Walking in His Word

I have been engaged in many conversations regarding people's beliefs that The Bible must be untrue, is outdated, and is no longer valid.  One major reason I hear this repeated seems to stem from people who believe that God loves everyone, therefore, if he created people gay, he must love them the way they are, and what The Bible states about being gay just can't be true. Therefore if this can't be true, The Bible is not true, and has to be disqualified.

This provokes many questions for me. First, I'd like to know who the specific person is that has proven that people are born gay. What is their name and where is their proof that God created them this way? I know God. I do not know this person who has claimed that people are born gay. How am I to believe an unknown source? Does he have a special book?

Second, Do I think God loves gay people? Of course I do. I think God loves everyone but, God does have rules. He guides us with His Word, the Bible, and even though we may fail, it is in our best interest to try and obey Him. To reject God's Word and worship a god that is only pleasing to us, our desires, and our senses is in essence creating and worshiping an idol god. This shows no respect towards God, as God, but instead, places him closer to the level which we are at; as human. In Proverbs 8:17 NASB it reads; " I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me find me." We find God in the Bible and we learn about God's character from the Bible. God's Word never changes. People's opinion of God do."This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me with their lips, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" Matthew 15:8,9 ESV

As I walk through this life with my faith it is my hope and prayer that people will Love the Lord thy God with all their heart, soul and mind, and that we will love each other a we love ourselves; just as The Bible says. The Bible is a book of love, not hate. We should never cause harm to anyone because they are gay. We should pray for them just as we would pray for any other. Each one of us, alone, will have to answer to God one day so it's important to do the best we can to follow Him and seek forgiveness when we fall short. The Bible is and always will be the true source for finding out what God wants for us, what all He has given us and the plans He has for us. Many may say that the Bible is outdated and untrue. One day these people are going to have to stand before God and when he asks the question, "Why did you reject my Word?" I wonder what they will say.

Sexual Healing

Who is your God?

I recently came across this photo and Billy Graham quote and couldn't agree more with what it reads. People have their priorities mixed up. They are putting people before God.

Adolf Hitler said, "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it." Unfortunately, the advice from this evil man has become used today and is true. It's very difficult for us Christians to listen to the propaganda that is brainwashing so many. Our hearts break for the lies that are being told and for the people who are being deceived. But this is all no surprise to God. He knows the tactics that Satan will use and the games that he would play. We are all living in a time of spiritual warfare but, fear not for Christ has already conquered Satan.1 John 3:8  NIV.

In the movie ,"The Great Debaters," with Denzel Washington, these words are repeated.
Who is the Judge?
The Judge is God.
Why is He God?
Because he decides who wins or loses, not my opponent.
Who is your opponent?
He does not exist.
Why doesn't he exist?
Because he is the mere dissenting voice of the truth that I speak.

I love this as a Christian. It reminds me of how unremarkable Satan is and how great our God is.

Mother Teresa once wrote the poem, "Anyway," and the last verse reads as follows. "You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God; It was never between you and them anyway. 

We as Christian's need to remember this.

Voices

To a great extent, living is a solitary act and our primary companion is ourselves. The voice that we listen to most is our own and our perceptions of each experience become our reality. We can also learn to discern between hearing God's voice and that of Satan's. It's important for each of us to be able to distinguish the difference.

Satan is the great deceiver who comes only to kill, steal and destroy. He doesn't wait until we are of age to attack us; he doesn't plan a party for the day we turn twenty one.  No, Satan begins early, with the children, and takes their perceptions of the world around them; fueling them with deceptions. He attacks their confidence with attempts to make them feel inferior. He shows them what insecurity means. He teases them with rejection and uses anger and lust and pride to make inroads in hopes that he can twist them.

On the other hand, God is everyone's Father and speaks out of love. He would never tell you do anything wrong or give any advice that would hurt you. He will never lie to you or deceive you and it's important for our children to get to know him. Recognize his voice. Read His word. He's available for anyone who needs Him. With God you are never alone.

Peace

      There is something about the old hippie in me that will never tire of the word, "peace." I no longer hold up my two fingers while saying this, well, maybe I do, but I really think the word is cool.

      Peace is something that we all hope for. Back in 60's and 70's we had Jesus freaks. They tried to spread peace by way of Jesus. I have to admit that I tried to avoid them, but I liked the message they were sending.

      So much of my life has evolved around this thing called peace. I use to try to find peace with my parents as a teenager, I try to maintain peace with my husband and I'm always praying for peace with my children. I find it's an important word and a valuable thing to seek. Most days I am very blessed to have peace in my heart even when things seem crazy in the world around me. But that peace isn't something I have learned how to have along the way. No, it is a blessing I've received from Jesus.

      In order to carry on with the hippie, "peace" tradition, I would like to encourage everyone to pray for peace and prosperity within their nation. In Jeremiah 29:7, NIV,  it states, "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because as it prospers, you prosper too. 

      Our nations and governments will never be able to provide us with the peace that we are hoping to find. We need to seek out our peace in Jesus.

     

Clouds

I have become very intrigued with the sky over the last few years and amazed with all the pictures that God has provided me with. I took this photo today from Michigan. Thank you God, I heart you too!

This picture also reminds me of the bible verse, "Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds." NLB  

God, Can you hear me now?

Have you ever prayed from the deepest of desperation you have ever known only to find that God doesn't seem to be listening? Have you ever been brought to the brink of your faith, wondering why God isn't helping?

Not so long ago, I went through an excruciating time in my life.  I prayed that God would come to help me, but he was silent, and I was wondering why he seemed to be gone.  I went through many emotions during this time. I became angry with God, confused by his silence, and wondered what it was that I had done that was so wrong.

Before long, I went back to my bible and searched for God's promises to hear me. These are some of the things that I found out.

Our God is not in a hurry like we are. He already has things worked out. I began to see this as an opportunity for me, a chance to practice some patience. When the time is right we will all see what God has been doing. In Psalms 40:1 it states, "I waited patiently for God to help me;then He listened and hear my cry.TLB

We need to see that our God is bigger than our problems and not the other way around. Crying and whining about our difficulties must seem almost humorous to Him.
Be still and know that I am God.  Psalms 46;10 TLB

We need to learn that God is working on our behalf and He does hears us when we pray. Our attempts at begging and pleading over and over are unnecessary. Take for example when Moses brought the people out of Egypt and Pharaoh's army had them trapped on one side, the Red Sea had them trapped from the other. God already knew what He planned to do. He knew how He was going to save the people.That's why Exodus 14:14 makes sense,  The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. NIV  


To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1NKJ
This verse describes why it is that God may seem silent during times of desperate prayer. He has His own timing, His own way of helping us, and His ways are absolutely perfect. The next time you pray and feel that God is not listening, just step back and know that He has already worked the problem out and while you are waiting to see your results, thank Him for the opportunity to gain some patience. Thank him for being bigger than your problem and thank Him for being your loving God. If you, like me, don't hear from Him right away, don't let yourself become fearful that God may not chose to help you or that God will be too slow and be too late. I have also held these fears and doubted, but I pushed past them to hold onto my faith and in doing so I have never once been disappointed. I have seen God work in mysterious ways, providing solutions I could have never even thought of, and he always comes though in perfect time. It's an exciting adventure to watch God's work and to see all the glorious things that He can do! Yes, I do believe that God hears me, and you need to believe that he hears you too!

The Benefit Package

These last few years have been very difficult for many people and those looking for a job are certainly no stranger to the benefit package. Everyone wants to have the best they can get. We all need to have insurance to protect our heath and a good retirement plan secures our future, right?

There is another benefit package that we all should be taking advantage of though and it comes from the promises of God in the bible. His promises will get you through the good times and the bad. Did you know that God has promised to never leave you or forsake you? You may have the best boss in the world, but I doubt that they would ever tell you that.

I have come to understand that when I pray, instead of asking or complaining, I thank God for His promises. I thank God for loving me and for giving me His only son, who took away all my sins. I thank God who in John 14:27 says," Peace I leave with you, peace I give unto you. I do not give as the world gives (Praise the Lord!). Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

God wants us to live in His grace, which is His undeserved goodness and kindness. Would you sacrifice your son on the cross for all the people you know? Would you consider them worth it? God loves us so much that He did that for us so He absolutely considers us worth it.

I would challenge you to go about your prayer time for the next week or so giving thanks for the promises of God. I will list a few at the bottom of this writing, but if you would like a specific promise for a certain difficulty then perhaps you can look some up. I believe that it won't take long before you realize what a great benefit package it is that God offers. I pray that you will enjoy all the benefits that you have been promised and live a life that truly very blessed!

I suggest that you begin your prayer something like this," Dear Lord, I thank you for your promise of  _________.


For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord." Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, for the Lord they God is with you wherever you go.   Joshua 1:9

I waited patiently for God to hear me then he listened and heard my cry. Psalms 40:1-3

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should,go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalms 32:8

Spirit in the Sky

I recently took this picture of what I thought was just a beautiful sunset, but when I uploaded it onto my computer I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There in the clouds is the Michigan Mitten, and of course, I live in Michigan, so this was really a hoot for me!

Then today, my husband viewed the photo for the first time and he noticed something else, a face of a girl in the clouds, in the center, right above the trees. He said that she must be our guardian angel.

Is it any wonder that I think God is so cool? Oh, the miraculous things he does for us!

Keep your eyes to the sky and you may be surprised what you will see. Happy Easter!

Hearts and Love

I wonder how much of our lives are spent in an attempt to get others to love us, to accept us, to appreciate us? Do you think it's ten percent, fifty percent; more? If I had a dime for every time time I let someone get to me and take away my feelings of being valued and loved I'd be rich. If I had a dime for every time I allowed myself to become offended I'd have even more.

People talk about loving their families, but I don't know too many families that are very loving. I did not come from a particularly loving family and I certainly did not marry into one. But inside my heart I felt love, and I always seemed to have enough to give out. So this being the case, where did all my love come from?

We tend to associate love with the human heart, don't we? For the most part we believe that hearts are red. Red is also the color of spilled blood. We mostly think of spilled blood when one is hurt or wounded. When one is hurt or wounded is it generally because of an accident or incident, both of which lead us to believe that the spilling of blood is not good. So if all this is true then why do we associate the human heart, with being red, and with love?

There can only be one reason. Because God sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us, to shed his red blood in forgiveness of our sins, because He loves us from His very big heart.

If you are not loved by a single soul on this earth, you can always know that God loves you. He fills your heart with His love even if you don't ask for it and refills it as you need it. It doesn't take another person to fill your heart with love. It only takes God and Jesus!

Reasons to love being a Christian

Reasons to Love being a Christian

I love being a Christian because we can believe in what the bible says. It never changes and never will. Because it never changes we can rely on it. If it changed to satisfy us, it would be no more dependable than the daily news or our government. We may not always understand it, but it does have the answer for everything. It shows us the character of God and allows us to decipher His voice from ours, and from Satan's. We may not like what it says, but if that's the case, we are not seeing it from the heart of God's love. God's word always has our best interest at heart.

I love being a Christian because we can know how much God loves us! We can really know this! He loves us so very much even though we're so imperfect. We make so many mistakes. We do so many things wrong. We hold on to so many wrong thoughts. If I was Him I would be disgusted by all the things we have done. But He loves all his children and wants to save us from ourselves. That's why He gave us His son, Jesus. God wants to see us in Heaven! I truly believe that he leaves a whole in our heart that can only be filled up by Him.

I love being a Christian because we can know and love Jesus! He died on the cross-for us! He took all our sins with Him when he died, and He gave us the opportunity to accept his death, as our gift, as our means to get to Heaven. It's the only way to get there. And when we arrive, because we accepted Jesus gift, we will all arrive sin free!

I love being a Christian because God gave us Jesus who understands our human experience. Jesus lived in this world, but was not of this world. Some people didn't like Him, Jesus was tempted, some rejected Him, some betrayed him, some didn't understand Him, some didn't appreciate Him, some were downright cruel to Him, some wanted to see Him dead, some killed Him. Jesus understands what we go through, so I love it that as a Christian, we can all get through this life with Him.

The Holy Spirit! Oh, how I love The Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit tells our hearts when we are doing something wrong and it prompts us to do many things right. We as Christians benefit so much by listening for this voice. The Holy Spirit is powerful! The Holy Spirit gives us gifts! The Holy Spirit lifted up Jesus and transported Him up and into Heaven. The Holy Spirit is a powerful friend!

I love being a Christian because God allows bad things to happen so that we can learn good things from every bad situation. This helps strengthen our character. Being a Christian is not for the weak because you will come under Spiritual Warfare with the dark side. For anyone who thinks that only weak people believe in God, they couldn't be more wrong. Satan doesn't come against those who are already his. Satan comes after Christians. We are only weak in that we allow God to aid us in fighting Satan; in this, God becomes our strength. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross! Jesus has already won! Satan had already been conquered! Now, Satan is just a big nuisance!

I love being a Christians because there is so much to know and understand about God that it would take more than just this one lifetime to get it all. Christianity is an exciting journey of learning and growing and becoming better than we were yesterday.

I love being a Christian because God is all about Grace. Grace is God's goodness and kindness, directed at us, as undeserving people. He doesn't want us to live in condemnation. He gave us the 10 commandments to show us that none of us could keep them, on our own strength. He gave us the 10 commandments to show us why we all need Jesus. Jesus was sent to provide us with forgiveness for our sins! Jesus is the only way for us to get into Heaven! It's because of God's grace that we were given Jesus! As Christians we have the abundance of God's Grace everyday and we have the gift of righteousness through Christ blood on the cross.

I love being a Christian because I am living in this world, but I am not of this world. This can be difficult at times. It encompasses everything we encounter in this life. Each of us will have to fight our own strongholds such as addiction, anger, fear, jealousy and offense, but the Trinity is here to help us. It should be our goal to proceed in life with faith, and to become as Christ-like as we possibly can. This makes the life of a Christian exciting!

Sadly, I know many who have given up their walk with God. They felt their prayers weren't being answered during trying times and they lost faith and gave up on Him. But giving up on God is never the answer. It is never okay just to quit! Just because you quit God doesn't mean that he doesn't exist, it only means that you quit! God will see you through your tough times, but you have to keep your faith and your hopes upon Him. Don't blame God if you give up before he chooses to help you. One more day of faith could have made all the difference!