Top Five Things I am Thankful for this Thanksgiving Season

1. That God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

2. The description of the Proverbs 31 woman and the Titus 2 principle that has been my guide for the past three years.

3. A wise and thoughtful husband.

4. Five beautiful daughters.

5. Girlfriends who lead by example.

Christmas Video

Excerpt from Storm Warning

Excerpt from Billy Graham's 1992 book titled, Storm Warning. . .

A part of the confusion of the world, however, is in the church itself. Whereas once the church offered a unified standard of values and beliefs to pull the world back from the precipice of self-destruction, too often that standard has been compromised by convenient social theories in place of the Bible's truth, and discredited by the moral failures of its leaders.

In numerous churches the Bible is treated as a collection of fairy tales and fables written by half-educated men of an ancient time. While it offers challenging spiritual myths and wholesome encouragement, some "modern" churches seem to feel that no one should go to the Bible expecting to find absolute truth.

Such teaching is an abomination before God. Nothing could be more destructive to true faith and peace on earth. In the face of such a growing storm, the world desperately needs moorings, and God has given us that anchor in His Word, the Bible.

I guess what I have been feeling these past few months is nothing new. Billy Graham saw the same things happening in the church and felt the same concerns 16 years ago.

I only have limited exposure to the worldwide church, but it has been so confusing to me to see so many who profess Christianity actually believe very different truths. However, Billy Graham preached to over 100 million people in eighty-four countries in his lifetime, and had vast knowledge and experience in the worldwide church. He saw this as a problem everywhere he went.

Our natural self wants to be in control and it's when we give over to that natural self that we fail to submit to God's authority, to make His Word the final word, and to put His reasoning above our reasoning. When our church leaders start to create their own truth and change God's original intent, they take the people with them, causing them to drift off course with them. The only way to get back on course is to return to God's Word as absolute truth.

May you be in God's Word daily, searching for understanding of His truth, and then be His truthful testimony to the world!

Crossroad

Crossroad

I found this wonderful website and wanted to share it with you. Here's why it's so important to me.

In the last few months, God has really opened my eyes to the onslaught of worldly views into the church. Little by little, Satan's lies have infiltrated the hearts of some of our Christian leaders and have taken them captive. A captive leader does not teach God's truth but rather Satan's lies. A people who blindly follow a captive leader will also be taken captive by buying into the lies themselves. These churches will lose their lamp stands and become ineffective for God's work, but quite effective for Satan's.

I never dreamed I'd find spiritual warfare within the church itself. I guess I was naive, but I was really shocked when I began to see, through God's grace, the lies being taught in the church. We have been fortunate enough to find a new church home, a biblically sound church, teaching God's truth. Thanks be to God!

Nonetheless, I have been so grieved by what I have seen, I can only imagine how God grieves to see His people so willingly go down the wrong path. I also sense a forthcoming rise in Christian persecution in this country. God's Truth is being attacked and soon God's witnesses, us, will be attacked too.

Last night in our family bible study, we really stressed to our kids how important it is to know what the bible says for yourself because the world will preach a different message. Your defense is knowing God's uncompromising, unchanging Truth for yourself. This has always been a Christians charge but maybe one that needs to be repeated and modeled in our homes.

I found this website while researching a book called The Shack. I first became aware of this book, in our new church. One Sunday they opened the microphones up to the congregation to speak if they felt God had stirred something in their heart to say. One woman came up and spoke about how her Christian friends were encouraging her to read this book but she had a stern warning to everyone that this book was heresy. That was my first hearing of this book.

In the last few weeks, a Christian friend of mine highly recommended it saying, "A must read for any Christian" and our former Pastor included it as a must read in the holiday letter sent out to the congregation. I, now, had two conflicting points of view and I just had to check it out for myself which led me to the website mentioned above.

I believe this book is another way Satan is chipping away at the Christian faith. Captive unbelievers, captive Christian leaders, and captive Christians are all buying into the idea that God is something that can be changed to suit our needs and that we must redefine Christianity and our beliefs to fit who we are today as a people, instead of changing who we are as a people to fit who God wants us to be.

The timing of Focus on the Family's, The Truth Project couldn't be more precisely needed than now. I am so grateful to be going through this small group, DVD study. I am so thankful for our new church family, our new small group family, and the resources I am finding by God-inspired servants, such as this website, to counter the culture we are in today.

May God break the chains of Satan's grip on our heart and restore us fully unto Himself so that we may persevere until the end and be claimed as one of God's own children!

Logan

What a powerful message from a sweet, young boy!

Back to the Bible

Back to the Bible - Today on Back to the Bible

This edition of Back to the Bible touched on false teachers in the church and since I've been writing about that a lot, I thought I'd shared this with you all.

Teach to be Good Friends

Just a quick note to parents today.

Teach your kids how to be good friends to each other.

My 15 year old daughter is heartbroken this year because her friends don't seem to "be" there for her.

She lost her Grandpa to cancer this September and none of her friends even asked how she was doing, much less send a card, or attend the wake. She makes plans with other kids and they don't show up. They don't call and cancel. They just ditch her.

She is such a loyal friend who would give the shirt off her back to anyone and it just breaks my heart to see her self esteem drop because other parents haven't taught their own kids how to be compassionate and aware of others, how to keep their comittments, and how to be honest.

Too often parents neglect to instill these values in thier children because they are too busy with their own lives, but they also don't seem to lead by example either. We have become too much of a "me" society that we can't see others' needs.

What will the next generation look like if these children continue with this "me" attitude?

Whatever happened to the 'best friends forever, through thick and thin, no matter what, no one will break us apart' mentality? Have our little girls lost this very important bonding skill? I pray not.

'Woe to You' - Part Three

I found chapter 23 of Matthew to be so interesting because of the recent struggles I have had with religious leaders, and because of the struggles, my friends, and family continue to have with specific teachings of the church.

I saw through this scripture that even in Jesus day, the church struggled with discerning Truth, and had leaders that appeared to be knowledgeable and trustworthy but were not. I guess that is why Jesus instructs us to ‘test everything.’ He knows our inclination to make things all about us, to have our judgment clouded by power and prestige, and to be led astray so easily.

If we held up the six ‘Woe to You’ statements against the religious leaders of our day what would we find?

#1 -Are false doctrines being preached today? Are we given and are we accepting a false sense of security regarding our salvation? Do we know for ourselves what the scriptures say?

#2 -Are our leaders leading by example in all areas of their life? Are we holding them accountable?

#3- Are the rules we govern by within our churches, biblical and ethical versus moral? Remember, morality is the measure of what is acceptable by the majority at any given time and thus changes with societies, but being ethical is what we ‘should’ be doing, and that doesn’t change. Are we living up to God’s standards as a church body?

#4- Are we encompassing and embracing all of God’s Truths within our church beliefs and creeds? Or, are we picking and choosing only the Truths we want to abide by? Are we expecting righteousness in all areas of our church body and its’ people? Are we loving others and reaching out to them? Are we placing full authority and trust in God? Are transformations taking place within the people because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ?

#5- Is there abuse of power within the church? Are the leaders admitting their sins and asking for forgiveness from God? From the people? Are relationships expected to be restored? Are leaders seeking to do God’s will? Are they waiting on the Lord for their needs?

#6- Are the leaders practicing what they preach? Do they walk the talk? Are they honest with what they believe and authenticate that in their teaching? Or, do they hide behind the scripture, veiling their true beliefs? Do our leaders lead secret lives?

We can ask these questions of our church but we should also ask them of ourselves. We are all accountable to what we believe and what we teach through our words or our examples.

May the Son of God always be our head and heart, and may the Holy Spirit protect us from ourselves, and the world, that we may journey into eternity with our Father!

'Woe to You' - Part Two

#4 Woe to You – “For you pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” Matt. 23:23

As executers and protectors of the law, Jesus acknowledges an area they performed correctly, tithing. However, He immediately points out what they neglected to uphold – justice, mercy, and faith.

Justice: 1. The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and rectitude in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of men with each other; rectitude; equity; uprightness. 2. Conformity to truth and reality in expressing opinions and in conduct; fair representation of facts respecting merit or demerit; honesty; fidelity; impartiality; as, the justice of a description or of a judgment; historical justice.

Mercy: 1. Forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it; compassionate treatment of an offender or adversary; clemency. 2. Compassionate treatment of the unfortunate and helpless; sometimes, favor, beneficence.

Faith: 1. Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony. 2. The assent of the mind to the statement or proposition of another, on the ground of the manifest truth of what he utters; firm and earnest belief, on probable evidence of any kind, especially in regard to important moral truth. 3. (Theol.) (a) The belief in the historic truthfulness of the Scripture narrative, and the supernatural origin of its teachings, sometimes called historical and speculative faith. (b) The belief in the facts and truth of the Scriptures, with a practical love of them; especially, that confiding and affectionate belief in the person and work of Christ, which affects the character and life, and makes a man a true Christian, -- called a practical, evangelical, or saving faith.
Source: Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

#5 Woe to You – “For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind, Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Matt. 23:25-26

The Jewish leaders appeared to all to be holy. They wore the clothes of religious scholars steeped in symbolism to remind them and others of the importance of remembering the scriptures. They wore the phylacteries (little leather boxes with scripture inside) around their foreheads. They prayed and taught in public. By all accounts, the effort they put into looking holy led others to believe they were holy. However, Jesus told them what He saw in their heart- extortion, self-indulgence, and uncleanness.

Extortion: 1. The act of extorting; the act or practice of wresting anything from a person by force, by threats, or by any undue exercise of power; undue exaction; overcharge. 2. (Law) The offense committed by an officer who corruptly claims and takes, as his fee, money, or other thing of value, that is not due, or more than is due, or before it is due.

Self-Indulgence: Indulgence of one's appetites, desires, or inclinations;

Uncleanness: 1. Not clean; foul; dirty; filthy. 2. Ceremonially impure; needing ritual cleansing. 3. Morally impure.
Source: Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

# 6 Woe to You – “Foy you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matt. 23:27-28

Again, Jesus tells them their outward appearance seems to suggest righteousness to men but again Jesus saw the inside full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Hypocrisy: The act or practice of a hypocrite; a feigning to be what one is not, or to feel what one does not feel; a dissimulation, or a concealment of one's real character, disposition, or motives; especially, the assuming of false appearance of virtue or religion; a simulation of goodness.

Lawlessness: 1. Contrary to, or unauthorized by, law; illegal; as, a lawless 2. Not subject to, or restrained by, the law of morality or of society; 3. Not subject to the laws of nature; uncontrolled.
Source: Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

#7 Woe to You – “ Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakes with them in the blood of the prophets’.” Therefore, you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Matt. 23:29-32

Jesus tells them how they have and will continue to torture, persecute, and kill prophets who come in the name of Jesus because of their unbelief. If they had believed the scriptures and the Old Testament prophets, they would see that the present day prophets were fulfilled prophecy. They would see that Jesus was indeed the Savior and embrace Him as their King. Instead, they will put Him to death within the week.

'Woe to You' - Part One

The religious leaders of Jesus day, wanted to trick Jesus into doing or saying something that they could hold against Him because they wanted to kill Him. In the last week of Jesus life, Jesus tells them and the people exactly what He knows of the religious leaders, and how the people should respond to them in the future.

To the people Jesus acknowledges the Jewish leaders place of authority and from whom it was given. He tells the people they must obey them as they have been given authority to uphold the law. However, the people are cautioned not to follow the example of the Jewish leaders because they do not practice what they preach. Jesus points out that the Jewish leaders have exalted themselves above all, are in it for the status and prestige the job brings to them, and they do not have a loving, servants’ heart.

Then He specifically addresses the Jewish leaders in front of the people with six ‘woe to you’ statements (Matthew 23).

#1 Woe to You – “For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. For you devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.” Matt. 23:13-14

Jesus is telling the Jewish leaders they have not interpreted scripture correctly. In fact, they are doing the exact thing they are trying to pin on Jesus, teaching false doctrine. As a result, of their misinterpretation, they have not led the people to salvation but rather have given them a false sense of security. They do not have a saving faith themselves and they are not leading the people to one either.

#2 Woe to You – “For you travel the land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” Matt. 23:15

There is a leadership principle that says, ‘What leaders allow in moderation, those under them practice in excess.’

#3 Woe to You – “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies it?” Therefore, he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.” Matt. 23:16-19

The Jewish leaders had all kinds of secular rules mostly to suit their own needs. In this case they had created a way to avoid accountability for an oath if it was made by swearing on specific things. It was a way to lie, to be less than truthful, but without looking like they were lying.

Part 2 to follow

Quote on Abortion

"If we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill each other? ... Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want."

Mother Teresa

Heart Appraisals

In a previous entry, we took a look at God's appraisal of the seven churches in Revelation, but did you know the church isn't just a local body of believers. The church lives and exist in you, also? If the church lives in you, then the appraisal given the seven churches can also be used to measure the health of your hearts. Let's take a look.

The Loveless Heart
Do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and body? Do we long to be in His presence, try to please Him, or follow His example to love and serve others? Or, has our love over time waned, and our heart filled up with other things? Do we think of ourselves and our needs more than others? Do we think about what Jesus would do or just forge ahead with our selfish desires?

The Persecuted Heart
A mature Christian once told me that 'persecution in Jesus name is considered a badge of honor.' It shows that you are boldly proclaiming Jesus to the world and obedient to his word. Spiritual warfare increases as your commitment to the Lord increases. If Satan isn't trying to harm you or turn you away from God, it is because he is not threatened by your faith. A weak, complacent faith doesn't scare Satan because you won't be doing anything to hinder his influence in the world, and you won't be doing anything to further God's Kingdom.

The Compromising Heart
Are you trying to have your cake and eat it too? Sometimes, we want to have the benefits of our faith without having to give up all of our worldly desires. We hang onto sinful practices or worldly desires, thinking we only have to turn over so much to God. But, God wants all of our heart, soul, and mind. You cannot leave some back for yourself to do with how you please.

The Corrupt Heart
Are you allowing the Father of Lies into your heart with his false teaching and worldly worship? Do you know what is right and wrong in God's eyes, but choose to do wrong anyway? Has your heart tasted the desire of the world and wants more of it, even if it cost you your salvation? Will the sin you are trying to hide from God crowd out His Truth, leaving your heart dark and corrupt?

The Dead Heart
Are you like the Scribes and Pharisee's of Jesus day? They knew God's word, his law, and from all accounts looked to be righteous. They studied and taught others about God, but they didn't follow their own teaching because their hearts were dead inside. They looked for glory in man's eyes not in God's eyes, and as a result they put their own Savior to death. Is your heart in need of being resuscitated?

The Faithful Heart
The faithful heart is focused on God for all it's needs, in all situations. It relies on God for strength in obeying His word and in proclaiming to others the Good News. It's a heart with a desire to serve God and love others as it lives out the two greatest commandments.

The Lukewarm Heart
This is a heart that doesn't take the time to test everything against God's word and as a result allows false doctrine to permeate into their existence. Do you avoid conflict and allow others to think what they want rather than pointing back to God's Truth? Do you just want to be comfortable, left alone doing as little as possible, and not taking a stand either way? If so, you have a lukewarm heart for God.


Where are you in the heart assessment? If you are like me, there is more than one area that needs to be worked on. Just as we hold our local church body up to God's evaluation, we must also hold our own heart up to His standards. Ask God today to show you where you need to improve your own heart's condition, so that you will be found righteous and acceptable in God's eyes.

The Seven Churches of Revelation

A healthy, thriving church is a church that is living God’s Truth and extending God’s Light out into the world. One way to know if the church you attend is a healthy church is by comparing it to the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation in the bible. God gave each of these churches an appraisal of what they were doing right and wrong. Can you see your church in any of the descriptions of these seven churches?

The church of Ephesus – The Loveless Church (Revelation 2:1-7)

Good: Good deeds; hard working; perseverance; did not tolerate wicked men; tested everything; endured hardships in Jesus name and did not grow weary.

Bad: Lost their first love (passion for Jesus and gratitude for what He did for them and as a result stopped showing love to others by putting their needs first)

The Church of Smyrna – The Persecuted Church (Revelation 2:8-11)

Good: Poor yet Rich (persecuted and martyred in Jesus name but encouraged to endure to the end because through salvation they would not die a second death)

The Church of Pergamum- The Compromising Church (Revelation 2:12-16)

Good: remained true to Jesus; did not denounce their faith in Jesus;

Bad: Sinful practices was allowed to go on in the church through the endorsement of or tolerance by the church leaders (sin was allowed to go unchecked in the people)

The church of Thyatira – The Corrupt Church (Revelation 2:18-29)

Good: good deeds; love and faith; service and perseverance; progression and growth

Bad: tolerate of Jezebel (false prophet who promoted worldly ideology and seduced the people into sin or idol worship)

The Church of Sardis- The Dead Church (Revelation 3:1-6)

Bad: reputation of being alive, but are dead (looked like a church on the outside but it was spiritually dead inside, more like a business or country club motive than a spiritual motive)

The Church of Philadelphia – The Faithful Church (Revelations 3:7-13)

Good: mission minded; relying on God for strength; obedient; did not deny Jesus

The Church of Laodicea – The Lukewarm Church (Revelation 3:14-22)

Bad: Compromised important doctrine or Truth (a comfortable, pleasant, complacent church led by the people to suit their needs instead of teaching God’s law, His judgment, and gift of grace).

If you held your church up through the microscope lens of the seven churches of Revelation, would you find a good or poor assessment of the health of your church?

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Rev. 3:19

Genesis Truth

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Most Christians agree that God created the earth in which we live. It is the ‘how’ and ‘when’ that is often disputed. It is why we have sides for Creationism, Evolution, or Created Evolution. Which do you believe?

I was brought up to believe that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. I was taught that God breathed the words and it was so and it was very good. I believe the history timeline of the bible to be accurate, true, and complete.

I have read books and watched videos that support what the bible says and I have read books that oppose it. I have learned through my search that it can be quite exhausting trying to support or oppose the Truth with theories or human reasoning. I think many others feel the same way, thus the reason why many Christians have adopted the ‘created evolution’ argument. It may for some just be easier to agree with both sides than to try to prove or disprove one or the other.

When I discovered in a former church that the Pastor there actually believed the world was millions of years old, I felt myself come unglued in the sense that both schools of thought could not possibly exist together. One had to be wrong and one had to be right. Convinced I was on the right side, I did some research on my own in hopes of disputing the opposite side.

According to the World Almanac and Statistical Abstract of the United States, 101.77 million US Christians do not believe in the complete inerrancy of the Genesis account and some actually embrace evolution as a Truth, as compared to 41.52 million professing inerrancy. I found my belief to be in the minority, which shocked me.

I really struggled with the fact that everything I was taught and believed about creation was not fully embraced by every other Christian as Truth. How could we all profess a belief in the same God, have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, and read the same bible but not believe the same Truths?

If I cannot trust the very first book of the bible to be true, accurate, and straightforward how can I possibly put any faith or trust in the remaining books of the bible? If I am led to believe that God slowly ‘evolved’ me into who I am today by chance, how can I believe that I was created in God’s image and for a specific purpose? If I am led to believe the Old Testament is a book of fables and stories made up to get a point across, how can I believe in a New Testament virgin birth and rising from the dead?

To believe anything other than what I had always believed, for me, would have led me away from the God I knew, not able to embrace Him as some might suggest. As I read supporting and opposing information, I realized I should not have to be a scientific scholar, botanist, astronomer, a zoologist, or literary professor to figure out the bible. God intended the bible to be Truth for all people, in all ages, in all stages of life. If I had to be all these things to understand the bible, I never would be ready to read it.

For me, I take the stance that the bible is true and without error just as it is written. I would not presume to be arrogant and speak to which I am not an authority on, and since none of us can know all the things of God this side of heaven, I prefer to take God at His word. When I reach heaven, He can fill me in on all the details. Until then, the important lesson may be in the faithful trust of God and not in us for understanding.

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

My Attempt At Being A Paul

A few months ago, I was in a bible study class through a church from which we have since parted ways. Over the course of the studies, I began to see insurmountable differences between what our family believed and what was being taught. At the same time, my husband began to see the sermons containing personal beliefs being passed off as biblical truths. We felt deceived that the church that we had wholeheartedly supported had misrepresented their doctrine and beliefs to us. We made a decision to leave out of fear, fear that continued association would lead our family, especially our children, down the wrong path and jeopardize our own salvation.

I do not know if this church really misrepresented itself at the beginning. Maybe something had changed since we first arrived. Maybe our eyes and ears were not open to the truth ourselves at the beginning, and we accepted what they had to offer as truth. Whatever the case, we did see things differently now, and as painful as it was to leave we felt it was the right thing to do.

I struggled with our decision, wondering if we should have stayed and tried to be God’s voice in the church. However, when I was involved in the bible classes that shed light on the untruths, not a single other member would acknowledge the issues. Their stance was that God does not want us to argue about such things, that it did not matter. God wants us to just all get along and love each other. I was told debate and disagreement had no place in the church because their stance was your truth may be different from my truth, but that is ok. In fact, when we told the Pastor we were leaving the response to us was “it sounds like you found a group of people who share your truth.”

I wept, because a whole group of people who proclaim to be Christians had bought into Satan’s lies that we can all create our own truth. God’s voice, His reality, was being drowned out by the culture and by humanistic views. The bible was no longer the authority, the last word; it was being distorted to fit the beliefs of the people. The “whatever feels good to you” attitude had sprung up and taken root, and I am confident Satan is quite pleased with himself and God is quite grieved.

I had told my brother-in-law that although we were relieved to have removed ourselves from the situation, we were still so grieved for the friends we left behind that did not know, were willing to put up with, or had wholeheartedly bought into the deception. His advice to us was that we then needed to be a Paul and go speak the truth to them. Influence little by little, person by person, bit by bit in the hope God would use us to open their eyes.

Some of what I write in this blog has to do with countering the culture and disproving lies. Some of the content is directly from conversations I have had with church leaders who do not speak the truth and has served as my attempt to influence. I have not been made popular through my words, but no other purpose would serve me now then to be a voice of God’s truth.

Last night our small group from our new church began the study from Focus on the Family called The Truth Project. We discussed the difference between God’s reality (truth) and Satan’s lies (illusion). It was incredibly timely material, considering what we are facing right now. I became aware of this series last spring and had asked our old church to become involved which they ignored (go figure) but I had remained very interested in somehow going through the series. Now, months later sitting through the first session, I was amazed at how God provides. God knew in the spring what our family was going to experience in the summer, and he put an interest in this tool (The Truth Project) into my heart long before I even knew how important and affirming this would be for us at this particular time. He reinforced me. He reenergized me. He is teaching me how to be a Paul.

Lord, I am so thankful for your provision and for opening my eyes to your truth. May you use me and my voice to speak to your people. Bless me and others with courage, boldness, and perseverance. May your name be glorified! Amen

Easy or Right?

Yesterday I decided to undertake a mini fast in preparation for the general election. I had heard Dr. Dobson say that Christians should be fasting and in prayer prior to voting, our Pastor discussed it in church this past Sunday as a spiritual discipline often times overlooked, and my sister had just informed me a few days ago of her success in a 10 day cleansing fast. All of this talk of fasting motivated me I guess to check it out for myself.

I researched biblical fasting and found there were variations of fasting from which to choose. I did not have to do a full-blown fast as my sister did (thank God) to be effective in denying my flesh. I decided to start out a little easier. My fast consisted of denying myself of all of the things I normally eat and replacing them with all of the things I normally do not eat. Therefore, chocolate, snack food, and meat were out. Fruit and veggies were in.

When my daughters arrived home from school, my ten year old was quite interested in the liquid concoction she discovered in our refrigerator. I explained to her that it was water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and maple syrup (I learned of this from my sister), and that I was drinking it as part of my fast in preparation for the general election. Now, she is my co-political junkie in the house as well as very passionate about God, and wanting to follow my lead boldly announced she was going to fast too, starting tomorrow! I chuckled at her tempered exuberance.

However, when she learned we were having meatloaf for supper (which she hates), she became more interested in the specifics of the fast, and after learning I wasn’t eating meat declared she was starting today. My husband I had a meeting to attend prior to supper so she had to set the table while we were away. When we arrived home, there were only two plates on the table. When my husband asked why there were only two, she responded, “Mom and I are fasting!” I had to remind her that we could eat fruit and veggies, and I was starving, so we needed plates. She added two saucer size plates to the table setting.

Now, I know my daughter hates meatloaf but I also know she hates cooked carrots, but she willing filled her plate. She even commented to all of us how many carrots she put on her plate and had eaten so far, as if we should be proud of her. I have to say I was quite impressed with her effort, when suddenly she blurted out, quite loudly by the way, “Wait a minute, don't carrots come from pigs?”

I knew it was too good to be true. We garden and she knows darn well that carrots do not come from pigs, but she was looking for an out. She did not want to disappoint anyone by not being able to follow through on her commitment so she tried to find a loophole to get her off the hook.

Isn’t that what we all do occasionally in our faith? We eagerly declare to God that we want to serve him and follow His will for our lives. We will do anything for him, but then we find out obedience isn’t so easy, and we look for a loophole. You didn’t really mean it that way. Did you Lord? That was true in bible times, but it’s not relevant for today, right?

A rich, young man once inquired of Jesus what he must do to get into heaven. Jesus told him to sell everything he had, donate it to the poor, and come, follow me. The rich young man left saddened, because he was quite wealthy. He was not willing to give up all he had for Jesus. His wealth had too much of a hold on him. He wanted another option, one that did not involve giving up what he loved.

We want to do things for God on our terms because we don’t always want to give something up or do something new. We want easy, but does easy make it right? God’s way is always the right way! He will help us learn how to obey and serve him even when it’s hard. We just have to trust in Him.

May you passionately pursue Jesus and trust in His deliverance wholeheartedly even when it is hard and uncomfortable. The reward far outweighs the momentary struggle with your flesh.

Prayerfully Vote on Tuesday!

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Please prayerfully consider and vote tomorrow, exercising your freedom in choosing our next President, Congressmen, and Senators at both the federal and state levels, according to God's will.

Also, continue to pray for our leaders after the election for wisdom and courage and the yielding of hearts to God's will in leading our country.

May we continue to be a nation blessed by God because of our obedience and allegiance to Him!

Substitutes Don't Provide the Same Feeling

This past weekend, our one-year old daughter injured one of her fingers, when sitting on her little rocking chair incorrectly and tipping it over. Her cut was not too serious, but needed to be protected nonetheless. The real problem was that this finger was one of two fingers she sucks on to soothe and to fall asleep.

Needless to say, she found out quickly that band-aids do not taste very good, so she tried to bite it off to have access to just her finger again. Afraid she might swallow the band-aid, we took measures to protect against that by taping a sock on her hand for the rest of the day.

At bedtime, we took the sock off. She tried to suck on her fingers normally, but the band-aid was in the way, so she tried just the one finger. That did not work, so she tried another finger, then another, and then another. She tried different combinations of fingers, but nothing gave her the same feeling. My heart went out to her as I watched her trying so desperately to find something that would work for her. It was amazing how persistent she was at trying to fill this need and how distressed she was at not being able too.

Watching her through this whole experience reminded of how no substitute can take the place of God in our life.

Our hearts were designed to be filled up by the things of God and His love and to be in relationship with him. When we reject God and his love that spot in our heart is empty, and we try to fill it with lots of other things, trying desperately to get the same result. We try to fill it with love from others, or with the pursuit of material possessions, or with perceived power and control, or with drugs and alcohol.

However, none of those options alone, or in combination, can fill that void in the same way. We are still left wanting and distressed. The sad thing is the very things we use to try to fill that void actually prevent us from experiencing the real thing, just as my daughter’s band-aid kept her from her finger.

Let’s take the time today to look within our own hearts and see the things we are trying to substitute for the “real thing,” and ask God to help us replace those things with His love. However, let us not stop there. Be on the look- out for others who are desperately trying to fill the void with the things of this world, and boldly reach out to them, sharing with them the “real thing,” Jesus’ love and redemption.

My prayer for each of you today is that you feel that complete sense of calm contentment that is a heart filled with the love and peace of God and that you aid someone else in accepting that love as well.

It's The Truth

I found this devotion on another blog I follow, The Christian Woman.


It's The Truth
About The Master's Business Ministry

"And God said...." Genesis 3:1a

I'm sure you have seen the bumper sticker that says, "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." (I know I have talked about this before -but I feel impressed to talk about it again.) It should read, "God said it, that settles it." God's word is settled; it is the truth whether you believe it or not. The fact that you believe it doesn't make it true, neither does the fact that you don't believe it make it untrue. God doesn't need anyone to believe His word in order to make it the truth. As a matter of fact, at the beginning of creation when God said - He spoke and everything was created- there wasn't one soul around to believe what God said.... but it was still the truth.

Believing God's word doesn't make it true... it is true already... it's the truth. But what it does do is cause it to "work" in your life. When you believe it, you appropriate the blessings that are connected to it. In other words, you reap the benefits that come from putting faith in what God says. So, having established (and settled) the issue of the truth of God's word regardless of whether anyone believes it or not, the question would be, "Are you going to believe it?" Are you going to take God at His word, trust what He says, put your faith, confidence, and assurance in it? If you don't it won't make it any less the truth, you just won't enjoy the blessings and rewards that come from believing it.


My grandmother told me she learned the Bible in both German and English and assured me it says the same thing in either language. Her point was that society, culture, or scientific theories may change from generation to generation, but Biblical truth does not change.