Sometimes things can just seem overwhelming. I have been dealing with a lot of physical pain associated with my arthritis. It is hard to work at times yet I do because the bills must be paid. There are many times that by the time the weekend gets here the last thing my body wants to do is get up and go to church. Just let me stay in bed and hide.
Thank God for His Holy Spirit! While my body may be crying out in protest at the thought of taking one single step, my soul cries out for the Lord. I would rather suffer the physical pain at times than miss the fellowship of worshipping the Lord with my brothers and sisters in Christ. As the psalmist said, "I would rather spend one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10)
Father, today I thank you for the strength that you give me each day to do the things I need to do. Help me, Lord, to lean on you more and more each day. I lift up to you today those Father who are physically unable to be in church. Raise up men and women and children, Lord, who will minister to them where they are. Thank you for the needed strength and comfort that you provide daily. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Repeat Forgiveness
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." - Matthew 18:21,22
I believe that Jesus was not only referring to the number of times an individual offends us but also to the number of times we allow ourselves to be offended over and over again by the same offense.
Most of the time forgiveness comes easy for me. I tend to be a very forgiving person. There were a couple times, however, when I was hurt deeply by people who were not only supposed to be my friends, but we attended church together and worked together. In this case, I was only offended once but relived it over and over in my mind. For years, even after praying about the situation and turning it over to God, I would find the same feelings of resentment and hurt rising up whenever one of the people involved in the situation was mentioned.
In my heart, I had forgiven them. When I would remember them, I would remember the good times that we had enjoyed together in the Lord. But when someone else would mention them the resentment would return. I felt the enemy trying to convince me that I had never really forgiven them and that my resentment was a sign of defeat in this area.
Victory over these attacks from the enemy came when I remembered Jesus' commandment to pray for our enemies and for those who wrongfully accuse us. Now whenever Satan wants to torment me with memories of past hurts I thank him. I thank him for a reminder to pray for God to work in their lives and to use them for His glory.
My Father, you are in heaven. Your name is holy and your ways are righteous. Father, I pray that your will would be done in the life of this person. You created him/her in your image and you have a plan for his/her life. Whatever needs he/she has, Lord, I ask you to provide them. Father, if they have sinned against you, forgive them. If I have sinned against them forgive me. Father, as they walk through this day I ask that they not be led into temptation but that you would deliver them from all evil. To you may all glory and honor and praise be given. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN.
I believe that Jesus was not only referring to the number of times an individual offends us but also to the number of times we allow ourselves to be offended over and over again by the same offense.
Most of the time forgiveness comes easy for me. I tend to be a very forgiving person. There were a couple times, however, when I was hurt deeply by people who were not only supposed to be my friends, but we attended church together and worked together. In this case, I was only offended once but relived it over and over in my mind. For years, even after praying about the situation and turning it over to God, I would find the same feelings of resentment and hurt rising up whenever one of the people involved in the situation was mentioned.
In my heart, I had forgiven them. When I would remember them, I would remember the good times that we had enjoyed together in the Lord. But when someone else would mention them the resentment would return. I felt the enemy trying to convince me that I had never really forgiven them and that my resentment was a sign of defeat in this area.
Victory over these attacks from the enemy came when I remembered Jesus' commandment to pray for our enemies and for those who wrongfully accuse us. Now whenever Satan wants to torment me with memories of past hurts I thank him. I thank him for a reminder to pray for God to work in their lives and to use them for His glory.
My Father, you are in heaven. Your name is holy and your ways are righteous. Father, I pray that your will would be done in the life of this person. You created him/her in your image and you have a plan for his/her life. Whatever needs he/she has, Lord, I ask you to provide them. Father, if they have sinned against you, forgive them. If I have sinned against them forgive me. Father, as they walk through this day I ask that they not be led into temptation but that you would deliver them from all evil. To you may all glory and honor and praise be given. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Please Come Back
One of the reasons it can take so long between blog posts is because I want to be sure that what I am sharing is based on scripture. I ask myself is this what God would have me share or is it what I want to say on a subject. Sometimes God is trying to speak to me on a subject and my mind starts rambling with my own opinions on the subject and, honestly, God can't get a word in edgewise.
I've decided, on this particular subject, to just open up and share some of my own thoughts and feelings. Hopefully, I won't offend anyone and, if I do offend you, know it is not my intention. Quite honestly, I'm selfish. I need you. We need you. The body of Christ needs you.
There are a lot of people through the years who have given up on the local church. Some left because they were hurt, either by a person or persons within the church. I don't know how many times I have heard someone ask, "Does so-and-so still go to church there?" Or they will say something like "I didn't know so-and-so went to your church, They were at such-and-such a place with so-and-so. I won't go to church with hypocrites."
Been there, done that. It was one of the most miserable points in my life. I still believed and loved God, but I just couldn't get past the hurt. I tried other churches but until I had resolved the issues and forgiven those who had hurt me, whether intentionally or imagined in my heart, I could not find peace with another congregation.
Jesus said, in Mark 2:17, "It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." If you have a man of God in the pulpit preaching the Word of God then you will have sinners in the church. If Christ is being preached, He will draw all people to himself. We don't get to decide whether they attend our church or whether they get sent down the road. We do get to praise God that they are reaching out to Him.
When I was a young Christian growing up in the church, I was privileged to sit under a pastor who encouraged us to take notes, write down scripture passages and check things out for ourselves. He would tell us, "Don't just take my word for it." One of the things I like about my current pastor is that he begins every sermon with a prayer and somewhere in that prayer, every Sunday, are the words "Hide me behind the cross." He recognizes that it is more important that we hear what God has to say than it is to hear what he has to say.
I have said all of this just to say, Please come back. The body of Christ needs you. God has a place and a purpose for you within the local church. I am not asking you to attend the same church I attend, although you will always be welcome. I am asking you to find a body of believers with a man of God who preaches God's Word and be encouraged in your walk. If you will do this God will use you to encourage others.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more so as we see the Day approaching. -Hebrews 10:25
I've decided, on this particular subject, to just open up and share some of my own thoughts and feelings. Hopefully, I won't offend anyone and, if I do offend you, know it is not my intention. Quite honestly, I'm selfish. I need you. We need you. The body of Christ needs you.
There are a lot of people through the years who have given up on the local church. Some left because they were hurt, either by a person or persons within the church. I don't know how many times I have heard someone ask, "Does so-and-so still go to church there?" Or they will say something like "I didn't know so-and-so went to your church, They were at such-and-such a place with so-and-so. I won't go to church with hypocrites."
Been there, done that. It was one of the most miserable points in my life. I still believed and loved God, but I just couldn't get past the hurt. I tried other churches but until I had resolved the issues and forgiven those who had hurt me, whether intentionally or imagined in my heart, I could not find peace with another congregation.
Jesus said, in Mark 2:17, "It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." If you have a man of God in the pulpit preaching the Word of God then you will have sinners in the church. If Christ is being preached, He will draw all people to himself. We don't get to decide whether they attend our church or whether they get sent down the road. We do get to praise God that they are reaching out to Him.
When I was a young Christian growing up in the church, I was privileged to sit under a pastor who encouraged us to take notes, write down scripture passages and check things out for ourselves. He would tell us, "Don't just take my word for it." One of the things I like about my current pastor is that he begins every sermon with a prayer and somewhere in that prayer, every Sunday, are the words "Hide me behind the cross." He recognizes that it is more important that we hear what God has to say than it is to hear what he has to say.
I have said all of this just to say, Please come back. The body of Christ needs you. God has a place and a purpose for you within the local church. I am not asking you to attend the same church I attend, although you will always be welcome. I am asking you to find a body of believers with a man of God who preaches God's Word and be encouraged in your walk. If you will do this God will use you to encourage others.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more so as we see the Day approaching. -Hebrews 10:25
Monday, January 26, 2015
Peace (?) In Trouble
Jesus said that in this world we would have trouble. So why I am spending so much time trying to avoid it. My mind goes constantly, sometimes day and night, trying to figure out how to solve problems that haven't even arrived yet.
When the financial burden is the greatest I think, if I could win the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, even a small prize, I would have no more financial worries. If I had a special someone to share things with so that I didn't have to walk through life alone, it would be easier to get through the difficulties in life. The truth is there are as many problems associated with having money as there is with not having it. And that special someone, they can come with there own set of special problems.
In John 16:33, Jesus goes on to say: Take heart for I have overcome the world. In fact, before he mentions the trouble we will have he tells us that he is telling us these things so that we can have "peace". Sometimes it's hard to find the peace in the middle of the problems, The peace comes from knowing that God saw the problem coming long before it got to me and together, he and I, have already overcome it.
"Father, I will always long for a problem-free life but, I also realize that it is not going to happen this side of heaven. Thank you for the peace that comes from knowing that this problem too will pass and that victory in this life is secured through the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ."
When the financial burden is the greatest I think, if I could win the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, even a small prize, I would have no more financial worries. If I had a special someone to share things with so that I didn't have to walk through life alone, it would be easier to get through the difficulties in life. The truth is there are as many problems associated with having money as there is with not having it. And that special someone, they can come with there own set of special problems.
In John 16:33, Jesus goes on to say: Take heart for I have overcome the world. In fact, before he mentions the trouble we will have he tells us that he is telling us these things so that we can have "peace". Sometimes it's hard to find the peace in the middle of the problems, The peace comes from knowing that God saw the problem coming long before it got to me and together, he and I, have already overcome it.
"Father, I will always long for a problem-free life but, I also realize that it is not going to happen this side of heaven. Thank you for the peace that comes from knowing that this problem too will pass and that victory in this life is secured through the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ."
Monday, January 19, 2015
Victory Over The Enemy
I've been having a difficult time for the past week. My mother went for her routine check-up with her cardiologist. He was concerned about some issues she was starting to have and ordered a echo cardiogram and a stress test. After the stress test the doctor told her that they had seen a small spot in the lower part of her heart. He ordered a heart catheter and we went in believing possibly she would need a stent or two.
Three days later we are standing beside a hospital bed looking at my mother who is still on a vent after just coming out of bypass surgery. Seeing her on that vent, so soon after losing my brother who had spent several weeks on a vent, was hard on all of us. For me it opened a whole new floodgate of grief over the loss of my brother.
Our enemy, the devil, specializes in attacking when we are down. God tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that our enemy prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour. Like a lion, he lurks around watching, waiting until we are weak or distracted by something else. While I was caught up in the emotion of my grief, true to form, the enemy decided to attack.
Even though my mother was and is improving every day, in the first few days after her surgery the enemy tormented me with thoughts and fears regarding her recovery. During the weakest moments he would remind me how my brother had improved on a daily basis and yet still died unexpectedly. These thoughts coupled with the grief I was still feeling over the loss of my brother threw me into a season of depression.
Victory over the depression began when the Lord showed me that the devil had nothing to gain in this battle by taking my mother, or even in my brother's death, unless I allowed him to have victory over me in this situation, because whether in life or in death my mother and brother will walk with Jesus.
Victory begins when we realize where the attack is coming from but victory can only be obtained when we stand in the gap and refuse to let the enemy have victory through us. 2 Thessalonians 2:14,15 tells us that God called us that we might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and that we should stand firm in the teachings that we have received both through the readings of the scripture and from the mouths of God's servants.
Father God, thank you for your Word for your Word is truth and the Truth sets us free from the attacks of the enemy. I thank you for the men and women of God whom you have brought into my life to encourage me and remind me of your teachings. Help me today and everyday to stand firm in your teachings that I may resist the attacks of the enemy and have victory through the blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen!
Three days later we are standing beside a hospital bed looking at my mother who is still on a vent after just coming out of bypass surgery. Seeing her on that vent, so soon after losing my brother who had spent several weeks on a vent, was hard on all of us. For me it opened a whole new floodgate of grief over the loss of my brother.
Our enemy, the devil, specializes in attacking when we are down. God tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that our enemy prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour. Like a lion, he lurks around watching, waiting until we are weak or distracted by something else. While I was caught up in the emotion of my grief, true to form, the enemy decided to attack.
Even though my mother was and is improving every day, in the first few days after her surgery the enemy tormented me with thoughts and fears regarding her recovery. During the weakest moments he would remind me how my brother had improved on a daily basis and yet still died unexpectedly. These thoughts coupled with the grief I was still feeling over the loss of my brother threw me into a season of depression.
Victory over the depression began when the Lord showed me that the devil had nothing to gain in this battle by taking my mother, or even in my brother's death, unless I allowed him to have victory over me in this situation, because whether in life or in death my mother and brother will walk with Jesus.
Victory begins when we realize where the attack is coming from but victory can only be obtained when we stand in the gap and refuse to let the enemy have victory through us. 2 Thessalonians 2:14,15 tells us that God called us that we might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and that we should stand firm in the teachings that we have received both through the readings of the scripture and from the mouths of God's servants.
Father God, thank you for your Word for your Word is truth and the Truth sets us free from the attacks of the enemy. I thank you for the men and women of God whom you have brought into my life to encourage me and remind me of your teachings. Help me today and everyday to stand firm in your teachings that I may resist the attacks of the enemy and have victory through the blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Not A Single Hour Added
I went to the doctor yesterday for my diabetic check up. It seems I'm in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in. I can remember not to long ago being very anxious about the changes occurring in my body as I aged. I have arthritis now in my knees and ankles and I was having a lot of fatigue issues. I began questioning how much longer I would be able to work and how I would take care of myself when I could no longer work. Turns out a few blood tests and some changes in medication helped get me back on track. Not that I still don't have some bad days, but knowing what the problem is and that something can be done to help relieves a lot of stress.
In Luke 12:22-26, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat, what we will wear or about our very lives. He reminds us that not a one of us can add a single hour to our lives by worrying. In fact, medicine has proven that worrying actually takes hours away from our lives.
Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us that there is no need to worry or become afraid because God goes with us on this journey through life. He has not left us to walk through this world on our own. He goes with us in the person of the Holy Spirit and he will not forsake us.
Father, you tell us in your word that you do not change. Your word is as true today as it was when you inspired men of old to write it. The enemy tempts me at times to forget your promises and to question my own ability. Thank you, Father, that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Help me each day to take each thought contrary to your truth captive and remain obedient to your word.
In Luke 12:22-26, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat, what we will wear or about our very lives. He reminds us that not a one of us can add a single hour to our lives by worrying. In fact, medicine has proven that worrying actually takes hours away from our lives.
Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us that there is no need to worry or become afraid because God goes with us on this journey through life. He has not left us to walk through this world on our own. He goes with us in the person of the Holy Spirit and he will not forsake us.
Father, you tell us in your word that you do not change. Your word is as true today as it was when you inspired men of old to write it. The enemy tempts me at times to forget your promises and to question my own ability. Thank you, Father, that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Help me each day to take each thought contrary to your truth captive and remain obedient to your word.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Through It All
It can be a daily struggle not to give in to worry and fear, especially as we get older. Our bodies are aging and changing. We wonder how long we'll be able to work and how we will be able to care for ourselves when we can no longer work. As parents, we worry about being able to provide for our families and how we will manage to raise our children to adulthood. There are pressures from work, school, community and government. At times there is even pressure but on us by the church.
In Isaiah 41:10, God tells us that we don't have to fear or get discouraged because he will help us and strengthen us. In fact, he promises to hold us up with his "righteous right hand", I find such comfort in those words. There is comfort because I know that, even though I might let go of his hand at times, he will never let go of mine.
One of my favorite songs has always been "Through It All" by Andrea Crouch. My favorite verse says,"I thank God for the mountains and I thank him for the valleys. I thank him for the storms he's brought me through. For if I never had a problem I wouldn't know that God could solve them. I wouldn't know what faith in God could do."
Father, those words are so true. It is because of the things we have already walked through together that I know that I can get through whatever comes my way. Father, I appreciate your presence every day but even more on the difficult days. I praise you for your faithfulness in the good and the bad. Thank you that I can live each day in your presence, functioning daily in your will and finding my purpose in you.
In Isaiah 41:10, God tells us that we don't have to fear or get discouraged because he will help us and strengthen us. In fact, he promises to hold us up with his "righteous right hand", I find such comfort in those words. There is comfort because I know that, even though I might let go of his hand at times, he will never let go of mine.
One of my favorite songs has always been "Through It All" by Andrea Crouch. My favorite verse says,"I thank God for the mountains and I thank him for the valleys. I thank him for the storms he's brought me through. For if I never had a problem I wouldn't know that God could solve them. I wouldn't know what faith in God could do."
Father, those words are so true. It is because of the things we have already walked through together that I know that I can get through whatever comes my way. Father, I appreciate your presence every day but even more on the difficult days. I praise you for your faithfulness in the good and the bad. Thank you that I can live each day in your presence, functioning daily in your will and finding my purpose in you.
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