in the world is often difficult at a young age. Many adults still struggle.
Another season of life is entering into marriage. Many blessings come with this stage. Beginning sharing a home and all the newness of the union. Learning all about one another -- up close and personal! Of course this can also be one of the trials! lol Learning the art of compromise and caring for someone else. Trials are different for each couple but mostly it is the learning to deal with one another on a daily basis with all the imperfections that you didn't realize were there before you said "I do".
Next season for most couples is parenthood. So many blessings of joy and fun come with that new baby and each new baby following. The trials are the tiredness, the daily ins and outs of raising the child and the concern that never fully goes away even when they grow up and move out.
The next season is empty nest. Believe it or not there are blessings in this season, too! We had kids young so that we could have them out of the house while we were still young enough to enjoy one another. Bob and I are currently in this season. We have been for some time now. Actually, I reckon we are moved into the next season beyond. We don't have to be careful of how we wander around the house because no little eyes are watching. We have more time for one another and having only us two in the home means less money spent on food, less laundry, etc. The trials are that you miss your children and grandchildren terribly. -- especially if you don't live close to them. Sometimes the house is too quiet.
Empty nest season also coincides with getting older. Blessings in this season are that you have hopefully learned what's important in life, the art of patience, how to better manage your money and appreciation for friends and family. Trials are all the aches and pains and the health issues that come from an aging body and mind.
I recently went with the ladies of our church to a retreat and one of the speakers talked about the seasons of our lives (only she referred to them as quarters for her lesson purpose). She is the one who sparked the idea for this post. She recommended a book called Live Lighter Love Better by Cary Schmidt. I ordered it on Ebay and am in the middle of it right now. The retreat and the messages came at an opportune time for me. I have been feeling unsettled, overwhelmed and not at peace lately and wanting to simplify my life. I hope to apply the lessons from the retreat and from the book to become the person I want to be. I'm sure the book will inspire future posts.
One thing that was mentioned at the retreat is to learn to embrace both the blessings and the trials of each season. The trials are God's way of molding, training and strengthening us. Don't fight against them, embrace them and realize that blessings will come from them in the end.
Deborah & Jael
Judges 4 & 5
This is the jest of that passage...
Deborah was a prophetess & judge over Israel. She sat under a palm tree and judged the children of Israel.
God had allowed King Jabin of Canaan to buy the Israelites and rule over them. Jabin had Sisera, the captain over his army, place soldiers at the gates of the city with swords & spears to make life difficult for the Jews. He also did not allow them to trade or grow crops. This went on for 20 years.
God tells Deborah to call Barak and have him gather 10,000 men and go to Tabor so that God can help him to defeat Sisera. Barak is somewhat of a chicken and tells Deborah that he will only go if she goes with him. Deborah agrees to go but tells him that God says that because he is scared and doesn't trust him, then God will deliver Sisera by a woman's hand.
It says in 4:15 that God discomfited Sisera and when the battle begins he runs away on foot. He flees to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. At the time, Heber & Jabin were friends so Sisera thought he would be safe at Heber's tent. Jael is kind to Sisera and offers him a place to rest and a blanket. When he asks for a drink of water she steps it up and gives him milk. He tells her to guard the door and tell anyone who comes by to say no one is there. Once he is asleep, she goes to him softly and takes a tent stake and drives it through his temple and into the ground, killing him. She sees Barak coming and goes to him and tells him where to find Sisera. So, God delivered Sisera into the hands of the Israelites through the courage of 2 women!
I want to look at some things we can learn from this story.
I. Draw Your Strength From the Lord - James 4:8
-Deborah must have been a godly woman or God would not have given her the authority or wisdom of be a prophetess & judge over Israel
--be someone God can trust
--pray & search the scriptures for knowledge about how to live your life & to know God better
This will give you strength in times of trouble and your daily walk!
II. A Woman's Strength Should be in Spirit - Prov. 11:16
- While exercise is important to be healthy, it's more important to have a spiritual strength
-women should not try to be masculine and be stronger than men physically - Prov. 20:29
--for the sake of a man's ego men need to feel that they are strong
--men want to feel they are needed for their physical strength & abilities
--men (even strong men) need our emotional strength & encouragement - it's one of the main reasons we were created - to help & encourage them
III. Learn When to be Weak & When to be Strong - Col. 3:18
- there are times, especially when our husbands aren't present, that we must be strong & make decisions & take care of ourselves, the kids & the home
-but when our husband is present they need us to need them
-many women in today's society say they don't need a man & these women often go through one relationship after another
--usually because they try to take charge & do everything including all decisions on their own with no input from the man
--most men find this a turn off - they don't feel needed - they feel they are unnecessary
--God created a desire in men to feel needed by us (really all people want to feel needed and relevant in the world!)
**Deborah went with Barak & gave her moral support but it was Barak who led the army!!
IV. When a Woman is Strong in Spirit, She Creates in Her Husband a Need for Her Presence - Prov. 31:10-12
***Deborah did this with Barak & he wasn't her husband, he was the leader of an army!
-when a woman uses her strength in a proper way & at proper times, like encouraging her husband when he's down or worried, or helping him with whatever he needs, he learns to lean on & trust her
--Barak had become so dependent on Deborah's wisdom that he felt he needed her with him at the battle
-when a woman uses her strength in improper ways & times, her husband seeks to be independent of her
ex:
-challenging his authority in front of the kids
-second guessing his decisions in front of others
-second guessing his decisions on a regular basis
-demanding things be her way
---all of these tear down his emotional well being & causes him to feel incompetent, hurt, angry and WILL cause him to want to be away from her
**Prov. 14:1
V. A Strong Woman Asserts Her Strength Without Sacrificing Her Femininity - Prov. 9:13
-Jael did a brave & strong thing when she killed Sisera
--she did it completely using her feminine resources - being sweet, kind & hospitable
-a woman doesn't have to become like a man to do great things for the Lord
--we don't have to dress, walk, or talk like men, especially men who cuss, drink & act mean and hateful
-it is always appalling to me when I hear women in public cussing and shoving men around - WHAT'S FEMININE ABOUT THAT?!
Let's be strong women of spirit for the Lord and for our husband and be an example to our daughters. How you show your strengths and refrain from them will be how our daughters show or refrain from theirs! - Titus 2:3-5
Extra devotional thought provoker:
Strong Woman VS A Woman of Strength
A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape, but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.
A strong woman is not afraid of anything, but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of fear.
A strong woman will not let anyone get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.
A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face, but a woman of strength wears grace.
A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey, but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.
