There is an awful lot of talk about gay marriage these days. Especially since the man that has been deemed our president decided go against his "Christian" faith and show support for it. As a Christian, I feel it is important to clarify that I do not see him as a true Christian. He chooses not to live by the Word of God, and so that makes his so-called faith null and void. If we, as Christians, suddenly excuse any sin that the Bible clearly outlines then we might as well say Christ died in vain.
Sadly, because of people like our president who have an outlet to publicly push their "brand" of Christianity, others eat it up like a Krispy Kreme donut. "We are to treat everyone as we would like to be treated. It's the Golden Rule." Yes, I agree that we should show love to others. However…love and accepting blatant sin as "good" do NOT go hand in hand. I have friends that are gay. I love them dearly, but I also want them to realize the seriousness of choosing sin. I care about their eternal life and I want them to live in freedom!
Then there's the argument, "Well, it's not like anyone would CHOOSE that lifestyle. They were born that way. They can't help it." Sorry, but that is a lie straight from the devil and if you believe that you are also deceived. Scripture is VERY clear, and you don't have to go any further than Genesis to find the answer. It started when the first man decided to sin. He doomed all of humanity in that one choice. That is when the world fell into a tailspin. That is why we now have disease, rape, murder, child abuse, lying, cheating, stealing, and every other sin. And in Romans we are reminded that "we ALL fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We all have sin that we struggle with. It's also why we see innocent life, like children and unborn babies, brutally murdered…all because of the moment when Adam and Eve made that choice. My sin may be different than someone who practices a homosexual lifestyle, but that does not mean that I am anymore deserving of God's love than they are or that I will be guaranteed entrance into Heaven. What matter's most is the choice I make in accepting Christ's sacrifice for my sins and allowing the Holy Spirit to control me. Because we have the Holy Spirit, we have the power to overcome the urges to sin. It doesn't mean we are suddenly perfect or better than anyone else. It just means that we suddenly have an Advocate in Christ.
With all that said, as we approach another election season, I could not bring myself to ever vote for a person who deceives others into going against God's Word. Especially since I know very well what the Bible says about deception. It is Satan's greatest weapon. Stick to the Scripture and defeat him at his game.
And continue to love others, regardless!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Saturday, November 5, 2011
It's Been Two Years...
Even though my mom has been gone for two years now, I can honestly say that God has blessed me like never before. It wasn't His choice to bless me more because of that painful event, but rather my choice to turn to Him and trust Him. As a result, I have seen His grace and mercy over my life in such a new and wonderful way.
How has God blessed me in the past two years? Well, take a look at the journal entry I wrote on the day my mom passed away:
Dear Heavenly Father,
You took my mother home today. I prayed that you wouldn't, I prayed that you would give me more time with her. I prayed that we would have another chance to start over. You knew how my heart ached to hug her and tell her I loved her. You knew how much I wanted to bless her with knowing her grandson. But you still took her and all I can hope for now is that you will come for all the rest of us. I pray, Lord, that you will take my whole family home. I spent the past 3 1/2 years praying for her, now what do I do with that? That was a prayer that feels very unanswered to me right now. I'm sorry, Lord, but I just don't know why you had to take her so soon. What do I know? Not much, I don't know much of anything about her life in Mexico. I want so much to believe it was a happy one for her, but if she was so happy, why couldn't she share that with me? Jesus, all I can pray for now is that you bless her soul in Heaven. I want to be with her there some day.
Wow! I really did not know God as well as I thought I did. I accused Him of my mother's death! He didn't kill her. Glory to God, He was her Savior! In the past two years I have learn how the enemy, Satan, comes to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10), but we who believe in Christ will overcome the world, just as Christ did Himself (John 16:33). God is GOOD, and His Word is true, and He keeps His promises of eternal life. That alone gives me the encouragement to seek and know the Lord even more...daily. His Word has come alive in my life!
One thing I will never understand is how a person can go through the trial of losing a loved one without relying on Jesus. I know I couldn't. He makes all the difference. Scripture tells us we will have hardships here on earth, but if we believe in Him, we will overcome them…and walk in Paradise WITH Him someday!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad
2 roma tomatoes - diced
1 cucumber - peeled and diced
1/2 medium red onion - diced
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 cups cooked brown rice - cooled
1/4 cup light Italian dressing
Dash of garlic salt
Pepper
Combine all ingredients and chill for 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken, shrimp, or fish to make it a main dish.
1 cucumber - peeled and diced
1/2 medium red onion - diced
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 cups cooked brown rice - cooled
1/4 cup light Italian dressing
Dash of garlic salt
Pepper
Combine all ingredients and chill for 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken, shrimp, or fish to make it a main dish.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Vanilla-Orange Smoothie
The wonderful thing about smoothies is that it is a way to sneak fruits and veggies into ones diet, particularly children. For instance, the child who is not a fan of bananas will slurp this one down while getting a needed dose of potassium, as well as other vitamins. And...it hits the spot on a hot summer day!
2 C. Ice
2 bananas cut in chunks (I keep frozen ones on hand - just peel them with a knife and cut…they work like ice cubes)
1 C. Vanilla Ice Cream
1-2 C. of Orange Juice (depends on the amount of thickness you prefer)
Combine all ingredients in a blender, starting with the ice and bananas. Blend on High until it reaches the desired consistency.
2 C. Ice
2 bananas cut in chunks (I keep frozen ones on hand - just peel them with a knife and cut…they work like ice cubes)
1 C. Vanilla Ice Cream
1-2 C. of Orange Juice (depends on the amount of thickness you prefer)
Combine all ingredients in a blender, starting with the ice and bananas. Blend on High until it reaches the desired consistency.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Homemade Baby Rice Cereal
Rice Cereal using "powder"
Ingredients:
1/4 c. rice powder (brown rice ground in blender or food processor)
1 cup water
Directions:
1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the rice powder while stirring constantly.
2. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, mix in formula or breast milk and fruits if desired.
3. Serve warm.
Taken from Momtastic.com
The Friends List
Facebook has really become an opportunity for ministry. If you happen to see me logged in, chances are, I'm praying for one or more of my friends. I read through the status updates and see a snapshot of that person's life. Sometimes, I'm blessed and encouraged by what I read because the person is truly being used by God and I pray that He will continue to use them and bless them. Most of the time, however, I read the updates with a sense of urgency to pray for an individual who is hurting, lonely, searching, depressed, desperate, or just plan lost.
There is more to life than "woohoo, it's Friday" or "great dinner…now off to bed"**. There can be joy when Monday hits. We don't have to start the week with "where did the weekend go". We can live with fulfillment everyday. It grieves me to see that joy is so many times associated with the temporary experiences in life. Yes, it's great to enjoy a good meal or have fun on the weekend. But the problem with that thinking is that it is just that…temporary. If we allow ourselves to focus so much on those temporary things then we just find ourselves living from one short-term fulfillment to the next, never totally feeling lasting joy.
So here's the simple recipe to pure, unending happiness…Jesus! That's all there is to it! Giving our life to Him and allowing Him to control us frees us from relying on the temporary pleasures of this world. It gives us that eternal HOPE; a future to live for, and also a supernatural strength to endure the hurts and challenges of life. It turns the mundane into opportunity to grow in faith. When HE leads us through life, we see it through a whole new lens.
And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation. Psalm 35:9
**These are not actual status updates! ;-)
There is more to life than "woohoo, it's Friday" or "great dinner…now off to bed"**. There can be joy when Monday hits. We don't have to start the week with "where did the weekend go". We can live with fulfillment everyday. It grieves me to see that joy is so many times associated with the temporary experiences in life. Yes, it's great to enjoy a good meal or have fun on the weekend. But the problem with that thinking is that it is just that…temporary. If we allow ourselves to focus so much on those temporary things then we just find ourselves living from one short-term fulfillment to the next, never totally feeling lasting joy.
So here's the simple recipe to pure, unending happiness…Jesus! That's all there is to it! Giving our life to Him and allowing Him to control us frees us from relying on the temporary pleasures of this world. It gives us that eternal HOPE; a future to live for, and also a supernatural strength to endure the hurts and challenges of life. It turns the mundane into opportunity to grow in faith. When HE leads us through life, we see it through a whole new lens.
And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation. Psalm 35:9
**These are not actual status updates! ;-)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
How My Life Has Changed...For The Better...
My prayer is that I never stop growing in faith; never stop moving closer to God each day. In the past year I have made some changes to my life that have greatly impacted my relationship with the Lord and drawn me closer to Him. In return, I feel more blessed and loved than ever before. In the natural realm, I still have struggles and challenges. Life's not perfect by any means. But in the spiritual...amazing things are happening! I would like to share with you the steps I've taken that have brought me to this precious place...
1. About a year ago I made a commitment to read the Bible all the way through, word for word. The prideful part of me hesitates to share that with you, because I can't help but think to myself how behind I am in this area. Here I am, almost 40, spent most of my life in church and as a Christian, and I am just now able to say, "yes, I have read the Bible." But now I know just how important of a step that was. God has shown me some wonderful things in His Word that I would never have understood by reading a scripture here or there, or listening to a Sunday sermon. For instance, He truly is a God of Love! People who don't know the Bible want to believe that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath. Not true at all! He's patient, forgiving, and His love never ends.
2. Another thing that I've done is taken advantage of the Christian programming on t.v. There are some wonderful Bible teachers out there and they are sharing their knowledge with me right through the t.v. I'm not likely to sit down and watch too many of them, but I will have them on in the background while I'm doing other things. It's so much more enjoyable than the evening news, which is nothing but negativity these days. In fact, the news can be down right depressing. Not only that, but many times I've had to change the channel QUICK if my kids were in the room and some report about someone being murdered or something came on.
3. The next thing I've started doing is listening to the Bible. I feel so blessed to be able to have an audio version of the Bible on my phone! We live in a wonderful time in history where modern technology allows for this. Scripture says, "faith comes by hearing" (Romans 10:17), and boy, do I believe it! At any given time during the day, when I'm doing mindless activities (like laundry, making dinner, cleaning the bathroom, etc) I can just plug in my headphones and "turn on" the Word. This has brought changes into my life that I didn't expect. I now crave filling my mind with edifying thoughts. It's helped me better control negative thoughts. It gives me a deeper discernment towards things that want to pull me away from an ever growing faith. Which leads me to the next step...
4. Here's a big one for me...I no longer watch t.v. programs or movies that aren't edifying and don't bring me into a closer relationship with the Lord. At one time this would have been a struggle for me. I'll be honest...I really liked my t.v. But since I've truly starting seeking God whole-heartily I don't desire it anymore. You know the old saying, "garbage in, garbage out"? Well, I believe it's true. In fact, the Bible says something similar in Matthew 6:21-24, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" What possible benefit can we get from being entertained by all those crime dramas and medical dramas on t.v.? I used to enjoy watching those movies on the Lifetime Channel (you know, the channel for women). But those movies torment the mind with wrong thoughts...thoughts about husbands cheating, wives fighting addiction, children being abused. It's easy to believe it's just a story, it could never happen to me. But the truth is, anything that doesn't draw us closer to God, pulls us away from Him and it opens up a door for the devil. He is a master at deception. Not only that, but seeing those images on t.v. desensitizes us and that can cause us to lower our guard. If we let our guard down we make ourselves vulnerable to attack. I'm human, and I know that no amount of "faith" is going to be worth it's salt if I feed my mind with negativity. My basic rule of thumb is this...would I want my children seeing and hearing what is on the t.v.? If it's not good enough for their tender minds, it's not good enough for me! And that goes for music. What a difference it has made to be listening to music that praises God, rather than something that is about "cheatin' hearts" or "it's all about me". To some, I might sound like I've become a bit of a "bore". I don't care really. I've never felt more full and content with life than I do now. My joy comes from what the Lord gives me...Hollywood could never come up with a script so good!
5. Prayer life, and the study of it, has really helped me. One of my favorite Bible teachers, Andrew Wommack, has said that 95% of his prayers are just about praising God. I agree with him whole-heartily! It wasn't until recently that I started praying that way and it has made such a difference. It has helped me learn that God wants to give us what we ask for, but when we feel we have to ask over and over again, it reflects a lack of faith. Now, I simply come to the Lord with my request and BELIEVE that it will be given to me. And while I am waiting for that prayer to manifest in my life, I spend my prayer time praising Him for how good He is and thanking Him for all that He has blessed me with. And I do so in an audible voice. Speak it LOUD! The devil hates that! I also believe the single greatest weapon in defeating depression is praise to God. It's so simple. Satan is the author of depression, but when we audibly praise the Lord, it weakens his power over us. I have seen it first hand. No man made drug can have that kind of healing power.
6. Resist Satan! All of the things listed above contribute to this, but sometimes I just come out and say, "Satan, I resist you!" Oh, there is such power in audibly knocking him off his block! God has given us the power to do so, and praise the Lord, I'm gonna use it! The more we do it, the less power he has, and the more he knows he can't mess with us. I know I'm starting to sound redundant here, but I believe that it can't be stressed enough. James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." He does not have any authority over us, we have it over him! 1 Peter 5:8-10 warns about how important it is to resist him. "Be self‑controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."
7. Believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. Many times our battles are spiritual ones. We NEED the Holy Spirit to get through them, just as the disciples did after Jesus ascended to Heaven. They were about to go into the world and face severe condemnation and persecution. Had they not had the power of the Holy Spirit in them...there would be no Christianity today.
So how exactly have these steps changed my life. Well, first and foremost, I'm closer to God than ever. I'm in constant communion with my Heavenly Father and He loves that! I don't have guilt over things like, "oh I should really read my Bible", or "I need to spend time in prayer". I don't believe the lies and deception that Satan is always trying to throw at me, such as, "this happened to you because you didn't pray to God" or "You're not going to get this prayer answered because you sinned and God doesn't think you deserve it. He's going to punish you for it." I also have less of a desire for worldly things or things that pull me from God. I'm more aware of the things in my life that were causing strife and allowing an opening for the enemy to come into my family and cause damage. I live with more peace in knowing that God truly wants good things for me AND I don't have to "do" anything to earn them. I'm more aware of how I have cast doubt on His promises. Doubt equals lack of faith! As a believer...that is my greatest sin!
Jesus is the author and the finisher of my faith. Every difficult thing that Satan tries to throw at me I can endure because of my CHOICE to seek God first. There's a saying that comes to mind..."build your house before the storm." The key word is "BEFORE". How effective is my faith if when I'm in the midst of a storm and pray to God, "oh, please help me God" without taking the steps before hand to endure it?
1. About a year ago I made a commitment to read the Bible all the way through, word for word. The prideful part of me hesitates to share that with you, because I can't help but think to myself how behind I am in this area. Here I am, almost 40, spent most of my life in church and as a Christian, and I am just now able to say, "yes, I have read the Bible." But now I know just how important of a step that was. God has shown me some wonderful things in His Word that I would never have understood by reading a scripture here or there, or listening to a Sunday sermon. For instance, He truly is a God of Love! People who don't know the Bible want to believe that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath. Not true at all! He's patient, forgiving, and His love never ends.
2. Another thing that I've done is taken advantage of the Christian programming on t.v. There are some wonderful Bible teachers out there and they are sharing their knowledge with me right through the t.v. I'm not likely to sit down and watch too many of them, but I will have them on in the background while I'm doing other things. It's so much more enjoyable than the evening news, which is nothing but negativity these days. In fact, the news can be down right depressing. Not only that, but many times I've had to change the channel QUICK if my kids were in the room and some report about someone being murdered or something came on.
3. The next thing I've started doing is listening to the Bible. I feel so blessed to be able to have an audio version of the Bible on my phone! We live in a wonderful time in history where modern technology allows for this. Scripture says, "faith comes by hearing" (Romans 10:17), and boy, do I believe it! At any given time during the day, when I'm doing mindless activities (like laundry, making dinner, cleaning the bathroom, etc) I can just plug in my headphones and "turn on" the Word. This has brought changes into my life that I didn't expect. I now crave filling my mind with edifying thoughts. It's helped me better control negative thoughts. It gives me a deeper discernment towards things that want to pull me away from an ever growing faith. Which leads me to the next step...
4. Here's a big one for me...I no longer watch t.v. programs or movies that aren't edifying and don't bring me into a closer relationship with the Lord. At one time this would have been a struggle for me. I'll be honest...I really liked my t.v. But since I've truly starting seeking God whole-heartily I don't desire it anymore. You know the old saying, "garbage in, garbage out"? Well, I believe it's true. In fact, the Bible says something similar in Matthew 6:21-24, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" What possible benefit can we get from being entertained by all those crime dramas and medical dramas on t.v.? I used to enjoy watching those movies on the Lifetime Channel (you know, the channel for women). But those movies torment the mind with wrong thoughts...thoughts about husbands cheating, wives fighting addiction, children being abused. It's easy to believe it's just a story, it could never happen to me. But the truth is, anything that doesn't draw us closer to God, pulls us away from Him and it opens up a door for the devil. He is a master at deception. Not only that, but seeing those images on t.v. desensitizes us and that can cause us to lower our guard. If we let our guard down we make ourselves vulnerable to attack. I'm human, and I know that no amount of "faith" is going to be worth it's salt if I feed my mind with negativity. My basic rule of thumb is this...would I want my children seeing and hearing what is on the t.v.? If it's not good enough for their tender minds, it's not good enough for me! And that goes for music. What a difference it has made to be listening to music that praises God, rather than something that is about "cheatin' hearts" or "it's all about me". To some, I might sound like I've become a bit of a "bore". I don't care really. I've never felt more full and content with life than I do now. My joy comes from what the Lord gives me...Hollywood could never come up with a script so good!
5. Prayer life, and the study of it, has really helped me. One of my favorite Bible teachers, Andrew Wommack, has said that 95% of his prayers are just about praising God. I agree with him whole-heartily! It wasn't until recently that I started praying that way and it has made such a difference. It has helped me learn that God wants to give us what we ask for, but when we feel we have to ask over and over again, it reflects a lack of faith. Now, I simply come to the Lord with my request and BELIEVE that it will be given to me. And while I am waiting for that prayer to manifest in my life, I spend my prayer time praising Him for how good He is and thanking Him for all that He has blessed me with. And I do so in an audible voice. Speak it LOUD! The devil hates that! I also believe the single greatest weapon in defeating depression is praise to God. It's so simple. Satan is the author of depression, but when we audibly praise the Lord, it weakens his power over us. I have seen it first hand. No man made drug can have that kind of healing power.
6. Resist Satan! All of the things listed above contribute to this, but sometimes I just come out and say, "Satan, I resist you!" Oh, there is such power in audibly knocking him off his block! God has given us the power to do so, and praise the Lord, I'm gonna use it! The more we do it, the less power he has, and the more he knows he can't mess with us. I know I'm starting to sound redundant here, but I believe that it can't be stressed enough. James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." He does not have any authority over us, we have it over him! 1 Peter 5:8-10 warns about how important it is to resist him. "Be self‑controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."
7. Believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. Many times our battles are spiritual ones. We NEED the Holy Spirit to get through them, just as the disciples did after Jesus ascended to Heaven. They were about to go into the world and face severe condemnation and persecution. Had they not had the power of the Holy Spirit in them...there would be no Christianity today.
So how exactly have these steps changed my life. Well, first and foremost, I'm closer to God than ever. I'm in constant communion with my Heavenly Father and He loves that! I don't have guilt over things like, "oh I should really read my Bible", or "I need to spend time in prayer". I don't believe the lies and deception that Satan is always trying to throw at me, such as, "this happened to you because you didn't pray to God" or "You're not going to get this prayer answered because you sinned and God doesn't think you deserve it. He's going to punish you for it." I also have less of a desire for worldly things or things that pull me from God. I'm more aware of the things in my life that were causing strife and allowing an opening for the enemy to come into my family and cause damage. I live with more peace in knowing that God truly wants good things for me AND I don't have to "do" anything to earn them. I'm more aware of how I have cast doubt on His promises. Doubt equals lack of faith! As a believer...that is my greatest sin!
Jesus is the author and the finisher of my faith. Every difficult thing that Satan tries to throw at me I can endure because of my CHOICE to seek God first. There's a saying that comes to mind..."build your house before the storm." The key word is "BEFORE". How effective is my faith if when I'm in the midst of a storm and pray to God, "oh, please help me God" without taking the steps before hand to endure it?
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