Stop Cowering Behind Your Shield

A long time ago a pastor in Ohio told Todd and I that we had a warring spirit. Now at first I thought that just meant that we would fight a lot, but over the years I have learned that we are in constant spiritual battle over something.

Do you ever feel that as the church body all we do is hide behind a shield, cowering in fear of the enemy?

Well I will tell you, fellow followers of Christ, no more for me. I am taking the offensive, I am charging full force toward the enemy with my sword in my hand and the war cry on my lips. I am tired of feeling beat up and heavy with situations and circumstances that are hard to bear. I am sick of waiting for the bottom to fall out. How many of us say, “what else could go wrong?”

Well the first thing we have to do is stop talking that way. Warriors do not sit back and wait for the enemy to find them, they go out and fight. They don’t sit back and cry in their barracks about how defeated they feel. Heb. 10:39 says “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” . Soldiers work out, they muscle up, they practice, they train. We have allowed our faith muscles to become flabby, sitting around filling our heads with negative thinking. We have got to build our faith by the hearing and studying of the Word of God. It is too late to train when the battle comes, you must be ready, fully armed and very dangerous. 2 Timothy 4:2 says to be ready in season and out of season.

The Bible tells us to put on the full armor for a reason, we are warriors. The Bible does not say take the shield of faith and hold it up in front of your face and run, run, run man. NO! It says put on the FULL armor of God. ( Eph. 6:13-17 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[a] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ) Have you ever noticed that the armor that covers us is for frontal attacks? The breastplate, the shield, the shoes, the helmet; God doesn’t instruct us to cover our backs--we are never meant to retreat! We are to go forth, God didn’t instruct us to leave the battle, He has empowered us to fight the good fight of faith. We do not go in alone, Jesus covers our backs.

We cannot be passive, meek and mild Christians when it comes to spiritual matters. We Stand Firm, we cannot waver, we have to know and understand the authority we have in Christ.

We have spiritual authority, Christ took it from satan and gave it back to us. We do not have to be subject to fear, we need to take back dominion, dominion that was given to us by Jesus himself. Col. 2:13-15 “13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” and Heb. 2:14-15 14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

Even if you have a “Warring Spirit” remember who you are warring against and don’t take out innocent civilians. “We battle not against flesh and blood but against powers, principalities”

We cannot make the battle about those who God loves. We are not fighting those individuals who disagree with us, oppose us, or cause our walk to be more difficult. We fight the one who is using them as his puppet. We have to remember to separate the puppet from the puppet master. Even fellow believers can be used if they do not have their mind it the right place. Understand that they are not the enemy they need love, understanding, and lots and lots of prayer.

I used to sing a song called “The warrior is a child” and in this song it talks about how we go running home when we fall down, that God picks us up when no one is around. We do stumble but Heb. 12:3 says “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Christ has paid the price so that we do not have to even grow weary. We need to continually take time to read the Word and spend time in Prayer. This is our training ground, this is how we become strong and able to fight the fight before us. We need to watch what we say, even our words can make us tired of fighting. Continually stir yourself up in your time with the Lord; praying, reading, and seeking His voice to become the Fully trained, Fully armed warriors of God.

Get Motivated Seminar--My Notes

Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend a leadership conference with several of the Pastors and staff from our church.  I didn’t know what to expect but was looking forward to seeing individuals such as Laura Bush, Bill Cosby and General Colin Powell.  Surprisingly I ended up enjoying those whom I was completely unfamiliar with and being only partly moved by those I looked forward to hearing.

Laura Bush was wonderful, please don’t misunderstand me, her presence alone was enough to fill the coliseum.  Bill Cosby was funny, as he usually is, however he left much wanting as he misquoted the Bible and treated those in service to him with disregard.  You observe more of an individual by the way he treats others when he thinks no one is watching then from the words that he shares.  

To briefly recap the day I would like to start with a quote from Dr. Schuler, “Impossible stifles creativity ”.  Although only on the stage for a few minutes Dr. Schuler revved the crowd with his famous words “Nothing is impossible”,  I then inserted “with God”.  He stated that words are power,  Christians know this because God created all things by speaking them into existence (accept for man who he molded with his hands).  Jesus healed with his words and the Bible tells us to tame our tongue for it is a rudder for our lives.  Dr. Schuler went on to say that the word “impossible” will kill our dreams.  He said be creative and challenge an impossibility!  I most enjoyed his story of when his daughter lost her leg and went on to be a home run hitter on her softball team.  When her dad told her that she couldn’t play softball anymore she came back with one of his very own quotes, “Never look at what you have lost, look at what you have left.”  In closing his moments with us he said “turn your problems into possibilities, your obstacles into opportunities.”

Unschooled in the world of finance accept by Dave Ramsey, the Bible and my husband (not necessarily in that order) I was not familiar with who Steve Forbes was, okay stop gasping, it’s just not my area of expertise.  I was pleasantly surprised by his words and pleased that he encouraged those of us who aren’t exactly short in the tooth, as they say, that it’s not over 'til it’s over.  He brought up one of the greatest food chain originators of all time, Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds.  Ray Kroc didn’t start McDonalds until he was in his 50’s.  It doesn’t matter how late we get started as long as we get started.  Don’t do it like everyone else, take chances and do things differently, see common things in new ways, use something someone else invented to further your visions, ie. the computer, the camera, even your every day appliances.  I will venture a step further and say that you should pray and believe God to give you creative ideas and witty inventions.  Allow the Lord to speak to you about what that thing is that He wants you to step out in.  Say “Yes Lord” and walk in the blessings of His plan and purpose for your life.

....to be continued.....

Broken

When I would need to know how to fix something I would always call my dad.  Though he was thousands of miles away he would walk me through the process of fixing whatever might have been broken. 

Now he is gone and there is so much that is broken and I don’t know how to fix it.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Maybe I don’t need to fix all that is broken, maybe I just need to rest in the one who knows how to heal every pain, mend every broken heart and give peace to all who need peace.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”

Even during this very sad time of my life I know that God is still God, He is still in charge and He loves me enough to help me get through the sadness.  My earthly father is no longer on this earth but my Heavenly Father will never leave me nor forsake me.

Good Gifts

Have you ever received a gift from your parents?  I mean a significant gift that was unexpectedly terrific?
Maybe they gave you a car when you were 16 or maybe they paid for your college.  Maybe they gave you money for the down payment on a house or helped you finance an entrepreneurial pursuit.
My father in law has financed several vacations for us and we are about to embark on the largest one yet, a cruise to Bermuda.
As an adult it’s a wonderful thing to have parents that will do things like this to bless your life.  They do so much when you are growing up and we expect it as kids.  But when you are grown and they continue to bless your life with unexpected, amazing gifts it puts you in such a humble place of thanksgiving.
Last night as I was reading before bed a scripture came to me in the text on this very thing.  Matthew 7:11 says, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  And then it happened, that strange and wonderful moment when you know God is trying to get something across to you that you just have not been getting.  He showed me that if my father in law can give us this wonderful thing how much more should I be expecting my Heavenly Father to give to us.  After all, doesn’t He love us so much more?  Isn’t He the giver of all good and perfect things?  Is He not LOVE itself?
I had been trying not to concern myself with some financial shortcomings we were having and as He showed this to me I realized, all I need to do is ask Him and it will all be taken care of.   I need to believe, just as a child does, that my Father is going to make everything okay.  That my DAD is going to meet my needs.
I will repeat it from my last blog, Trust God!!  Come to him as you would your own dad and just simply ask.  He loves you so much; He wants to give to you.
On the flip side, as a parent, I love to give my kids things.  From their favorite breakfast food to the coolest birthday gift ever, I just love to see the look on their face and get that “Thank you, thank you, thank you mommy!!!”  It is just so much fun.  I can imagine how fun it is for God to give gifts to His kids and see their eyes alight with thanksgiving over His generosity and abundance!  

Don’t Loose Heart, Don’t Loose Hope, Trust God

I had the opportunity recently to fellowship with a wonderful individual from our church, a Godly woman who has been through a great deal.  We discussed the things in our lives in which we have had to wait.  Months and sometimes years pass as we wait on something we know God has shown us.  We wait on promises, on provision, on healing, believing that we will see it come to fruition.  We try not to become discouraged as time seems to drag on.  We try not to doubt but we grow weary and we start listening to the voices that lie to us about our blessing.  We start to wonder what we could have done wrong in order to miss the blessing.  We wonder what we need to do to open the door for it to finally come about.  We sometimes start to make plans, “just in case” plans, or “what if” plans.  What if we didn’t hear God right, what if we missed it, what if our timing is off, maybe we should try this other way “just in case” that is not what God meant.

 Faith is not enough to get through; you have to couple faith with trust.  “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding.”  We have to trust that what God said is His very word and since He cannot lie it will happen.  We can examine the promise we feel that God gave us and if it doesn't contradict the Word of God than we can rest in knowing that what God promised He will supply.   

 I had been feeling like the waiting was just becoming too much but what is my waiting compared to that of Abraham and Sara or Joshua and Caleb or Joseph or Moses or Job.  We have to hold on to God's promises and trust Him.  Trust that He will always bring His promises to manifestation.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA3MSqufJP4&feature=related 

The inconvenience of parenting

I had a situation occur tonight that was not new to me.  As a matter of fact it has happened more frequently than I would like to admit over the past 5 years. 

It was late and I figured I would be off to bed in a timely fashion, without mishap, but I was wrong.  Instead a found myself cleaning up after an accident and thinking to myself, “How inconvenient”.   I stopped there.  Did I really just indicate that parenting was inconvenient?  

How many of you have thought that?  You had your plans, you had ideas of how things were going to work out and then “BAM”, inconvenience strikes.  Is life ever so easy as to  have no obstacles or hurdles?  Well, I guess tonight, I thought so.   If parenting is anything it’s inconvenient, it’s difficult, it’s unpredictable, it’s unrewarding, it is such a tough job.  Why do you think God wanted to start over so many times, His children drove him to annihilation.  Thank you Jesus for Grace and Mercy.  

Where is my grace and mercy on nights like tonight.  Nights when I was so tired and had to deal with unpleasantness to the degree that it has kept me up even longer to write about it.  How can I extend my arms of grace to my child when they have done something to disturb my schedule, my plans?  I must look to the loving Father who used sacrificial love to extend His grace to me.  My love must be sacrificial, I must crucify my inconvenience on the cross of mercy and let it flow through everything that I do.  So what if I go to bed 45 minutes later than planned if I can lovingly tuck my child in bed after a most unpleasant episode and wrap my arms around his little body and tell him I love him even in the midst of my frustration.  Isn’t that what the Father did for us?

God sent His son in the midst of our sin and He required a sacrifice to save us.  It wasn’t the original plan and I would say it was most inconvenient for Jesus to leave heaven, become a man, live among us, be betrayed, beaten and hung to die.  But He did it, because He loves us.  What is our inconvenience compared to His?

The Blessing of Working with Children

This past Sunday a parent of one of our two year olds came to me with a report that blessed me so much I had to share it with all of you.

First, I want to say that every one of my volunteers needs to understand the important role they have in the little lives that they spend one Sunday with each month.  Be encouraged that the work that you do is going much further than you think.

Here is my confirmation:

This parent came to us with a praise report like I have never had before.  They started out by saying that we may not think a two year old understands what we are teaching them (by faith we believe that they do understand).  They went on to say how their child shares what they've learned that Sunday, not just with the parent that is at church, but with the parent that is unsaved at home.  This little evangelist goes straight to it's parent and retells each story, shows the craft completed and (this is my favorite) expresses that Jesus is in their heart.

That's not all though, this child has family in another country and when talking to them on the phone tells of Jesus and the heart that He filled.  This little one talks about Jesus all the time, constantly ministering to that unsaved parent and extended family.

Friends, please understand, you are not just teaching children, you are raising up evangelists, teachers, preachers, prophets and the like.

You are so important to the lives of the children you touch.

May God continue to bring the volunteers like you, who have a heart to share the love of Jesus with all the little ones in our congregation.

I love and appreciate all of you so very, very much!

Working Together

This past week my cousins came to help build a tree house for the boys in our back yard.  After days of rain we finally received beautiful weather which left us only three days to complete the task.  We worked continually to get it done, the men did most of the labor but the women and children (when they were not playing) assisted as best they could.  It took all of us to make it happen.  

Even though the men did most of the heavy labor that doesn’t mean that the others were not important.  Any carpenter will tell you that working with an assistant makes a job go so much smoother.  Besides that, someone has to feed the workers!    As we were finishing up one evening it occurred to me how important all of us were to this project.  We functioned fluidly toward the end, knowing how to hold this board or measure that rail.  If we were to go on for days it would have been fun to see how much more we could have done now knowing just how to help each other.

It is like this in the body of Christ as well.  We all have different jobs and if we do them together, working toward one final goal we will successfully bless the world with the love of Jesus.  

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 says this:

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 

 ¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 

 ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 

 ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 

We are all needed in the body of Christ, we are all important.  The nursery worker is as important as the one leading praise and worship and the one teaching the children is as important as the one teaching the adults.  We all work together for the glory of Christ.  Blessing Him with our love for others and our willingness to do the small jobs in order to love our Big God!

Stop Trippin'

One of my husbands favorite preachers said this once and it just stuck with me, “Stop Trippin’ ”.  The Bible says to be anxious for nothing.  This is usually thought of as worry and I very much agree with it, however,  I don’t consider myself a worrier.   Although, I  come from a long line of worriers and could lean that way if I am not careful to check myself.

I do, however, get anxious about the list of “to do’s” that I have incurred.  This morning as I was trying to spend time with God, that list was rolling over and over in my head.  I would get a few words of prayer out and then my thoughts would turn to the grocery list and the repairs that still need to be completed before company comes on Monday.  Then I would realize how I wasn’t praying anymore and go back to conversing with God. 

 All of the sudden I started to feel the pressure of my upcoming agenda and instantly God said: “Stop Trippin' ”, or something like that.  He said:  “Rest in me, spend time with me, and I will make sure that all these things will be taken care of.” 

 

 I felt a release, the pressure was gone and I knew the most important thing I can do is put Him first!  If I rest in Him, spending time with Him in His Word and in conversation with Him then “all these things will be added unto me”.   

A few years ago I remember Todd telling me that God had basically told him the same thing.  He was in church on a Wednesday night and as he sat in the service he started concerning himself with all that he needed to be doing, for work, for our home, for our business.  Then suddenly God said:  “That’s why you are here, when you come here to Worship Me, I am taking care of all of those other things that you are concerned about.”  Stop Trippin’.

We are so good at overwhelming ourselves with our “to do” lists, when all God wants is our time. 

 Recalling the story of Mary and Martha:   Martha was concerning herself with the tasks at hand, she was so upset about it that she forgot to spend time with Jesus.  She was ticked off at Mary for not helping her and I am sure she was taken aback when Jesus said: "Hey Martha stop trippin’,  Mary is spending time with me, I wont be around long, this is more important". 

If we give Him our time, He will take care of our day and all that lies beyond.  

Moving On

Todd and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with great friends last night.  Friends that unfortunately will be moving in a short period of time.  They will be greatly missed.

As the conversation took turns and twists and we talked about a myriad of topics; children, home improvements and things of spiritual significance, one of  the hardest things to discuss was the fact that they are leaving.

Change is usually difficult but the change of moving a family from a familiar city to one of uncertainty is certainly a challenge.  

God told Abram to go to a place that He would show him, talk about uncertainty.  Abram didn’t even know where he was going.  I bet that was an interesting conversation between Abram and Sarai, “God told you WHAT?”

Then Moses moves the Israelites out of Egypt and into a land of the unknown, wow.  Remember where all the grumbling got them?

Looking back over my own life and the moves that we have made have brought both heartache and joy.  When I was young we moved a lot and now I see how those moves strengthened me and my sister.  

As adults, Todd and I moved to Ohio, leaving our families in Colorado to go where we believed God was telling us to go.  Ours was a migratory journey into a land as Egypt was to the Israelites.  For us it was seven years that, although were painful, were the greatest teaching years we could have had.

Our move to the south was less distressing but not in the area of leaving behind friends who we cared for dearly.

  

It is hardest to leave individuals.  Houses can be replaced, jobs and even churches can be exchanged from what you had, but people are difficult and, in many ways, impossible to recoup.  Every friendship is like a connecting point in a spider web.  Each life touching another connecting the whole thing together creating a strong, beautiful piece of unique artwork.  We are bound together, knowing that no matter how far the miles are between us we are connected.  United by joy, sorrow, pain and triumph.

I know that as my friends embark on their journey a part of me goes with them, woven into the web of their lives, contributing to them the strengths that we can impart.

Never look at a move as a loss but an opportunity to grow, to learn, to follow God’s call to the next great thing He has for you!

We love you, dear friends and know we will be together again--Heck, you’re gonna have to put up with me for all eternity!

Fear

I had every intention to post what the children were learning in the “outback” room this past Sunday.  However, when my sister called with bad news that I then had to relay to my parents and hear the sound of their response, I knew I had to address this thing called fear.

I know that fear has been covered the past few Sundays in the sermons but I have not been in the sanctuary, I am with the little ones.  Needless to say, I have not heard the messages except through my husband’s short translations.

I may repeat some things, for some of you have already heard about fear, so please bear with me.

People say things like,  “ fear gripped me” or “I was overtaken by fear” or “the fear was crippling”.  Something rises up in me when I hear that and I want to ask them why can’t we be gripped by faith or overtaken by our faith or empowered by faith.  Our knee jerk reaction should not fall to fear, we should rise to faith.  

As believers we should always go to God’s Word when we encounter a bad report.  If it is about our finances we need to remember that Philippians 4:19 says:  And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

If it is about our health we need to speak Isaiah 53:5, He himself took up our infirmities and carried our deceases and by his stripes we are healed.  Anything we face can be countered with faith through the Word of God.  Fear is the enemy’s way of pinning us to the mat until we give up and lose heart.  Wrestle that nasty serpent to the ground. Jesus did.  Blow by blow, as the devil hurled temptations at our Messiah he countered with God’s Word; he caused Lucifer to fall to his defeat.  We need to stand up to the facts with the truth!!  The fact may be that you have cancer but the truth is Jesus took cancer in every drop of blood he shed for you!  The fact might be that you can’t pay your bills but the truth is Jesus provided every need for you on the cross of Calvary.  

Don’t back down, don’t buckle, don’t quit, don’t let fear get a foothold!  We can deFeet the enemy with our faith, we can disArm him with the Word of God, we can get a Legup on him through the Blood of Jesus.  He cannot get aHead of us when we know the authority we have in Jesus Name.  DisemBody him by allowing the Holy Spirit to embody you!!

For my Mom

Thank you, Mom

It’s not Mother’s Day or your birthday but I need to express

Thank you, dear mother, and the point I do stress

For the service you rendered in my rearing years

The giving, the loving, the laughter and tears

You made breakfasts and lunches, bags with pictures drawn on

Cleaned house, laundered clothing, didn’t go to the salon

You did more by eight than most do all day

Serving your family in your special “mom” way

I see it now more than ever as the job is now mine

To take care of my loved ones a thankless job by design

Serving young boys morning, noon and night

The expectations higher than a soaring kite

They demand as I work to make their lives good

Doing all the things I think that a good mother should

As they rant and they rave over this thing or that

I feel lower and lower thinking I am their mat

I know now how you felt not a thank you was said

As you worked and you served all of us in your stead

You could have pursued a career just for you

Getting praised for all the creations you’d do

I say it right now, better late than never

Thank you dear mom for the service you did render!!

Scars

Fifteen years ago Todd and I drove through downtown Boulder, Colorado on a gorgeous October afternoon.  We were enjoying having the T tops off our Nissan NX 2000.  The outing was cut short, however, by an oncoming Suv that hit us head on.  Because I neglected to wear a seat belt the impact caused me to collide with the windshield producing lacerations to my head and torn ligaments in my ankle.

Months went by as I went to physical therapy and had two different surgeries on my head and eyebrow.  We waited somewhat patiently for a settlement to come through the insurance agency and when it did we were ecstatic.  

I remember leaving the attorney’s office with a check in our hands, the office secretary called out to us to inquire as to how we would spend our funds.  A down payment on a house?  A new car maybe?  She almost fell out of her chair when we said, “We are going to adopt”.

I still have scars on my head and a strange looking right eyebrow, but I also have an amazing 11 year old son.  I work hard everyday to cover my scars and pencil in my eyebrow but I wouldn’t change a thing because of what they brought into our lives.  I would go through it again to have him.  My scars paid for his adoption.

When we see Jesus face to face His scars will still be visible, on His hands, His feet, His side and His brow.  They will be the only scars in heaven.  My scars will be gone, but His remain.

He would take all of those scars on again just to have us with Him eternally.  His scars paid for our salvation.

Isaiah 53:5 (King James Version)

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Ephesians 5:2 (New Living Translation)

 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Choosing to Love

Choosing to Love

My husband leaves his socks on the bathroom floor, he forgets to take the trash out and he leaves water glasses and coffee cups in various places in the house.  

The honeymoon is definitely over, well it’s been over for almost 19 years but when I wake up in the morning and he is lying there next to me, thank you Lord that he doesn’t snore, I think to myself, “How blessed am I”.  

I went through a phase of complaining about my husband and the things he didn’t do.  I would call my friend on the phone or my sister and talk about how irritated I was at this thing or that.  The thing is, it didn’t change him but it did change me.  It made me more aware of the things that bothered me and I  began to dislike my marriage, my husband and even myself.  

I was listening to a preacher on television, I can’t even remember who now as it was quite some time ago, but he talked about how our words can bring life or death to everything in our lives.  I realized at that moment that I was bringing death to my marriage by the way I was talking.  My words were creating an environment of darkness for my family.  I was choosing to dislike my husband and my marriage.  

I decided to make some changes.  I stopped talking negatively about my husband to everyone I spoke to.  I started talking about how wonderful he was, even if I didn’t feel it, I said it.  I began to speak about how great it was to be married to such a sweet man, caring father and dedicated worker.  I spoke love and life into my marriage and pretty soon I started to feel it too.  I started to see my husband the way I was speaking about him.  I was choosing every day to love him, even if I didn’t feel it.

Love is a choice, not a feeling.  Feelings wane, they dissipate, they die.  But if you make a decision to love your spouse no matter what, that is when healing can take place.

When you speak life into your marriage that is when you will see that you really do love the wonderful person you are married to, no matter how many socks you have to pick up.

Happy Valentines Day!

Beating up on Mom

As women we have the tendency to compare ourselves to other women.  Wish I had her figure, her hair, love her make-up, her clothes, her house, etc.  She has such a wonderful personality, she is so patient, she is so peaceful, so together, I wish I was as organized as she is, wish I was a housekeeper like her, wish I could be as involved in the church/ in the school as she is, wish I had as many friends as she does, she gets along with people so well, I wish I was as good as………and on it goes.

But one of the most dangerous places we can compare ourselves as women is in the area of motherhood.

I always thought all mothers were the same—they had the same job – the same calling, the same, same, same.

Guess what----They are not and they are not supposed to be!

I used to look at other moms and think – Wow what a great Mom she is – she is so together, so patient, so sweet, so organized.  Her Children are so well behaved – she is such a great mother – I wish I could be more like her—

I put on the gloves and started to beat myself up. 

The good news is – Moms are not all the same – just because they are all Moms doesn’t mean they do their jobs the same way – the Bible says that some are prophets, some teachers, some evangelists.  But I always thought all Moms were just the same – NO NO NO!!

Just like there are different gifting and different callings there are different Mom’s.  Our kids are all different so why do we think we need to be the same.  We are not!

Some of us are strong in the areas that others are not and that is exactly why God placed our children with us!

Isaiah 49:5   says that “He formed me in my mother’s womb.”  God knew before that baby was born who the mother would be – even those of us who have adopted children need to know that God put these children in the right home – the best atmosphere for them to become who they need to be.

I am not saying that we should not try to better ourselves as mothers by studying the Word and listening to mothers who have wisdom to impart in our lives – What I am saying is stop comparing yourselves to other Moms

Peter was not Paul and Paul was not Timothy – Each one had a separate calling to a specific people!

As a Mom you have a specific calling to your children not that you cant minister or care for other children but your specific calling is to your children.  God gave you the ministry of parenting your children.

I had a mother tell me once to look at mothering as a job, but I disagree.  You can quit a job – you cannot quit a ministry!

When God places a calling on your life you can choose not to do it but you can never quit.  The calling never goes away     Romans 11:29  For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

I used to think to myself “Jesus was tempted in all things but He wasn’t a mom”

Now I see that He is father, mother, brother, friend and savior.  He does hear our cry; he does understand a mother’s heart, her longing to be better, her cry for more of what she doesn’t have. 

Don’t beat yourself up anymore for what you think you are not.  God gave you all you need and He is what you are not to your children.  He loves them more than you do.    Psalm 127:3  Behold Children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Sin Nature

I had the opportunity to have two of my favorite kids visit my house on Saturday night.  I enjoy seeing these little ones out of the normal Church routine.  Todd had to take our oldest son to a basketball game during dinner so our youngest and I ate with our two small guests.  I realize that my table rules are different than some but to this four year old the excitement of being a guest overruled the obligation of manners.   

  Explaining to him that when he is at Miss Amy's house he must abide by Miss Amy's rules, was not good enough for him, his quick rebuttal indicated that he had his own rules.  In my head all I could hear was "You're not the boss of me".  I have to chuckle now when thinking back on the innocence of his sweet little face even as he defied my authority at the dinner table.   Let me be clear, this little boy is not a bad kid, on the contrary, he is one of the best behaved kids I know.  His parents work hard to teach him manners, God’s principles and the difference between right and wrong.  It makes the point of this message all the more meaningful because even the best of person, the most innocent of child, still has a sin nature.

We are not born Christians, we are born sinners.  We cannot enter into God's Kingdom with the sin of man on us.  Even this little guy has a sin nature; he is bent toward being self willed.  He wants his own way.  We are all this way.  The Word says we have ALL sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.  Not one of us, no matter how young, is without sin.  We ALL need a Savior.  We all need to be born again.  Born out of the sinful flesh and into the newness of life with Christ; and because we all are bent toward that self will we must continue to renew our minds through the Word of God.  We can't expect to "poof" change in an instant when we get Born Again and be free from the tendencies of selfishness.  After all, that is what sin is, the selfish desire to do just what we want to do.  We must renew our mind through the reading of The Word in order for our selfish thinking to be changed to selfless thinking and a heart after God.  We can have victory over the sins that have us ensnared.   

Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified Bible)

22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;

    23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],

    24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

Pride vs. Humility

This is not a subject that everyone understands but one I think everyone has experience with, that is the subject of Pride. 

The dictionary defines pride as a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. 

The Bible says God hates pride.  Proverbs 8:13 says,  To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
   I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

Proverbs 29:23 says:  A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of a humble spirit gains honor.

As Christians we can fall into the trap of pride and not even realize it.  It is easy to see on someone else.  We look to someone we know and say things like “They think they are so much better than everyone else because they are singing solo’s and they went on the missions trip”.  But do we see when we are being proud?  Do people view us as “Holier than Thou”.  Or do they see the humble spirit that is so thankful for God’s goodness and His salvation.

I have to bring to the attention one man who I believe to be a truly humble man of God.  Our children’s Pastor walks in humility, you can see it in him on a daily basis.  Now humility does not make him a lower person.  No, he knows who he is in Christ.  He knows he is more than a conqueror, a king and a priest, the child of the Most High God.  But at the same time he does not make anyone he is around feel that they are less because he is who he is.  On the contrary, he makes others feel good about who they are in Christ as well.

My dad has recently had the opportunity to talk with our children’s pastor and his exact words were, “He is just a regular guy”.  A big compliment coming from my dad, he feels that anyone in a spiritual authoritative position thinks that they are better than everyone else. 

Are we a “Regular Guy” to people around us?  Loving them with the love of Christ but not making them feel in any way that we are somehow superior because we have been a Christian for 40 years or we go to a specific church.  We need to make sure pride doesn’t get in the way of our walk.  Yes we are to be proud of Jesus and what he did for us on the Cross but don’t transfer that pride to who you are.

Look for others you see humility in and find out what makes them walk that way.  You may be very blessed to find out how they got there.

Soldiers Preparation

The worst thing you can do as a soldier is to go into battle unprepared.

Training does not begin when the battle starts, basic training starts way
before the battle ever takes place.
My Dad was in the Navy.  He was on his way to Korea when the war ended but he was not being sent ill prepared.  He had training, vigorous mental and physical training that he had to go through before he was no longer considered a civilian but an officer of the United States Navy.
What would have happened had they sent my dad to Korea as a civilian? He could have been injured, become disabled, lost his life or cost the lives of others because he was not prepared for the battle.

I see Game On as boot camp for Evangel Cathedral’s army of Christian soldiers.  We are preparing ourselves for the battles ahead.  We cannot expect to be successful on the battle field if we have not been through some very basic training that takes us from being mere civilian Christians to full fledged warriors of the Cross!!
In Judges 7, God is giving Gideon specific instructions for His army that will defeat the Midianites.  He didn't want fearful warriors and was able to thin the crowd by half.  He also did not want warriors that were unprepared and ended up with a mere 300.  But 300 enabled men of God are much more powerful than 22,000 civilians.  When God prepares an army He wants them to be able bodied, able minded and able spiritually.  We are not good warriors if we are fearful of how the next bill is going to get paid, concerned that we might have some physical ailment or constantly living in doubt over our lives in one capacity or another.  We cannot fight the enemy if we don't understand the One who has defeated him.
We will win every battle set before us if we are going in completely prepared, fully armored, courageous, devoted and committed.
A prepared soldier is armed and understands how to use his weapon.  We become more fully "loaded" with ammunition the more we are in the Bible.  Using the very  Word of God to disable the enemy.
Once we have come to a place where we understand who we are, not mere civilians but warriors,
soldiers of the Most High God, we grab hold of the authority we have in The Blood of Jesus, The Name of Jesus and we will claim our victory because of the Blood and His Name.  We take authority through the Word.  We can now say that we are High Ranking officers in His Army because we understand the Authority of Jesus' blood and name.  Just like the centurion who sent his friends to Jesus in Luke 7.  As a warrior He understood the authority in spoken commands.  He knew that all Jesus needed to do was say the words and his servant would be healed.  The Authority we have as warriors in the army of God is the same authority that healed that servant, that raised the dead, that wins every battle set before it.
If we can get our Game On, our Life On as Warriors, Soldiers in the Army of Christ, we will be victorious.
We can win every battle if we are well trained, prepared soldiers!!

Game On

Content in the Season I am in

I have to admit when the Christmas decorations come down and all the celebrating is over, I tend to get a little restless with winter.  I start to long for warmer, longer days and flowers blooming, color exploding everywhere.  Why can't I just be content with the season that I am in? 
It seems to happen in many areas of our lives.  I notice it so much in my two sons.  One of their favorite things to say is, "I can't wait....", I can't wait for my birthday, I can't wait 'til Christmas, I can't wait until Friday, I can't wait until I am older, etc. etc. etc.
Adults do it too, I can't wait for this day to be over, I can't wait to get that new car, new house, new job.  On and on we go being discontent with the place or "season" that we are in.
Shouldn't our hearts be more thankful for today.  Shouldn't we be saying, "Thank you, God, for today, for this job, for this house, for this car, for my health, my family.  Thank you God for this season that I am in, I know you have something to teach me right where I am."
We should be content with today and all the wonder that it holds. 
The Bible says to be anxious for nothing and isn't that what being discontented is, anxiousness?  We are so anxious for the next thing we don't rest in this thing, today, right here.  Quietly listening to our Shepherd leading us through today, appreciating every wonder that He has given us, even our very breath.
Don't seek the next season before it's time to leave the season you are in.  You wouldn't plant flowers in your garden in January.

Gods Faithfulness

My husband sent me this article, I am sure he sent it because he knows how much I love dogs but as I read about this devoted animal it made me reflect on God's faithfulness.  God said He would never leave us and he would not forsake us, He is faithful to walk beside us no matter where we go.  When we leave Him, He faithfully waits for our return, loving us and longing for the companionship that comes from the relationship that we have with Him.  He is quick to forgive us when we ask and He lovingly envelopes us in His perfect peace when we reconcile our relationship with Him.
1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

White as Snow

I had a conversation with my neighbor the other day.  He is a native of Spartanburg and voiced to me his disdain for the snow that we have recently experienced.  I understood his view of it and can see why he feels that way.  However, as I look at the blanket of white that covers everything I am reminded of the Grace of God and the Blood of Jesus. 
The dismal death of winter can overshadow any good thing (I lived in Ohio for 7 winters, I know) but when the snow comes and everything in sight is covered in glorious white it is blindingly beautiful!  This is how we should see our lives before Christ and then again, after His Blood washed away our sins. 
Separate from Christ we are dark, dismal, gray and without life--sin has overshadowed our whole being and we are separated from God.  But when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, after His Blood washes away our sins we are as white and sparkling as the driven snow, pure and without blemish. 
Then Spring comes......but that is another blog for another season.  Walk in His Victory today because of The Blood He shed for you!!

Psalm 51:7  Purify me from my sins,^[a] and I will be clean;
      wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.   NLT

Carrying The Word

One of my favorite things to do is to share what one of “my kids” has done in their class rooms.  (I call all the kids in the nursery “my kids”)

Recently, as we have been in the Christmas season, the stories being shared with our two year olds have been about the baby Jesus coming to be with us.  Usually our little girls are the ones that are interested in the babies, but this particular Sunday as we swaddled a doll pretending it was baby Jesus, one of our boys (a boy that throws balls, runs, jumps, pushes and hits, just like all the other little boys) very gently held the baby in his arms and carried it with him for the remainder of the class.  It touched me so that it brought tears to my eyes.  This little one wanted to care for that baby and make sure he was safe.  No other child seemed more interested in that baby than he was. 

How can we be more like this little guy?  Do we carry the Word with us, careful to make sure that it doesn’t leave us, securing it within our hearts that we may not sin against God.  Psalms 119:11 says:  Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.

As we start this New Year my prayer is that we secure The Word of God in our hearts and carry it all the way through 2011.