Finding Faith in a Weary World

Huntsville Botanical Garden

What does a Christian do when faith is hard to find? World injustices or the evil days in which we live can make it harder to believe Christ is on the throne and in control. Maybe your pain is much closer to home, a divorce, a financial disaster, the death of a loved one for whom you diligently prayed over.

When we walk through life seasons that are heartbreakingly painful, we have to make the conscious choice to believe what the Word of God says. In the bad times, clinging to the scriptures is crucial. It is just as important in the good times, but when we are brokenhearted, often the last thing we want to do is pray.  We may open the Bible only to find the words bouncing off our eyeballs and into the abyss.  Find one scripture that speaks to you and believe it, hold on to it; it is your lifeline.

Fear plays a big part in our moods and emotions. Fear doesn’t always creep in, often it walks up and slap us, stopping us dead in our tracks. We can’t let these days filled with divisiveness, threats of North Korea bombs, war, or people doing unspeakable evil to each other cause us to forget that God already knew about such things. He said there would be wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, famines and earthquakes in various places, and he warned us that because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But He also told us not to be afraid.

Not being afraid isn’t easy, but the more we learn to put our trust in Him, the clearer things become. When we are clearly thinking, we can see things for what they are. We aren’t fighting people…flesh and blood…we are fighting satan and his evil crew, and they use people as tools to kill, steal, and destroy.

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I saw this on Facebook: 

Fear does not stop death, it stops life.

The Bible tells us repeatedly, “Don’t fear.” But how do we do that when faith is slipping, and there are real threats surrounding us? How do we trust Him?

The answer is relationship. When we draw near to Him, he draws near to us. The closer we are to our Source of life, the more we trust Him. The more we trust Him, the less fear we have, and we are able to love Him with our whole hearts. The more love and less fear we have, the more we are willing to do the things we are commanded to do for the kingdom of God:

♥Love our neighbor as ourselves
♥Feed the hungry

♥Care for the orphans and widows

♥Proclaim the good news of Christ

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We know life isn't easy, and we don't always understand our heartaches. But God promised to save us, to be our peace, to comfort us, and to hold us in His hand.   We have to not only read the words written in the pages of the Bible, we must believe them with our entire being.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and His ears are attentive to their cry

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

He delivers them from all their troubles

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles,

but the Lord delivers him from them all

(Psalm 34)

Don’t focus on the problem. 

Focus on the Solution. 

His name is Jesus.

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Dear Youth: What I Wish I'd Known

If ever I were to speak to our youth today, I would say, “If you believe you are anything less than what God created you to be because of the way you look, your size, your grades, or your history (no matter what it is), then you are believing LIES straight from the pits of hell.  Any thoughts you have regarding yourself that make you believe you are different, and therefore less worthy, are not true, no matter what you have done or what has happened to you.”

I would tell them that drugs will only exacerbate those feelings, and inhibit their decision-making abilities, and that decisions made under the influence are life-altering. 

I would tell them that the drug to NOT start with is nicotine.

With tears in my eyes I would tell them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made; that God had a plan for them before time, and no matter what mistakes they may have already made, God still has a plan.   I would tell them about freedom, and how they don’t have to live their lives under the bondage of lies making them believe that they need drugs or alcohol or food to dull the pain, and that sex does not equal love. 

I would tell them that Jesus does, indeed, love them, just as they are, and He really does make a difference. 

Some wouldn’t listen.

Some would.

If you are reading this and feel unworthy of love,

I will tell you the very same thing.

And food can also be a drug…

But you can be a winner.

Christ loves you.  

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Racism: Let's Not Talk About It

A battle is raging, and it is fierce…but as long as we continue to think we are fighting flesh and blood, we will never have a resolution.

Discussing racism is dangerous territory.  Emotions run high, and most everyone feels as if they have been just as mistreated as the next person.  Disagreement comes early in the conversation, and not long after, the name-calling begins.   Neither side agrees on exactly what racism is.  But it is rampant, and it affects everyone.  So many Christians don’t talk about it, at least not for very long.

Gatlinburg Overpass

Racism is much more complex than just the way people are treated, and people want to keep the problem white vs black.  While it is true that both sides have room to grow, to change, to understand, to concede, and to forgive, those things do not come from a behavior change, but a heart change.  The tactic of the devil in this thing called racism is to get our eyes on each other instead of God because he knows the only way to conquer the misconceptions about what is truly going on is by the revelation of Christ in the hearts of His people.  A lack of knowledge will kill us. 

The need is so very great for Christians to focus on Jesus and not be so attuned to the world around them.  We cannot afford to keep looking to the left and to the right.  Now, more than ever, we need to seek His face. 

When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Psalm 27:8

When we come together seeking His face and not outside acceptance, we will find that vengeance really is His and the battle belongs to Him.  Justice poured out from a righteous God is infinitely better than any worldly imitation of justice.   Counterfeit justice is all the world can give.   When we come together as one body, putting God first in our lives, the blessings that follow are far beyond social justice…it is supernatural justice!  And believe me, once mercy and grace is received, we want justice!

If we heed Jesus’s commandment to love one another as He loves us, lives will be transformed.  We can’t continue to let how we feel drown out the voice of the Father who is no respecter of persons.  

• If there is hate and mistrust against a brother or sister in Christ, skin color is not the issue, the heart is.
• If feelings are hurt, skin color is not the issue, the heart is.
• If unforgiveness is in the heart, skin color is not the issue…it’s the heart.
• If lies are believed about who you are, or who someone else is, skin color is not the issue! 

Who can change hearts?   God.  

Unfair is unfair.

A hurt is a hurt.

Discrimination is wrong.

An injustice is an injustice;

It doesn’t matter what body God placed you in. 

And rest assured, God does not like injustice. 

Until God’s people realize the origin of racism, we will never put out the spreading flames or stop the destruction.  It is a tactic of the one who kills, steals, and destroys, and when we try to fix the issue by keeping it in the ugly box of flesh and blood, we are helping him.

If we really want to stamp out racism for good, we must start with PRAYER.  Then we must continue with PRAYER; and more PRAYER.

You know what happens with much prayer?  Repentant hearts.   What comes from repentant hearts?  Relationship with our Heavenly Father.   When we have true relationship with the Father, it will spill over into the rest of our lives and our relationships with our brothers and sisters.  Then it will spill out of the church and into the world.  A coming together of the Children of God!   The church should have always shown the world how to love each other.  But we aren't.  We're showing the world more of what they have.

The only way to stand up to racism is on our knees.  Our altars need to full of people without labels calling out for Truth so that we see each other as God sees us, not as how some other human being is telling us we should see each other.  I wish churches would begin having old fashioned prayer meetings, with people who are willing to fast and pray the price for victory.  A meeting of people who have the sole purpose of praying God's will, a change in hearts, unity, love, and change in the body of Christ.  A meeting for prayer, not discussion, without loud music, but with scripture reading.  Sadly, too people do not like to attend prayer meetings, but they do like to talk, and the devil really likes that in us.  

Discussions about racism = argument.

God's Truth in any situation = healing, light, love, peace.

The choice is ours:  Talk about it or pray about it.

So let’s not talk about racism.  

Well, not until we’ve come together for much prayer.

Gatlinburg Overpass

If you've never watched Wintley Phipps talk about the old black spirituals and sing
Amazing Grace...you must see this!    Grab a tissue, you'll need it.

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Two Cent Tuesday

Evolution:

I imagine satan and a few of his imps standing around looking at little Charlie Darwin playing with his stuffed sock monkey.   Satan says to his imps, “I bet I can make young Charlie here believe he came from an ape.”    “You’re on!” the imps reply.  Satan won.  Sadly.  Not only did he convince Charles Darwin, he has deceived many, and mainstream media has been more than willing to help him.

The antichrist?

Hopefully, I’ve made no secret that I am a Believer.   A Christian.   I believe in Jesus Christ, who died for my sins and who is my salvation.   I am one in the class of people who, according to main-stream media, it is permissible to “bully,” a word that gets a lot of attention these days.  If you harass a Christian, you are not being a bully, it appears.   I wonder…could mainstream media be the antichrist?   Look at how many people are deceived by their pollution.  (That is a rhetorical question only...I read Revelation.)

Forgiveness:

In order to truly, totally, completely forgive someone, you can’t put conditions or demands on their behavior in order for them to be back in your good graces.   It ain’t an easy thing to do when you’ve been hurt.  Or angered.  Or embarrassed.  You have to accept that they got away with hurting you, and let God handle it the way He sees fit.

Grammar:

·       It is “would’ve,” the contraction for “would have;” it is not “would of,” or “could of.”  When we say it, though (especially in the south), it does sound like “of” instead of “’ve.”   

·       Reality TV is the worst culprit of saying “I” when they should use “me.”   In fact, it’s incorrect usage is so commonplace that when “I” is used correctly, people think you’re using bad grammar.   I’ve been known to talk to the TV…they ignore me.  Oh, wait.   “Ain’t” ain’t grammatically correct. 

Fashion:
Is there a fashion commentator somewhere, on some mountaintop, perhaps, who decides the current season's fashion?  Do magazines and designers wait with baited breath for this guru to declare, with his arm lifted and his index finger extended, "This summer, you shall wear polka dots on your shirts and stripes on your skirts!   You shall wear pants that make even the best of bodies look oddly shaped!   You shall wear ugly shoes…no!  Extremely ugly shoes with your stripes and polka dots and ill-fitting britches!”   OK, it’s a little far-fetched to think a fashion pundit would say “britches.”   But who decides the present “fashion?”

Quotes:

My coworkers think I’m scary because I understand the Facebook status of a local wanted individual (wanted as in hunted by “the law.”), “I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other, and when I am alone I am together.”  I thought it was a great status; I now think they are looking at us with worried expressions.   Should I add “paranoid” to that status?

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Monday Musings: The Countless Edition

Image from Pixabay.com

• Countless are the times I said things I wish I hadn’t.  

• Countless are the comments I didn’t type, and I’m glad I didn’t.   Ah, but countless are the ones I did type.  Nobody has all the answers; thinking you do might make you look a little trollish.   There comes a time when we need to learn when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em…comments and comebacks, that is…not the Gambler’s cards.

• The countless times I’ve thought of just what to say…after the fact.   It’s usually when I’m holding on to some unforgiveness, and having conversations with the offender in my head.   Forgiveness is always better than one-sided conversations. 

• Countless times I’ve laid down a grudge only to pick it back up because of something said or done that reminds me that perhaps I didn’t forgive as fully as I thought. 

• Oh, the countless fat grams, calories, and carbs I’ve counted.   Countless more are all the ones I ate.

• Countless blessings in my life…some I recognize daily, others I take for granted.   For those I take for granted, God forgive me.

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,

And the Lord listened and heard them;

So a book of remembrance was written before Him

And who meditate on His name

Malachi 3:16

Will the Lord write a book of remembrance 

on what I speak about today?  

Lord, help me be a positive voice 

in a dark and negative world.

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What Are You Fighting With?

(or...With what are you fighting?)

This is the kind of post some folks love to hate.

For eight years, liberals screamed that Bush had destroyed America.  The next eight years, conservatives blamed Obama and the democrats.  The sad fact is that we have all had a hand in the self-destruction of our country.  And now, a year after the last presidential election, people are still losing their minds over Donald Trump...Christians included.   Don't they read the Bible and know that God said don't do that?

Who’s in Charge?

The Bible is no longer studied; its passages no longer memorized.   Even if one doesn't believe it, the Bible is, indeed, the Word of God.   It is our sword, our protection in the fight for our lives.   Without its truths internalized in our hearts, is it any wonder that Americans are deceived?   America largely doesn’t want to include God.  Period.

Electronic Babysitters:

Years ago, it was Atari that commanded the attention of America’s children.   Now, it’s a multitude of handheld devices, the internet – often uncensored and unsupervised – where our children spend countless hours; cell phones, and brutal, bloody, desensitizing violent “shoot ‘em up” video games that not only have the children addicted, but the parents as well.  No wonder we have children who shoot and kill.  

It is not the guns…it’s the lack of interaction with God-fearing, Bible-believing, parents who commit to raising children in a Godly manner.   It’s the lack of fathers and mothers working together (whether in the same home or not)…there is no excuse!  If you do not have contact with your little children:   Straighten up, act right, get help if you need it, and be a parent!   But I digress.  Sort of.

These days, it seems the only thing that gets undivided attention is a text message or a video game.   Watch young parents in public…their children don’t have their attention.   A cell phone does!  And why do we feel that if a phone rings, it MUST be answered?!  

We’ve got a nation too full of people dependent upon the government for their livelihood.  Too many children know only one parent.  Churches are divided, deceived, and confused, teaching a watching world that they don’t really have any standard by which to live.  Why?   Because the Bible has lost its authority in America, in the church, in the hearts of people. 

• When is the last time you complained about our nation, our president, your spouse, the high costs of gas? 
• When is the last time you wasted an hour (or two or three) in front of the computer?
• When is the last time you spent an hour on your cell phone gossiping?
• When is the last time you spent an hour in prayer?
• When is the last time you spent an hour in prayer seeking His face, His will over your own plans?
• When is the last time you spent an hour reading your Bible?

When is the last time you memorized a Bible Passage?   Spent half an hour reading the Word?  Spent half an hour in quiet (or loud) prayer?

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