Our future in laws

The Lord always has a rhyme and a reason for everything He says in His Word. We might not understand His ways initially, but if we stay our course, it's amazing at how God reveals Himself in our lives. Our kids are still elementary aged right now, but it is already apparent how important it is for them to consider who that "special person" will be, the one that they spend their lives with. When they were in public school, we had examples upon examples of how important it is to recognize godliness in their friends. Jackson with his fourth grade confidence, was the social leader in his class. Hannah, being in first grade, needed a little more guidance, but done just fine. As they've gotten older, it's led to more interesting conversations. I actually think it might be harder as they are older because it's not necessarily black and white and they have to make more of a conscious choice to fight their flesh. It's during this time, that they need to understand that through the friends they choose, their mate will come.

God is specific about marriage. As the Jews in the Old Testament, we are to be yolked to each other, other Christians. Those who believe the same way we do. Otherwise, there will be conflict, and we do not need to put ourselves in a position where we must compromise a conviction or biblical principle, for the sake of our spouses. The same with friendships. Can they have friends who are not Christian? Of course. How else will their lights shine? Should their closest friends, the ones they go to for wisdom and advice, be non- Christians? NO. Because:

"Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly."
Deuteronomy 7:3-4

Do you pray for your children's friends?
How about their future husband or wife?
(Maybe now is a good time to start?)

Seek, and you'll find

John 3

15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Something was said today about "seeker sensitive" churches, and I just run across this passage in my reading. I've always doubted the "seeker" movement because God is good just as He is, for the young and old. A four year old thinks a circus is great, and wants to go. But we should not be making our churches proverbial circuses so people might want to come. If a church is presenting the gospel in a clear, loving but straight forward manner, then those who are wanting to find God, IS going to find God.

What happens when they do not accept Him is when they are not ready to give up control in their lives, I believe. That control that makes you feel like you're doing to have to "do-do-do" once you become a Christian. They might accuse the church of being "judgmental" when its completely possible that the holy spirit is convicting them of their sins, and they are trying to deflect the attention of their sinful nature the spirit is bringing to their minds. They know that God looks at sin as evil, bad, but they are too comfortable with their sin to want to acknowledge the fact if they were right with God, they would eventually give it up. Who likes change, anyway? Most people don't. They let fear of the "how -to's" of the "do-do-do's" boggle their mind down to think they must do some cleaning up of their acts before they are "ready" to get saved. (There is never a wrong time to be saved!)

So they put it off. This is when some people become bitter in their refusal to acknowledge the working of the holy spirit on their conscious. I truly believe these are the "Christian-haters". We've all seen them, I'm sure. The ones who jump the gun and insult anything and everything that could possibly have anything to do with God. Public prayer, conservatism (though, hard to believe but not all conservatives are Christian!), so forth. They HATE the light, in truth. They do not HATE Christians, they hate what Christians stand for. God is their kryptonite and if they were truthful with themselves, they could realize the deep rooted reasons behind their response to anything holy.

But those who WANT to know the truth, will find the truth. God will see to it. There are testimonies of people in third world countries who knew there was a creator and called to whoever it was that created them to show Himself to them, and then a missionary arrives to share the gospel with them and they confess their sin and get saved. That's the problem in this country, I believe. People expect entertainment as the world knows it when they go to the place of worship, and somehow, they miss the truth. Churches today need to stop looking at the "do-do-do's" of how to get people to come to church, and they need to start looking at the "how to's" the bible presents us with and run with it.

Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

"God is like electricity, you cannot see him, but you can still see the light"

-- a former "they"

Message to our children

I love King David. Out of all of the people in the bible, I am drawn to David most. The Lord saw fit to show him at his best, and at his worst. Though David he shows the potential we have as humans to be righteous, pleasing to God, on the mountaintop, as well as in the valleys, at our worst with sin in our lives taking rule. Having clinical depression, I relate with David greatly because after reading about him you can see the same highs and lows in him that a Christian dealing with clinical depression would have in their own lives. David "makes it real".

I'm reading in Chronicles now, and run into David's charge to Solomon for when he will become King over Israel. I am wowed each time I read about David, and this time is no exception. David tells Solomon what we all should be telling our children (and remember for ourselves!):

1 Chronicles 28
9And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

20And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

What comfort and security is to be found in these verses! David in these verses was leaving a legacy of holiness to his child, assurance of the faithfulness of our God. He not only tells him how good God is, but how HOLY he is as well. Oftentimes we tend to forget to remind our children how HOLY God is.

Lately I have been reminding our children when things are not going well for them, how what they are experiencing could possibly be the result of unconfessed sin in their life that they have not repented from. In my own life it has been hard enough to keep that in the forefront of my own life, I want to train my children to have that thought second nature unlike their mom's experience. I don't want them to forget that our God will not tolerate sin in our lives, and when we walk in sin and with self centered prideful attitudes, we lose our fellowship with God and our prayers will be hindered.

Likewise, I want them to be confident of the faithfulness of our God. This is why it is important to always remind them when God's faithfulness is being revealed in our lives. We experienced the loss of an infant family member just a number of months ago, that we were very close with and spent an unordinary amount of time with. That tragedy was devastating to our family and I've felt as if I lost one of my own children. It's one thing to experience the loss of an infant as an adult, but imagine what goes through the mind of a tender 6 year old girl's heart when thinking about God allowing a baby to die. Imagine feeling helpless as you watch her go through the motions of grief, not really knowing what do to but praying without ceasing! Yet, time heals all hurts. It is when I see her able to look at the baby's picture, and not burst into uncontrollable tears, I am able to show her how God has helped her in her grief. How God has given her peace in her heart to be able to start thinking about how much she loved the baby, without having the overwhelming thoughts of how much she misses it.

God is so good, so faithful, and so true to us. We don't know why God allowed the baby to die, but we do know he done it for His glory. That, we can count on. He started a work in us the day the baby died, and one day we might be able to minister to another family that experienced the same thing we did. One day my daughter might be able to comfort a classmate that does not know Christ, who experienced the loss of an infant in their life. I want my children to understand and be confident that when they seek the Lord, they will find Him. That as long as they are seeking Him, He will finish the work He started in them until the day He returns. *

Originally posted September 16, 2008

Just love God

Deuteronomy 10
12And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

13To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

14Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

15Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

16Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Why is it we have such a hard time just loving God? Why do we tend to look at him like this big boogey man in the sky ready to strike us down for the least indiscretion? Or worse, only look to Him in times of trial? Or only mention Him when the unexplainable happens, the big things? When those big things happen, and He is mentioned, why is He only looked at as a "mystery"? There's very little mystery to God! If you draw close to him through His Word, you will understand the things of life. You will be able to appreciate not only the big miracles in life, but appreciate the little things that work out as well. You will be able to thank Him after you go to the office fridge hoping there's water in there and not only soft drinks, because He worked that out for you. No, He did not "magically" put it in the fridge as you were walking to it, but he knew you would want water when you had your snack so He saw to it that water was put in the fridge and cold before you even thought of it. YES, that's God!

When you love someone, your thoughts are continually on that person. If there ever was a person we should love with everything we have and continually have our thoughts on, it should be Jesus Christ. He died for our sins. We could be looking forward to an eternal lake of fire when we died, but because He loved us, He died for our sins so we could spend eternity in heaven with Him in glory. God is holy, and cannot be in the presence of sin. We are BORN in sin, and only until we accept that fact and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will not have the assurance of our eternity in heaven when we die. It is only through the blood, it does not matter how good or nice of a person we were when we lived, only that the blood of Christ washed our sins away.

Romans 5:12

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Lets come to a point where we truly appreciate this fact. When we are able to grasp just what was done for us, and just how perfect our God is, we can truly start to love Him. If we focus on getting to know Him better, just like in a relationship, we will continually "fall" deeper and deeper in love. Sin will bother us, because we will be more transformed into His image, and God cannot be in the presence of sin. As a result of being so close to him, the trials will be more bearable, and life will be more peaceable. Our perspectives will change for the wiser, and we will gain a deeper burden for the lost.

Acts 3:19

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

The lost is where God's burden is, that is why He sent His son to die for us. He wants us to be with Him. We need to be His messengers, but until we appreciate what He has done for us, how can we share with others what He can do for them?

How can you convince someone something tastes good, when you have not tasted it yourself? Why would I want to buy an item you have told me was just "ok"?

Psalm 34:8

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him"

People need to SEE God in our lives. If we are not loving Him, then people SEE that we are not loving Him. When was the last time you praised Him in someone Else's presence? When was the last time you explained to someone why you do, or do not do something because of your God-lead convictions? How often do you read your bible? How important is church attendance in your life? What are the things you put before church functions ... and serving the Lord? Are you afraid of what others might say when you throw a "monkey wrench" in plans because of your dedication to church and / or ministry? Do not let foolish pride keep you from growing closer to the one who holds your life in His hands.

Love Him. Just love God.

What does it mean to be a believer in Christ?

I just found this article and thought it was really good. Not a long read, it gets to the heart of the matter speaking about what it means to be a believer in Christ in the social realm. I would have added an extra paragraph concerning the need for salvation, but that's the difference of denominational-type perspectives. Hope you appreciate it as I did :)

Teach Them Diligently

I want to share a post with you that was a recent blessing for me. I honestly could have written this post word for word! As I was reading it I felt like Miss Tracey was reading the many thoughts that have crossed my mind over the years and put them into writing. I hope this devotion blesses you as much as it did me. I love how the Lord sends people into our life at the perfect moments to let us know we are not the only ones having the feelings we have, and trials we do.

Teach Them Diligently

Being cautious of "teachers"

As Christians, we have to always be on guard as to what we hear and read these days, even on Christian websites, pages by Christians, and even other Christians. When I say other Christians, I mean sometimes our brothers and sisters in Christ may be misunderstanding something in God's Word, and might be "teaching" their misunderstandings to other Christians. There are Christian websites, that might support ideas and doctrines that not in line with God's Word. You might find a sharp looking "Christian blog" that might have the honest of intentions (or maybe not), that might not be aware they are misleading people regarding bible doctrine because they do not realize they are in error themselves.

That being said, I want to make it clear that I do not claim to have any more authority in the Word of God than anyone other born again believer that might read this blog. A lot of the more in depth devotionals you will read on this site is directly from notes I have taken during sermons. I believe my church is extremely doctrinally sound, therefore I am confident in my notes that are derived from the teaching done at church. If I do post something related to doctrine written by myself, it has been previewed by other trusted Christians to validate the wording and to make sure there can be no misunderstanding.

However, I urge everyone to come to their own peace about their bible concerns through their prayer life, bible studies, and counseling with their trusted Christian mentors. If you believe I can help, I will be glad to in any way I can.

I'm seeing more often in Christian themed conversations warnings of false teachers and the like. I believe that the more grounded in the Word of God you are, the closer in fellowship you are with God and will have a "spirit check" about everything you encounter. This has definitely been my experience. I am a double checker. If I am in doubt about something someone tells me or something I read, I file it in the "later" folder of my mind until I have a moment to look it up for myself. There was a time in my life when I was spending a GREAT deal of time studying the bible to prove to myself why I believed what I believed. In that, I mean, I knew in my heart what I believed was right according to the bible, it was the being able to have a verse or passage come to mind when speaking to someone that supported what I believed. To be able to have a conversation about topics.

I believe this is a good thing. It is important to be able to give an answer to why you believe what you do, the bible says so:

2 Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

I believe that knowing firsthand the "whys" of your beliefs, you are able to guide through the muddled waters of the internet (or others) and not get pulled into wavelengths of thinking that might lead you astray in your own walk with God. By having that knowledge behind you, you are better able to approach things with the "I know what I believe and why" instead of "I want to learn more about God and this sounds good / this person seems to really know what they're talking about".

Because "false" teachers can be directly misleading you, or indirectly misleading you.*

Building stronger families: part 3

Part One
Part Two

3) A daily practice of serving:
a) Submitting to one another

Ephesians 5:21
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

b) Love one another:

John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

c) Serve one another:
Galatians 5:13
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

d) Praying daily in humility, as our examples in scripture:

Acts 10:
1There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

In Conclusion:
Our three tools to help us have stronger families:
1) Recognizing the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit
2) Having a biblical perspective of our selves
3) Forming a daily practice of serving God, and one another.

"An exhaustive study shows that no woman has ever shot her husband while he was doing the dishes" ;o)

"That in ALL things he might have preeminence"
Sunday School Notes from April 27, 2008 (outline was provided)

Building stronger families: part 2

Part One

Part Three

Building Stronger Families series

2) We must have a biblical perspective of self:
Galatians 5:17
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Whatever we feed the most will win: be it flesh or spirit. If we continue to fight the spirit to hold onto our worldly things, then the flesh will win. Likewise, if we concentrate on God and His will for us, and what he wants, and what is holy, good, and true, then the spirit will win and we will grow closer to God as a result of that. But if we continue to allow our flesh to win, then we will continue to grow further away from God and lack that fellowship we so desperately need.

a) Pride is a destroyer of relationships:
If God is in the right place with both people in the relationship, the people will be in their right places within the relationship. If their sights are set on God, then they will not be set on each other's faults and worldly desires.

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23
A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

b) Pride is defeated by appropriating scripture:

Romans 6:6-7
6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Whenever we give into the power of our flesh, then we resurrect our prideful attitudes. Do we really want that? Or do we want to break our prideful spirits and be contrite before the Lord?

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

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

contrite:
"feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming " *

To Be Continued: Stay Tuned!

"That in ALL things he might have preeminence"
Sunday School Notes from April 27, 2008 (outline was provided)

Building stronger families: part 1

Part Two

Part Three

Building Stronger Families series

Proverbs 24:1-4
1Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
3Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
4And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

There are three tools available to help our families. How can we have strong families? Everything we need is found in the Word of God. He has offered to provide us with the wisdom we need:

James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Here are three powerful tools that God gives to build and strengthen our families:

1) The guiding presence of the Holy Spirit:

a) Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can have unity. God brings believers together, moving towards their commonality- GOD. If two believers are even opposite natures or personalities, if they are yielded to God, they will still always be going in the same (and right) direction- towards God and living a life that glorifies Him.

b) The purposes of the Holy Spirit:
1) He is our Comforter - John 14:16
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"

2) He is our teacher: John 16:13-14
13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

3) He glorifies Jesus Christ - our lives should life up and exalt Christ; and they will if we will allow the spirit to guide us and we determine to be yielded to the spirit.

To Be Continued: Stay tuned for part two!

"That in ALL things he might have preeminence"
Sunday School Notes from April 27, 2008 (outline was provided)

464 Family Friday: June 19th

It's Family Friday time again! Family Friday is hosted by HomemakerBarbi.com, thank you Danielle!

Last week we covered a foodie update and how things are going cooking for mom and dad, the end of soccer season and some parenting ponderings.
On Monday I reposted a devotional about cultivating the fruit of the spirit- love. As a parent I often ponder the notion of God's love toward me, and how I can show that towards my children. Going a step further, my challenge as a Christian parent is to bring my children to where they each have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Both have professed such a relationship, so not only are they my children, they are my brother and sister in Christ (they think that's cool). Not only am I now their first look at how they see God as an authority figure, I am also to be that example of how Christians are to treat each other. It's a good devotional, I believe. I hope you'll read it and let me know what you think.

Tuesday I was pondering laziness. That is something that truly affects me as a parent, and wife. How has society affected out perception of laziness in recent decades? Have we actually come up with a way to excuse it? It really got me to thinking because how we perceive laziness ... or the complete opposite- will reflect how our kids will look at it. Check it out. I have to say since I wrote that, more things have gotten done in the house this week!

I transferred a ton of pictures this week, and got an awesome one of the kids. It was so great I was going to enter it into the iheartfaces.com contest this week, but my internet went wacky. Therefore, the picture become my Wordless Wednesday. I shared the story behind it yesterday for Tell Me Thursday. I started a Raising Foodies series yesterday, as well. It's on adventurous eaters. I've spent a good amount of time concentrating on Hannah and her pickyness with food, I wanted to highlight Jackson, who is the opposite. He's an adventurous eater. His motto: "If it doesn't eat me first I'll eat it". I also went to court, yesterday, too.

I hope you all had a great week, and I look forward to seeing all of your posts! Be sure to leave your links for me! :)

Cultivating the fruit of the spirit

Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Fruit is visible; it reflects it is produced through us, not by us. Fruits of the spirit are not separate, but one fruit, with nine different flavors. Fruit reflects the one that produces it.

Fruit is valuable; it exists for the enjoyment and benefit of other people, as it will edify others who are around you.

Fruit is viable; it is capable of growing. Love produces more love. What is love? It is not just a feeling, like we tend to think it as. Love as a fruit is agape love, like God's love for us- it is unconditional. It is divine love, it is sacrificial love.

1 John 4:11
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Matthew 22:37-40
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

If we love God like we should, then we will be able to love others, as he wants us to, as we should, according to him. We are under the "law of grace", and should be living in love. Not the fuzzy feelings we feel in a new relationship or like when we met our spouses, but living in agape love.

John 13:35
35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Love as a fruit of the spirit shows a proof of sonship. The Greek gods were hateful, but our God is of love, is loving, and loves unconditional, though he is just, as well.

John 13:34
34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Colossians 3:14
14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

1 Peter 4:8
8And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Love keeps no records, and is the permanent virtue of a Christian.

1 Corinthians 13:13
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The demonstration of love, love is an action word! Love is a choice, you choose to love, sometimes it comes easily, but sometimes it's hard to show love towards some people. Love is giving, not taking. In a marriage, if both people are giving, then you need not worry about being taken from, because you are continually receiving as you are giving. Selfishness in marriage can be likened to two ticks on a dog, both keep taking, and sucking from the relationship until there is nothing left. Agape love, however. is unconditional and free flowing. The closer we are to God, the easier it is give love, because we are receiving it from Him.

1 John 4:9, 11
9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Saints must love sinners with the love that God loves them with, We as saints are the only link between the unsaved world and God, would it not be pompous of us to act anything other than lovingly as possible towards the unsaved? Shouldn't the world be able to see in us the love that God has given us, coming through us towards others?

How can we show the unsaved world God's love? I challenge you to post a comment and share a way God's people can show love towards the unsaved world on a regular basis. If we do not show them God's love, who will?

Notes from Sun pm sermon by Pastor Broyhill, April 20, 2008
Originally posted on CavaryGirl 8-25-08

The mightiness of God: digging deeper

Really, the words speak for themselves, but I'm including cross references and word translations for this quick devotional so we can gain a greater understanding and appreciation for what is being said in this Old Testament passage:

Job 37
22 Fair weather (in golden splendour he comes) cometh out of the north: with God is terrible (awesome) majesty.

23 Touching the Almighty, (1) we cannot find him out: (2) he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of (abundant) justice: he will not afflict (oppress).

24 Men do therefore (3) fear him: he respecteth not any that are (4) wise of heart.

----------------------------

(1) "we cannot find him out":
1 Timothy 6:16
"Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."

(2) "he is excellent in power, and in judgment,"
Job 9:4
He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

Job 36:5
Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

(3) "... fear him"
Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

(4) "... wise of heart"
Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

---------------------------------

I have seen the verse before that had the point that God does not respect men (and the reference leaves me now, do you know which one I'm thinking of?), but I have never seen a passage that drives that point home more than this one. You think reading the Old Testament that it's a about God coming in judgement of those who do not follow him, but this is completely applicable to us, as the wise in heart. Yes, we have His wisdom if we are born again, but even with the wisdom He allows us as his children, we will never have his "respect" like we would from another human.

It is humbling to think of the sheer holiness of the God Almighty, don't you think?

Are you a Matthew 6:33 Christian?

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The Pledge:

"I will read a portion of God's Word daily"

"I will pray for my Pastor and church daily"

"I will faithfully attend church services"

"I will give faithfully to the Lord's work" (tithe)

"I will involve myself in church ministries"

"I will seek to be a faithful witness"

ALL of us fall short in one of these areas.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

What area could you use some prayer in?

No! No! I'll do it now!

Isn't it a common theme with children- you tell them not do to something for their own good, but they do it anyway? Then when they get hurt, they come running back to mom and dad. When the children are small, it's not as frustrating, I don't believe, as when they are older and questioning your competence, it would seem. The same thing goes for responsibilities as well. You can instruct them until you're blue in the face to clean their room, but they continue to let it get worse and worse. Yet, when they want a friend to come and spend the night, you have inconvenienced them by asking about the state of their bedroom! Only THEN do they take what we've been saying all along seriously, and then it's "No! No! I'll clean it! I'll do it now!".

The more I read, and reread the Old Testament, the more I realize just how much we in this modern day, are like the Israelites. Children especially, but we all act like the Israelites, don't we? As adults, I think we do more so in some ways, especially when it comes to fighting the bigger fights of our lives, such as our fears. When we are fearful about things in our lives, a natural tendency is to look at everything around us, instead of looking UP, to God, for the answers. I remember years ago going through tough times someone said "well I guess all we got left to do is to pray" after I had exhausted all of the options I could think of for the situation. I don't even remember what it was about, but I do remember hearing that saying and the Lord really dealt with me on that, and how praying should had been the FIRST thing I done, not the LAST thing. It saves so much more energy when you just seek the wisdom of God first in a situation and wait for His guidance than to look to my own knowledge and reasoning, cause as an adoptive Israelite, I have no idea what I'm doing here! None of us do!

We are all fighting battles in our lives, and some of these battles are God ordained ones. God told the Israelites to fight a battle, He even assured them victory (sound familiar? we have that, too!):

Deuteronomy 1:
29Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

But the Israelites got stubborn, and leaned to their own reasoning instead of trusting God. Choosing NOT to follow God when He is leading you somewhere, is choosing to NOT BELIEVE God and His promises to you. God is not a liar!

32Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

But then they said "Oh no! No! we'll do it!" when they realized their folly before the Lord and in their situation:

40But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by
the way of the Red sea.
41Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

Then God proverbially said "It's too late in the week to plan your sleepover, there's too much work to do in your room. There are things growing underneath your bed and I have too many errands this week to help you. You're going to have to pass on the sleepover this weekend to work on your room and get it right the way it's supposed to be, then maybe next weekend, we can plan something. ... Maybe this will be a lesson learned that you need to keep your room clean daily like I've been telling you, not a path to your bed cleared out! Now look, you want a friend to come over and you can't do it."

42And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
43So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
44And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
45And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

Have you ever had a situation in your life where you looked to your own wisdom and reasoning instead of God's, and things went bad? I believe we all have at some point in our Christian walks. Lets make a point to follow God in the beginning, and realize our dependence upon Him. Is you think God is your "co pilot", now would be a good time to understand how important it is to get out of the cockpit! Realize that not seeking the Lord for guidance, and trusting the Lord will care for you in the battles of your life, is exactly what the Israelites done and they were defeated. Do you want to live a defeated life, or a victorious one?

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Is your heart right with God?

Acts 8
21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

22Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

Of course most of us are not practicing witchcraft asking an apostle for the power of God upon us, we do, as Christians, want the power of God upon us and in our lives and ministries.

How often do we truly examine ourselves to make sure we are right with God? How much do we shuffle things under the carpet to be dealt with "later", only to be letting the root of bitterness take hold in our hearts, and we not even realize it because we are so "busy" with other things? Why do we spend months looking forward to our home church's "revivals", when we can have revival- daily?

Are we fooling ourselves when we act as if everything is well with our soul, when in all actuality, we have problems in our own lives that we are trying to bear the burden for alone, when we should be confessing our faults and weaknesses to our sisters (or brothers, if you're a man) so they may lift us up to the Lord and intercede for us? Is that prideful to not ask for help / prayer? Is it prideful to not ask for prayer / help?

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Thoughts?

Do you have "Moses Moments"?

I've mentioned in times past how the Lord seems to be reflecting back to me through my kids my own sin. The big thing we're seeing now, is how to deal with anger. Now, long ago, I started working on the "no yelling" thing, and overall, the Lord's allowed me quick perspective in problematic moments, but I still have "moments". You know how it can be- you've told them to do something a hundred times, yet, anything shiny that crosses their paths distracts them and it doesn't get done. When you're getting ready in the morning, sometimes on a deadline (getting ready for school) and the clock is ticking ... "we need to leave in ten minutes!" "five minutes and you're shoes and socks aren't on!" so forth. Those are the moments that lends for my voice to rise. (How about you?)

Then there are the times when you see them do or say something that takes your breath away (at times) ... in a stressed mood already and you find a big bowl of popcorn under Hann .. er, your daughter's bed along with an old cup of Coke, and a TON of candy wrappers. You just want to scream "YOU HEATHENS!!" sometimes, right? C'mon, you know you've thought it before. After reading Numbers in my bible reading recently, I've come to think of those moments as "Moses" moments. God has given us the responsibility of raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We're to lead by example. By leading through example, they will be able to see God through us, therefore strengthening their faith as they grow as well.

That sounds good theoretically speaking, but it's a LOT harder than it looks because lets face it- we're sinners, too- right?

The bible says:

Numbers 20:
7And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

8Take the rod,
and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye
unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

10And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this
congregation into the land which I have given them.

13This is the water of Meribah {contention}; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

WOW~ I wonder what kind of blessings we as parents have blown because of how we have acted in front of our kids? Is it unbelief that we can have the strength to control our mouths when our pressure cooker of a temper gets ready to blow? How do you balance the tone of your voice in terms of volume, with terms of meaning? You want them to know you are serious, so a soft "now now little Susie you need to clean your room right now" might not work for every family, as each child and parent processes things differently. I was recently informed that my level of calm was TOO calm, because when I disciplined one of my children they were not fearful of the fact they had crossed that line with me, where they would had been with their father. All this work I had put in with taming my "passion" (translate- anger) with this child, for it to slap me in the face! Where if I dealt with the other child with the "passion" this child was actually asking for, it would be too emotional for the other one.

That, my friends, has been my "head shaking parental moment" of late. I was told by a child I was too calm when disciplining them :p I wonder though, if that's truly the case, why don't they respond when I start raising the volume? Kids! So I'm searching for different ways now in how to work with my children, when I go to have a "Moses" moment. Moments when I do not glorify God in how I deal with my child. Apparently, dealing in an overly calm manner has not glorified God with one of my children (yes, I'm giggling still, at this thought.)

I giggle because I have tried so hard in recent years to get away from a "brawling" attitude that is spoken of in Proverbs. I've strove to get away from nagging, to get away from being contentious with the kids- because when you nag a child, you are banging your head against a wall. It is so easy for our emotions to get away from us, and I have strived to really reel in my reactions.

Proverbs says:

Proverbs 25
27It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

28He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

I have tried to deal with my children in ways that does not allow for them to become bitter towards me and subsequently God. By that I mean, in all things, I ask them what they think God would think about what they were doing. The older going through more emotional ups and downs in recent months, his heart is much more tender spiritually speaking. I don't want him to do right for fear of me, I want him to do right because he knows he would be pleasing God through his actions. Because he is saved, that, for me, is more important. Him being the one with the temper, I want to be the example for him that indeed, one that has no rule over their own spirit is a city just waiting to be attacked from any angle.

I talk with parents who are not Christian parents and that is a big difference in parenting perspective, I've noticed. One in particular a while back, the mother spoke of catching her kids smoking her cigarettes. She talked about the "butt busting" they got for doing so. It sounded like she really put them through the ringer in that situation verbally and physically. Did it do any good? I don't know. Her kids will likely smoke when they're old enough, if not before. My point in mentioning this though, is, she was very confident in the way she handled that situation, making sure I knew the amount of control she had in her kid's life. I don't want sole control in my kids lives. Both of them have accepted Christ as their Savior- I want GOD to have control. Don't take me wrong, I realize my responsibility in needing to teach them how to follow God, they're not on their own, trust me ;o) I want them to know, though, that when I discipline them, I am doing do because God has instructed me to as their mother.

I'm so thankful I do not have to do this alone, and God is here with me helping me, guiding me, and giving me wisdom along the way. Aren't you?

Hebrews 13:
5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

"Moses moments":
Acting in a manner towards our children that does not bring God the glory in your life through your interactions with them.

It's not for you to know

We've been dealing with some disobedience in the house lately. Not neccessarily outright defiance at their ages but, not "instant" obedience. The "delayed obedience" kind. Isn't it amazing how, when you pray for someone else, you are blessed? You are praying for someone else to be a blessing to them, to intercede for them, yet, you seem to be blessed in being a part of it or the fellowship is so sweet between you and the Lord. The common theme right now is- "it doesn't matter WHY I want you to do it, JUST DO IT". It's nerve racking to try to teach your children to just trust that when you tell them to do it, that you actually know what you're talking about! Isn't that the same way with us and God?

As parents, isn't it amazing how much we see aspects of ourselves in our kids- in the current state? Sometimes I think God gave me my kids to give me a peep into my own relationship with the Lord. Jackson so desperately wants to get back to his old school. We want them there, too, but Jackson's passion on the subject is coming from his perspective, not ours. So it makes it different. however we keep encouraging him, that while he is still at his current school, he needs to do what is expected of him and "bloom where you're planted". As few months ago I started getting a deep burden about us adopting. Jay is not ready for that kind of chapter in our life, so the answer from the Lord, through Jay, was to wait. So I've waited. and waited. and waited. and I've prayed. and prayed. and prayed.

Thousands of thoughts have went through my mind. How long will the process take, after we start? It can take up to a year. The child I have my eye on (that sounds horrible, but there's a story behind that) is nine. If we start NOW, he would be ten by the time we got him. What kind of life does he have now? is it good? oh no what if it's bad?! What if he's in one of "those" foster homes where the parents are doing it "for the checks"? (I can't imagine...) The "mama bear" in me wants to fly out and get him TODAY. But obviously, that's not God's plan. We keep telling Jackson the answer to his prayers is "wait", and God's answer to my own prayers concerning adoption is to "wait".

But WHY? I told a family member the other night I'd love nothing more than to tear the kids out of their current school, eight weeks left, and put them in their old school. Only eight weeks left- but if given the opportunity, you wouldn't see me blink before I said yes. I don't know why we have to wait, but we do. and because God said we do, we must learn to be content where we are, learn what God is wanting us to learn and do what He is wanting us to do in the herenow.

I read this morning:

Acts 1
7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

See? There it is in the bible. It is not up to me to know when we will be able to adopt, that's God's timing. Jackson doesn't know if they'll get to go back to their old school next school year or not. He is starting to understand, that that news will come in God's good timing.

At least Jackson has a timeline to go by ;o)

But for now, we will serve the Lord, and be His witnesses and carry out the great commission.

Hope Deferred

The blogger at His Hands His Feet got an encouraging email today and she shared it on her blog. I've had a horrible day. It started last night after church. Church was great, but when we got home this uneasiness settled upon me. I was glad it was bedtime. This morning was not a lot better. Nothing really out of the ordinary bad, but it was one of those times where if there was a button that I thought I had ripped off and could no longer be pushed, it seemed the buttons were hanging by a thread, and were getting pushed. That uneasiness of being in my own skin, and it's not PMS. So I have no idea what has been going on today but ... something is going on. I got some valuable info concerning something that is really heavy on my heart, all I can think is that Satan is wanting to rattle my chain to get my eye off the ball. Pray for me, will ya?

However, this letter was such a blessing, and just the word I needed:

Hope Deferred
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. --Proverbs 13:12

My dear child, do not be afraid to put your hope in Me, for I am good and I am kind and I take care of My own dear children.

Many of My own have been hurt or disappointed over and over again--until they reached a place where they became afraid to hope, for fear that they will be disappointed. This happens in the world, for the ruler of this world seeks to crush the life and hope out of people; that he might fill their hearts with despair. But that is not My way and I am not like that. In fact, I am calling My own out of that place of fear and despair, so that they may enter into My place of peace and joy.

Dear one, you are no longer of this world, you are adopted into My own family.[a] I have rescued you from the ruler of this world, and I have planted My seed of hope in your heart. Do not be afraid to let that seed grow and mature, so that you might be able to abide that place of endless joy and peace that I have prepared for you. It is My desire that you have a peace that passes all understanding[b], and that your joy might indeed be full[c] and overflowing.

I assure you that you will not be disappointed as you look to Me andtrust in Me. I am faithful, and I keep My promises. So open up yourheart, dear one, and dare to believe Me in all that I have promisedto you. Remind yourself daily of My nature and My character, for I amgood, and those who come to Me will receive good things from My hand.I am truth and I cannot lie to you. I am faithful and I will notabandon you or forget a single one of My promises to you. I am theGod of all power, and I able to work My good on your behalf.

Yes, dear one, I am both willing and able to take care of you. I have many good gifts for you, and I have given you a hope and a future.So do not be afraid to trust in Me. Dear one, open your heart and allow the hope of your salvation[d] and the hope of your calling[e]to fill your hearts. Simply dare to believe what I am telling you,and these things will begin to overflow you until it pours out from you to those around you. For it is My plan and My desire to fill you with all peace and joy, so that you might abound in My hope and be filled with the power of My indwelling Holy Spirit.[f]

a - John 15:19 "You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
b - Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."c - John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
d - 1 Thessalonians 5:8 "But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation."
e - Ephesians 1:18 "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..."
f - Romans 15:13 "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Who is your audience?

My friend Joanne made a guest appearance at Laced with Grace and wrote this sweet devotional. What a great reminder for us all.