When Faith Rises

Today I want to talk about what happens when faith is allowed to rise. Last week when I was making the four hour drive home from my daughter's house, I listened to the same song over and over again. --- My God is Big Enough. I took much comfort from the song and sang until my voice was gone. My family and my church family had all been through quite a lot the past few weeks and I just really needed the reminder of this song. 

It inspired the desire for this post. When we are facing dark times or scary times or uncertain times and when those around us are saying something can't be done. I know my God is big enough. It's at those moments that I allow faith to rise up within me by trusting in God's work and plan and timing that He is glorified the most. It's when I feel faith rising up that I gain strength from the Holy Spirit and from the truths of God's Word. It's at these moments when I can have peace in my soul when chaos ensues around me. Sometimes, the Lord doesn't calm the storm. Sometimes He calms me. Then I know and trust it's for my good and for His glory that it is happening. So allow faith to rise up!

The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn

I was listening the other day to a gospel bluegrass cd and the song came on with the same title as this post. I was singing along with the cd and a notion hit me. This is such a true statement! 

When we are going through a life trial or struggle and we feel overwhelmed and beaten up, it's often the moment right before the dawn of help arriving that seems the absolute darkest. We feel we can't take anymore. We feel if anything else happens we will break. We feel that there is no way out of the current situation and then - BOOM! - suddenly the little ray of light comes and the solution is there. 

It's at these moments that we remember and realize that God's timing is perfect even when we don't understand. The darkness and the overwhelming feelings have been given by Satan. God allows us to go through dark trials sometimes due to our own choices made in haste and without prayer or sometimes just as a way of molding and shaping and training us. Sometimes He is testing us to see what we will do. Sometimes all this is just to make us rely on Him. To make us look for His light and seek His face in prayer. Sometimes we need reminding that we're drifting too far from Him and becoming too self-reliant. Any number of reasons can account for the darkness. Yet, when you're about to give up and feel all hope is lost, suddenly the light breaks through. Once the moment of light comes, suddenly, things no longer seem so dark. Suddenly, you can see clearly the right path and move forward from being stuck in despair. 

Indeed the darkest hour is just before dawn. When the dawn breaks through a whole new outlook and future takes shape! 

Just a little thought that struck me recently.  

Why Jesus Ate With Sinners

This is a topic that is used often in the world to justify living in sin. We are going to take a look at the passage in Luke 15:1-7 of the parable of the lost sheep. 

First of all, I'd like to point out that the publicans and sinners came to Jesus.(verse 1) In the previous chapter Jesus had been teaching any and all followers. In the last verse of chapter 14 Jesus tells them that "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. The publicans and sinners were interested in what He had to say. We often tend to spend most of our time with those who WANT to spend time with us. The parable is told because of the murmuring of the Pharisees. 

The second point I'd like to make is that Jesus never tells the Pharisees that they shouldn't judge the sinners or condemn them for the judgment of calling them sinners. Jesus knew they were sinners. By the way, the judgment condemned in the bible is that of judging as though you are better than the other person. Now, I'm aware that in other places of the bible the Pharisees are condemned for judging and it is in the respect of thinking they are better. Jesus tells the parable to say that He was spending time with them to "save" them. He came to seek and save the lost. 

No where in the passage does Jesus condone or make excuses for the sinners. He just lets the Pharisees know that the sinner is why He came. Saving the lost one that's gone astray is what causes joy in heaven. 

Jesus ate with sinners yes. It doesn't say He went into the places where the people were involved in their sin. It says He receiveth sinners. They came to Him! He received those who came to Him hungering for what He had to offer them...no matter who they were. 

Another purpose of the parable is to show the Pharisees their hypocrisy. He uses the same type of wording in another passage when the Pharisees say that there shouldn't be any work done on the Sabbath (when Jesus heals). He tells them that they would pull the ox out of the ditch. 

Please stop trying to justify your sin by saying that Jesus hung out with sinners. The Bible is very clear that we are to be IN the world but not of the world. It also says not to be worldly. It tells us to come out from among them(those that are worldly or involved in sin)and be separate. It tells us to have a good testimony before men so that they will listen when we tell them of Christ and God's love and so that we will glorify God. If you are doing the same exact things that those around you are doing, you will not have a good testimony before them! 

What Someone Can Live Without

In my last post, I talked about being surprised what you can live through. Today I will go to the opposite spectrum. People are often saying that they can't live without this or that. I'm sure what they mean is that whatever it is they think they can't live without is just very important to them because in actuality, you'd be surprised what people can live without. Often a person makes a choice to live without something that another person lives with. Sometimes a person is forced into living without something. 

At twelve years old I was forced to live without my dad because he passed away at a young age from a massive coronary. Eight years ago I was forced to live without my mom because of lung cancer. I didn't think I'd make it through either of those situations but somehow life has moved me forward, like it or not. Did I learn to accept and cope? Yes! Did it effect my life tremendously? You bet! Were they choices I'd have made if asked? No, not at all!  

Many people live without hearing, seeing, limbs, feeling in legs or arms, certain organs, salt, sugar, dairy products, etc. They may have even thought that they couldn't live without whatever above thing when they were first made to have them gone. Some people may even have dealt with living without one of those right from birth. Yet, they have learned to live without it. It can be done when necessary. 

A year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's autoimmune disease. I had never heard of it and was told it was a thyroid disease. It's not. It's an autoimmune disease that tries to destroy the thyroid first but will eventually move on to other organs and systems of the body. As a matter of fact, if I happened to have my thyroid removed, I would still have Hashimoto's. It would just move on to something else inside me to destroy. I was also told when first diagnosed that it's not really a big deal but in my research I found that it IS A BIG DEAL and can lead to other autoimmune diseases and even certain cancers. There is much false information and "helps" out there for Hashimoto's and sorting through can be difficult and over the past month I have come to realize that it should not be done alone. I believe I have stumbled along the correct help and expert to finally help me. Tomorrow I embark on a new journey to put my Hashimoto's in remission and stop the destruction in my body. I have already removed gluten from my diet because it has been proven that no one goes into remission without removing gluten. I am quite sure that working with the new group will lead to other things being removed from my diet and life. I can make up my mind early that I can't remove anything else or even keep on the no gluten diet because it's too hard or I can decide that whatever I need to do is worth me feeling good again and having energy to enjoy life. I know it won't be easy but most worthwhile things aren't. I know it will cost some money (praying it won't put us in the poor house) but I will get resourceful if necessary. I also know that I am worth it! There was a time in my life when I may not have felt that way but that is no longer. I matter. I have something to offer to those around me and I want to be here to offer it and to feel well enough to offer it. 

I listen to people as they say they can't live without their coffee, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, sugar (tho diabetics do every day!), eggs, milk, or gluten, and I think to myself, you never know what you may have to give up in the future. Frankly, most of those should be eliminated from every person anyway. I was once one of those people who thought I could never go gluten free but I have. It mostly takes thought. What makes it harder is people's reactions to my choice. The teasing and down right snide comments hurts as I fight back tears sometimes and in my mind must tell myself that I'm doing this for my health...for my very life because I don't want to end up with thyroid or liver cancer. I don't want to keep suffering with multiple symptoms that have gone unexplained for many years and that I thought I'd just have to live with. So, as I'm told "don't bring that gluten free crap around me" or "my food tastes better than yours" or "you make meal choices difficult"; I must grow a thick skin and just know that my health is worth it. No one else has to participate with me or encourage me or understand my choices. I have decided to take this journey and I will be posting my progress from time to time. If you are someone who doesn't care to know the progress then you can choose to not read those posts. It's not like I have scores of readers anyway. I just hope I can help a few and make people think. That's why I started blogging in the first place. To touch others and as a therapy for myself also. 

We're All Terminal

This post may seem at first as though I am talking out both sides of my mouth. I believe if you read all the way through you will get the point and maybe it will make you do some thinking about your life. 

People from all walks of life tend to act like if you do certain things, or live in a certain way or exercise enough or eat all the right foods and avoid the wrong then you will live forever. I'm here to tell you that's just not the case. None of us are escaping death on this earth short of living until the Rapture of Christians. It is not out of the realm of possibility for anyone of us to be alive at the Rapture and the trumpet call of Jesus to call us to the sky with him but outside of that, we will most likely go into eternity with one final breath. The old saying goes "nothing is certain except death and taxes". 

Because so many believe what I just said in the above paragraph, they live life with the attitude "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die" or "I'm living for the here and now". I confess that there have been moments in my life where I have had this attitude. I do my best to keep it in check as much as possible because I know where it leads. I am a firm believer in the phrase "you are free to choose but you are NOT free from the consequences of those choices"! People do things. They participate in things that are potentially harmful because it feels good or is enjoyable now. They never give a thought to the underlying harm they are causing to their health when they consume harmful foods, drinks, pharmaceuticals, or the wrong fad supplements. They also never consider the harm from lack of exercise. Not just routine, cardio exercise but most people are actually stationary. They sit...at a desk, on the couch, in the recliner, in the car, on the bus, etc. and rarely move, with the exception of bending the arm to bring snacks and drinks to the mouth or push a button on the remote, phone or gaming system. 

Hang with me people... I'm heading somewhere. 

I am living proof that you'd be surprised what you can live through. I'm pretty sure many of those walking the earth are living proof because so many are ill for years and have no idea. Did you know that you can have an autoimmune disease for years before ever having anything show up in lab work?!  You may have mysterious symptoms that you can't figure out why they started or that confuse doctors but it can take years before labs point the way to the problem. 

Just because you are existing doesn't mean you are truly living. Jesus said that he came for us to have life and have it more abundantly. Yet many don't live it more abundantly because they truly can't. They are miserable in their symptoms. It is a chore to make it through the day for some folks. Many of these folks are unwilling to make any changes to help the situation. For some people they don't live an abundant life because of being bogged down mentally. They feel stuck in their current situation. Some live in the negative. Some live in anger and resentment. They get no joy in life because they are too focused on the bad to enjoy the good around them. Life is full of choices. 

We all have to decide for ourselves if we want to have the attitude of "we live and eventually die so I'll do what I want today regardless of consequences tomorrow". If that is your choice it's perfectly fine. It's your life! However, please stop griping when you have to face the consequences. 

We can also decide that I have already proven that "you'd be surprised what you can live through" and I don't want to do that anymore until I die. I want to have a good existence until the last breath and not have to deal with negative consequences of my choices. 

It's up to each one of us!  

Satan's Goals

Have you ever thought about Satan's power? I had a thought the other day about how Satan hates God and anyone who follows God. Interesting that there are so many in the world today that also hate God and those who follow Him, but that is another post for another day. One thought lead to another while I considered what Satan's ultimate goals are. 

The first goal of Satan is to keep people from getting saved. He doesn't want people to accept Jesus as their Savior. So, he uses his many tricks to keep as many people from salvation from hell as he can. He blinds people to the truth. He uses false doctrines. He uses worldly desires and selfishness to keep people from even inquiring about God and what God would want. He even keeps Christians occupied so that they stop witnessing. Yeah, Satan's ultimate goal is to keep people from turning to God. 

When Satan loses a battle for a soul to Jesus and their eternity is forever sealed, he moves on to his secondary goal. This goal is to render as many Christians as possible ineffective. He uses many tricks for this, too. Some of them overlap with the ones he uses on people before salvation. Distraction and preoccupation are two of the biggest tricks Satan uses on Christians. He takes focus off church, Bible reading, serving God and keeps minds and yes, hearts, busy with the cares of the world. He removes contentment with what is already and brings desires that cause bigger bills which leads to working more hours to pay for those bills. He also keeps parents so busy making sure their kids have more opportunities, more things,and more activities than the parents had so that little by little the things of God are squeezed out. Church services and activities begin to be missed for sports, dance recitals, school activities, and/or extra hours worked to pay for the aforementioned and then once you begin missing, it becomes easier to miss. And as I have blogged about before, sometimes when you begin the move away from God, it's farther back than you think!!! It will take more work to get back on track than it would have if the effort was just made to start with to keep God first. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying it's harder. Just like it's taking much, much more effort to get this 52 year old broken down body back into good health and shape!! 

Barren busyness is one of Satan's best tricks to keep Christians from being effective for God. All the chores, errands, day to day living with the occasional trials fill up the time each day and pretty soon it's bed time and all of a sudden you realize that maybe you didn't read your bible or pray today or maybe you did  but never took time to tell anyone about Jesus or show forth His love by helping or caring for another person along the way. It happens to the best of us. The pressures of daily living are very consuming and at times downright overwhelming. We can pray for forgiveness and help to do better. That is the wonderful thing about a loving God who remembers we are dust and prone to backsliding but always allows u-turns back to His loving arms! 

When the trials or distractions become too much just tell Satan "Not today, Satan. You  can't have me or my family." 

Why Do You Go To Church?

This is a fair question to ask. As I observe the happenings in my own church and talk with pastors and pastor's wives and missionaries from around the world, I hear the same conclusion. That is that many sitting in churches are present only in body. Minds are mostly elsewhere. Only a fraction of those at church actually care about and are listening to the preaching and teaching going on around the room. This conclusion leads me to ask, "Why do you go to church?" 

I believe many go to church because they feel they are supposed to go. For many, it is a drudgery and an obligation that they must fill. These same people feel they are "Super Christian" because they have filled this obligation. They do not get involved in serving in the church. Many only show up when there is nothing more pressing or important going on in their life. Their heart is not truly in or for the church. It is just where they have always gone, possibly since childhood, and where they go when they choose to attend. They may even refer to the church as their church but they are not excited to be there. They do not invite others to join them. They are content to show up, sing a song or two from the hymnal, endure the preaching service and go home to get on with the rest of the day's obligations. They have no intention of allowing the preaching of God's Word to penetrate their heart or make changes in their life based on what the Bible says. It appears to just be show up, endure and go home so that they have fulfilled their duty. 

I say if this is you, why bother? If you don't see any point in church attendance besides fulfilling a duty to God and maybe even your pastor and you cannot get excited about going to your church to fellowship with others and learn and grow in God's Word; then it may be time to find a new church where you CAN get excited. Church should not be a drudgery. You should come as a willing vessel to learn and grow. Jesus said He would fill those who come thirsty. 

Let's look at what the Bible says the church was for (in no particular order)...
1. Fellowship with other believers Acts 2:42
2. Prayer Acts 2:42, Acts 12:5, 2 Cor. 1:11, James 5:15-16
3. Edification 1 Cor. 14:26, Eph. 4:11-12
4. Partaking of Lord's Supper 1 Cor. 11:20-34
5. Sending Missionaries Acts 15:3, Rom. 10:14-15, Phil. 4:15-18
6. Settling disputes Matt. 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 5:1-5

All of these things are good reasons to attend church, To get involved in the church. As I have stated before in other posts, the church is not for the lost but for the saved. It is for the Christian. Hebrews 10:23-25 is still in the Bible! The fellowship is for provoking each other to love and to good works. It is to share our burdens with each other (Gal. 6:1-2) It is to pray for one another. It is to help one another. 

Some folks come to church either right as church starts or even a few minutes late (this I will never understand why people show up consistently late - set the alarm a few minutes earlier and be on time!) and they leave as soon as the service is over and don't stop to speak to anyone. For them, there is no fellowship at all, sweet or otherwise. They carry all their burdens alone. They have fulfilled their duty but for them church isn't sweet. It isn't enjoyed. They gained nothing and because of that cannot give out anything to others. 

So, why do you go to church? This is a good question to ponder and check your own motives. Just because you show up from time to time, and give money in the offering to support the church bills and the missions fund, does not mean you are a great Christian. Church should be something you enjoy. It should be somewhere you want to come and learn and grow in your walk with the Lord. It should be a place where you desire to be involved and to serve Christ. If it is not any of these things, I strongly suggest you either find a church where you can participate fully or get your heart right and serve where you are.