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“Are Your Taxes Done?”

The time is winding down before the due date for taxes.  The question is are you ready?  I don’t always wait until the last-minute but I did this year.  Life has been so busy I have been procrastinating.  I think partly due to the fact that I am afraid of the outcome.  It seems, as humans we tend to think if we keep putting it off maybe it will go away, but it never does.

One thing we can always know is that we will owe something.  What we owe does vary from person to person.  It depends on how much you make and what deductions you can take.  So how much we pay is different all the time.  There is never any consistency.  There are so many variations.  Everyone owes something different.  But the reward is the same for everyone.  We get to live free in this country.  Some may say, “There is no freedom.  We are in bondage and oppression to the laws of the land.  Where there is no law there is no freedom.  It may seem like freedom but it is not.

I was thinking about how this compares to God’s Kingdom.  The amazing part is that it doesn’t matter how rich, poor, what color of skin you have, or where you were born our “taxes” are all the same.  What we owe God is equal to everyone.  What do we owe God?  We owe Him the total surrender of our lives to Him.  We may not live in His kingdom unless we give total surrender.  In order to live in the USA we have to pay taxes if we don’t we will be punished.  In order to live in God’s Kingdom we have to fully surrender our lives to Him or be punished.

The wages of sin is death but God has provided a way for us to avoid that final, eternal death and it is a free gift but it cost everything.  It cost our full surrender.  But we all get equal opportunity and equal right.

Some say, “There is no freedom in God.  We are in bondage and oppressed by His law.”  Every law that Christ has given is fulfilled in these two categories.  “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  Matthew 22:37-40  God gave His only Son to die so that we do not have to pay the penalty for sin, eternal death.  How can we not love a God like that?

How do you love your neighbor as yourself?  Basically you treat them how you want to be treated.  Can you imagine what this world would be like if we all did that.  The freedom would be unbelievable.  We would not have to worry about ourselves or our children or anyone.  Because we would all be treated with the same respect and love.  To me that is real freedom.  And the amazing part, we have a choice.  We can choose Him or not chose Him.  We can choose bondage or freedom.

The selfishness of this world and a person only looking out for one self may seem like “freedom” but it is a miserable life.  I don’t consider being controlled by anger, lust, lying, murderous thoughts, disrespect, etc. freedom.  I consider that bondage and misery.

The freedom in God’s Kingdom all starts with falling in love with Him.  Get to know Him.  Look at what He has done for You.  Then surrender your life to Him and I promise you will have the best freedom you can ever imagine.  Trust Him with the outcome of every area of Your life.  With Him in control, as long as we leave Him in charge, we can have rest and peace, even in the midst of the most terrible storm.

Dear Father,

Thank You for loving us.  Forgive us for not accepting Your love and cleansing power to save.  Thank You that as we surrender to You, You are the one that gives us the power to overcome ourselves.  You have given us so much and I am so grateful.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Today is the day to give all to Him.  He has paid the price.  Let’s accept His free gift with a full surrender to Him today.  This is a daily process.  Let’s surrender each day.

Love you all.

As you have stayed surrendered to Christ, what have been the results?  Share your testimony of God’s grace.  I would love to hear it.

 

 

 

 

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“WHAT ARE YOUR SYMPTOMS?”

I don’t know about you but I can tell when my body is fighting something.  There are different symptoms at different times.  But the one that I have the most is that I start feeling really tired.  When I have a hard time pulling myself out of bed, no matter how much sleep I get, I know I have a problem.  It seems to be a different kind of tired.

If I accept the warning I will start taking something to help ward off whatever my body is fighting.  I not only take something to build my immune system and kill off what I am fighting, I also stop doing anything that would compromise my immune system.  I make sure that I am drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of rest.  I also stay away from foods that can lower my immune system, like sugar.  Note: I have read that after you eat sugar it can cripple your immune system for four to six hours.  If I follow these steps when I first recognize the symptoms I usually have no problem keeping well.  But if I ignore the symptoms I am sure to get sick.

This reminds me of our spiritual health.  Are there symptoms that can tell us that we are struggling with our spiritual immune systems?  I believe that there are.  If we find ourselves not having a desire to read the Bible or we find it boring, our immune system is compromised.  If we find sin more attractive and less repulsive our immune system is compromised.  I don’t know what your systems are but I think we all know deep in our hearts what it is for us.

So what do we do about it?  Just like with our bodies, if we notice the symptoms we need to start the fight right away, so with our spiritual lives.  As soon as we notice the symptoms we need to do what it takes to build our spiritual immune system.

Christ is our example and as I read about the life of Christ I see that He communed a lot with His Father.  Long before day He would go and spend time with His Father.  We are not eating enough healthy Food, drinking from the Fountain, and breathing from the fresh Air.

Here are some steps that I would recommend if you have recognized that your spiritual immune system is compromised.

  1.  Go to God and ask for His forgiveness.  When we have been compromising we have brought something between God and us.  It has put a wedge between our relationship with Him.
  2. Eat healthy Food, read your Bible.  Spending time in God’s Word.  Start by reading the life of Christ.  He is our example and we can learn so much on how to live our lives.  Memorizing verses that can help us in time of temptation is also helpful.
  3. Drinking pure Water from the Fountain of life.  Jesus is the Bread and Water of life.  We need to eat and drink of Him each day.  I think of it this way, as I “eat” my Bible each day, the Holy Spirit, the gift Jesus has given us, will speak to us and it will be like a fountain of Water providing us with cleansing, “digestive” help.  We cannot digest the Word of God without the Holy Spirit.
  4. Get plenty of “fresh air”.  I look at prayer as just as important as oxygen is to the body.  We can’t understand God’s Word without prayer.  Without prayer we cannot spiritually live. We need that constant connection with God.  Jesus spent entire nights in prayer.  It must be important.  Just like we cannot live without oxygen we cannot live without prayer.

Dear Father,

Help us to realize our need of You.  Without You we are nothing.  We can’t make it without You.  Thank You for Your unfailing love for us and Your patience.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Get reconnected with God today don’t wait.  The longer you wait the harder it is to do the right thing.  Your spiritual immune system will crash and you will get “sick”.  You can get well but it takes more effort.  Remember God loves you and is there to help you.

Love you all.

What systems do you get that help you recognize that your spiritual immune system is compromised?  What steps have you found to help you get back on track?  I would love to have you share.  I love to learn what has worked for others.

 

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“FRUSTRATED?”

Do you have those days that are a frustration?  It seems as if nothing seems to be going right?  And the thing that is amazing is that it could not come at a worse time.

I had one of those days a few days ago.  I am not immune.  Some people may read what I write and think, “Wow, she has it all together.”  The truth is that I am human like everyone else.  That is really what makes it possible for me to share with you.  I have difficulties too.

This particular morning I had to be gone early.  I had a doctor’s appointment and then I was off to work.  My time was limited and every thing was going wrong.  I was like, “Lord, why now?”  Why are you picking this time to allow all this?”

A lot of times we ask these questions but the bottom line is there is really never a good time.  How many of us really want things to go haywire any time?  There is never a good time.

As I was having things go wrong and questioning the Lord, His still small voice came to me, “Because I need to show you that you still have a struggle trusting Me.”  “Oh, Lord I am so sorry.”  I have to say that I struggled for a little while that morning.  I have such a struggle with wanting to fix every problem.  It is hard to hand things over to someone else to fix them. I don’t know about any of you but I think deep down inside I have this fear of what God is going to do.  What I need to do is trust Him knowing that He has my best interest in mind.  It is hard for me to see that at times.  The thing that is so frustrating is that I know better.  There have been so many times where I have allowed God to have full control and the outcome is amazing.  But it seems that I am not any different from the Children of Israel.  God would do some miracle for them, (provide food or water), and the next day they would turn right around and start complaining about something else.

One thing that I have found is we tend to go this direction because we forget how the Lord has led us in the past.  A good practice is to have a journal that we write down the things that the Lord does for us as they happen so that we can go back and look at them when we lose prospective.  This is what I have been doing for a while, to help me think.  We tend to let every day go by without thinking about how the Lord is leading.

Here is some steps that I recommend for each day.

In the morning:

  1. Write down three things that you are thankful for.
  2. Write down three things that you want to accomplish today.
  3. Write down a daily encouragement statement.  Example:  “I am strong in Christ.” Or “I can do all things through Christ.” Or “I am a son/daughter of Christ.”

In the evening:

  1. Write down three amazing things that happened in your day.
  2. Write down in one sentence how you could have made things better.

One of the first things that I am grateful for is God’s forgiveness.  When we do make a mistake and get frustrated, instead of putting ourselves down by saying negative statements, we need to just ask His forgiveness and go on allowing Him to have control.  Negative statements only make a bad situation worse, no matter what.  We need to be making positive statements.

Dear Father,

I thank You so much for Your patience and Your love.  Forgive us for not always trusting You.  Thank You for Your overwhelming forgiveness.  I know that You have our best interest in mind.  It is easy to think and say but way harder to actually put into practice.  Give us Your strength.  Continue to prompt us with Your still small voice.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I encourage you to start a journal.  It can actually be hard at first to think about what you are grateful for.  It is a different mindset.  But as you do it, you will find an amazing change coming over you in your life.

Love you all.

When you have a frustrating moment, what do you do?  What have you found to be most helpful for you?  I would love to hear your ideas.  It is the sharing that helps, not only others, but us as well.

 

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“IS IT FRESH?”

There is nothing like a fresh loaf of bread.  I think a lot of you probably know what I am talking about.  And I am not talking about a loaf that was just put on the shelf in the store.  I am talking about a loaf that just came out of the oven or bread machine.

A couple of years ago I got a bread machine.  You put all the ingredients to one loaf of bread in and then walk away and a few hours later you have a fresh loaf of bread.  But there is one factor, you always have to make sure it is connected to the power; otherwise, it will just sit there and do nothing.

I have made bread many times over the years.  As a kid and into my adult life, I did it the old-fashioned way.  The final steps are kneading it by hand on the table, forming them into loaves, and then placing them in the oven.  As the children came along and I had less and less time, my husband bought me a Bosch machine.  It mixed and kneaded and then I would form into loaves and put into the oven.  I was able to make 5 loaves at a time.  But now I have the bread machine that makes it even quicker.

Even with the bread machine, you still have to take the time and it seems we’ve gone for long periods of time with no fresh bread because I am too busy.  But recently I have been able to do a couple of loaves.  And let me tell you there is nothing like a fresh loaf of bread from your kitchen.

It made me think of the most important Bread, God’s Word.  We need to be eating this Bread every day.  And it needs to be fresh.  We can’t rely on the Bread that we “ate” three days ago or even yesterday.  We need to be putting it into our lives every single day.  We need to hide it in our hearts that we might not sin against God.

There is a caution.  We can read and memorize the Bible every day but if we are not connected to the Power it will do us no good.  It will just sit there.  We need to have it mixed into our lives to form a Godly character, fresh from the hand of God.  This is the only way we can shine to others so that when they have been with us they will feel that they have tasted from the fresh Bread of heaven.

Dear Father,

Thank You for giving us the Bread of Life.  Continue to prompt us to spend time in Your Word and to plug into the Power so that You can change our lives.  Thank You for loving us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to spend time each day “eating” the Bread of Life and make sure to plug into the Power so that you receive a character transformation.

Love you all.

What memories do you have about fresh bread?  I would love to hear about them.

How has the Bread of Life changed your life?  Share your story.

 

 

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“DID YOU WALLOW IN THE MANURE?”

There seems to be a trend in our society.  If you are follow the crowd, you fit in just nicely.  But if you choose not to go along with the crowd you are an outsider and considered strange.

The other day we came home and found that one of our little dogs had gotten out of the fence and wallowed in some manure.  I don’t know what he smelt like to himself but to us he stank.  If he were together with his buddies, that have all enjoyed the wallowing pit, he would have fit right in but to those of us that were not in his pit it stank terribly.

It reminded me of someone who is wallowing in the pit of sin.  They are fitting right in with the world and no one seems to notice that they stink because they are all following the crowd of society.  If there is someone who is not choosing to wallow in the pit of sin, they are looked at as strange.  This can be difficult, especially for young people, but, then again, us older people can be really drawn in as well, we just may be a little more subtle about it.

There are a lot of people who are wallowing in the pit of sin but they are still going to church.  They have a drawing to do what is right but they are having a hard time getting out of the pit.  It feels so comfortable to fit in with the majority.  They have a drawing for the truth but when they go to church they feel out-of-place.  They don’t even fit into the conversations.  They want to talk about the latest trends, movies, music, or whatever the world has to offer for them.  They don’t even really realize that they “smell” so they don’t know why people shy away from them, or try to avoid them.  Eventually they may even stop coming because they feel like they don’t fit in, so they go back to the friends and ways that they feel comfortable with.

As I look at it, there is only two reasons why we would shun these people.  One, we secretly are not any different, we have just become a good hypocrite, so we fit in with both crowds.  Or, second, we have not truly fallen in love with Christ.  Christ was drawn to those that were wallowing in the pit of sin.  His heart went out to them in love.  They were drawn to Him and wanted to be in His presence, even though they had gone so far that they were possessed with the devil.

We need to be so representing Christ in our lives, that those wallowing in the pit of sin will be drawn to us.  When they have been with us, they will feel as if they have been with Jesus.  And when they leave they will start to feel uncomfortable wallowing in the pit of sin.  They will look forward to being with us because they feel a love and a peace which passeth all understanding.

I want to speak to the one that knows that he/she is wallowing in the pit of sin.  You know that it is wrong but you can’t seem to break out of the mold.  You want to fit in with your friends.  It is a choice that you have to make and no one can make it for you.  But God can give you the strength.  Spend time reading God’s Word and start to memorize the promises of God.  Prayer is a much need component.  Pray and let God know exactly how you feel.  Ask Him to lead you to new friends and He will.  If you have connected with “Christians” that have not been a friend to you and have shunned you don’t give up, keep looking.  Be honest with the ones that do show love and compassion.  Let them know that you are struggling and need their prayers.  You don’t need to open up your whole life as an open book if you don’t want, but just ask them to pray for you.  And above all things remember God loves you with an unconditional love.

Dear Father,

Help those of us that claim to be Christian to be more like You.  Help us to realize our need of You.  We are not any better than anyone else without You.  We are all in this world together struggling with sin.

I also pray for those that are struggling in the pit of sin.  Draw their hearts to You.  Help them to feel Your love.  Surround them with Your protection from the “manure’ of this world.

Thank You so much for the love that You have for each one of us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember the answer for all of us, whether we are Christians, claiming to be a Christians but really being a hypocrite, or wallowing in the pit of sin, God loves you.  He wants to have a connection with you and lead you to better paths.

As Christians we need to ask God for His love to spread to the world so that all may know the love and peace of God and we can all go to heaven to be with Him.

Love you all.

Have you experienced wallowing in the pit of sin?  How did God help you out?

 

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“I HAVE A CRAMP!”

Have you ever had a leg cramp at night?  You’re in a deep sleep and suddenly this major pain awakens you.  You can feel your foot in strange contortions.  And the pain is excruciating.  I had this happen the other night.  I was having a cramp in my foot and up the calf of my leg.  No matter what I did I could not seem to get it to release.  I stood up and it seemed to calm but as soon as I would lift my foot, even to walk, it was right back at it.  I finally grabbed my lemongrass essential oil put a few drops in lotion and rubbed it all over my leg and foot.  Within seconds it had calmed and I was able to go back to bed.

How are you feeling right now?  Are you having some circumstances in life that seem even more painful than a leg cramp?  You would actually love to have a leg cramp in comparison.  You just want the pain to go away but everything you try to do doesn’t seem to help.

There is an “oil” that you can go to for healing, God’s Word.  There are promises that you can claim.  Fill your mind with the promises by memorizing Scripture.  And as you memorize the Scripture it is like spreading it over your whole life.  It may not take the circumstances away but it can lessen the pain.  Being able to put all things in the hands of God, trusting His Word, is an amazing relief.

Reach out to a friend who can pray with you, encourage you, and just be there for you as a listener.

The biggest “cramp” in my life was when I lost my daughter, the dream of my life.  I know that God sustained me through it but He also gave me friends that were a help.  They listened to me, let me grieve with them, loved me, and encouraged me.  That is what a true friend will do.

Words of advice to all of us, if you have a friend that is going through some really difficult times, reach out to them.  They will not always reach out to you for what they need, I didn’t.  I am not sure why I would not reach out but the fact still remains, I would not.  We need to be there for one another.

Dear Father,

You know the pain that each of us has experienced, is experiencing, and will experience.  Thank You that You are there for us in every circumstance.  It doesn’t always feel as if You are there.  Help us to cling to the promise that You have made, that You will never leave us or forsake us.  Thank You for Your never-failing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

God has promised to wash and heal us through His Word.  Cling to those promises today.  Do you need encouragement?  Reach out to someone today.  It can be a friend, counselor, or pastor.

Love you all.

What “cramp” in life has God brought you through?  What did He use to help you?  Share I would love to hear your testimony.  Are you struggling right now?  Share so we can be praying for you and encourage you.

 

 

 

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“BURNED!”

Have you ever been burned?  I am sure you have, we all have.  Like the time that I wasn’t thinking and I grabbed the hot oven rack without protection.  I put ice on it and then did a couple of applications of Lavender oil and I was good to go.
I remember another time when I was a kid.  I think I was 9 or 10 years old.  My brother and I had a motorbike.  He was driving and I was riding on the back.  I didn’t have the protection on my legs that I should and I touched the pipe with my bare leg.  It really hurt.  I do not remember what we did for it but I do remember the lesson learned about having protection on.
There are other ways that we can get burned as well.  Maybe you have been burned financially or some friend or family member has done something not so good.  Or someone has made a promise and they didn’t follow through.  These burns can seem harder to fix.  If you could just put some cold or Lavender oil on, it would be great but that won’t heal emotional wounds.
The wonderful thing is that God is the healer, whether physical or emotional.  There are things that He has given us to use for protection and healing.  Just like for the oven, I had oven mitts but I had to use my God-given brain and make a decision to use them.  This is true of emotional as well.  God has given us ways to protect ourselves.  We have God-given counsel in God’s Word that we need to heed and we will have less problems.
Are we going to make mistakes and make the wrong decisions at times?  Yes, but even when we make a mistake God can heal.  He gives us things in his creation for our physical healing.  He will also give us emotional healing, as we come to Him asking and claiming His promises.
God can use all of these things, whether we get burned physically or emotionally, to refine our character.  You might be saying, “But some stuff is my own stupidity.”  God can even refine our character through our mistakes, if we allow Him.  Inventors have made a lot of “mistakes” so to speak but yet through them they refined their ideas.  Now we have electricity and many other things because of “mistakes”.  Now this doesn’t mean just go out and purposely choose to make mistakes because God can bring good out of it.  But just know that if we come with a truly repentant heart God can use even our mistakes.  God reads the heart and He can only use it, for growth, if we are truly repentant.
God is very loving and forgiving.  We can come to Him with a repentant heart and He will forgive and refine our character.
Dear Father,
Thank You for Your forgiveness.  I pray that we will learn through our mistakes.  Help us to recognize and use the protection that You have given to us.  Help us to make wise decisions in our associations.  We may need to separate ourselves from people who cause emotional pain.  Guide each one of us with the decisions that we need to make.
Thank You for Your love.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Make the choices that you need to make to be protected, allowing the Lord to lead you.  And remember He is the healer.
Love you all.
Have you ever been burned physically or emotionally?  What did you do for healing?  And what ways have you learned to protect yourself?
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“COMPLETE DARKNESS!”

Sunlight and exercise is an important ingredient to having a healthy body.  Imagine someone who is closed in a very dark room and never let out in the light of day.  It would have such a negative effect on your mental health for sure. It also would lower your V-D levels so that your body could not absorb calcium, which weakens your bones.  We need sun and darkness for our sleep cycles to work properly so we can even function.  We would also get to looking so pale, of course, in the dark who would know.

Then if you add in with that no exercise we would be a real mess.  Our muscles would get weak.  There are muscles that help hold our body together and if they were weak it would be difficult to even lift things without pulling something out to socket.  I am telling you we would be a real mess.

There have been those that have been in concentrations camps that have gone through some of these things.  Even if they were brought out for one hour a week it is not enough to keep their health up.  They get so weak they can hardly function.  It is a long journey for them to even get their health back.  Sunlight and exercise are so important.

If we are going to stay spiritually healthy we need light and exercise as well.  Just like we need physical exercise and sunlight every day to keep physically healthy, we also need to have time with God in His Word.  We need to take in the light of God’s Word and we need to exercise by memorizing and sharing with others.  This is what helps keep our spiritual life healthy.

Going to church once a week for an hour does not do it.  It is just enough light to makes us not fit with the world or with a true believer.

How would your marriage survive if you only spent one hour each week together?  Or if you are single, would you be able to maintain friendships if you never spent time with them?

In order to build a relationship with God and to have a healthy spiritual life, we need to spend time each day with Him.  I know that there are those who just feel like they don’t have time.  But I am telling you, by experience, it is worth taking the time.

I told the Lord, “When you wake me up I will get up and spend time with You.”  He has been very faithful in waking me.  And He gives me the strength to make it through the day with less sleep, as long as I am faithful to go to bed when I should.

I have also discovered that if He wakes me and I decide to lay there a little longer, I fall back to sleep.  When I do get up my day does not go as well and I actually feel more tired.  How does that work? It is the power of God to bless obedience.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your love and for Your desire to spend time with wretched sinners.  You want to have fellowship with us and to transform us.  Continue to prompt us to spend time with You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to spend time in the Light and exercise both physically and spiritually.

Love you all.

What special things do you do to continue to build your relationship with God?

 

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“WHO NEEDS A REMODEL?”

I think that there are many of us who go through life realizing that we have many flaws. We wonder how we can make changes in our lives but we’re not sure where to begin.

My oldest son has invested his money by buying a house.  As we have looked over the place we have seen all the flaws that need to be dealt with.  There was a couple of windows that had broken glass, dirt and stains on walls, carpet, and cabinets, there were nails everywhere that needed removing and holes to fill, along with many other repairs here and there.  It can seem overwhelming at first.

We started with evaluation.  We made a list and then we have been going through things one at a time.  If you keep your eyes focused on the whole picture it gets overwhelming but as you take a step at a time you accomplish more and you don’t feel as stressed out and worried.  And it actually feels possible.  As long as we are moving we are accomplishing the work and that is what matters.

It is the same with the Christian walk.  We need to see the big picture, which is to be ready when Jesus comes through the clouds.  We need to see what “repairs” need to be done in our lives so that we are ready.  But we also need to make sure we are keeping our focus in the correct place.

I remember when I first started driving; I had the tendency to keep my eyes on the road right in front of the car.  But my dad told me that I needed to look straight ahead.  It did not make sense to me but when I did it I found that I could actually drive straighter and stay to my side of the road better.

The same is true in our Christian walk.  If we just look at what is right before us, we will start swerving over the road, and may even go off the road all together.  But if we keep our focus on Jesus, straight ahead, we will be able to keep on the straight and narrow.

As we stay focused on Jesus, through study, memorization, and prayer, we will see our flaws.  But as we give those flaws to Jesus, He will do the repairing, as we continue to surrender to Him.  This remodel job will continue until Jesus comes. And what is so great is that we are not on our own to do the work. As we cooperate with Him, He does the repairs.

Dear Father,

Thank You for the repairing that You do in our lives, as we continue to surrender to You.  Thank You that no matter how damaged we are, You love us and will recreate us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today and let Him repair and clean you up.

Love you all.

I know that I have been thankful to God for the repairs that He has done in my life.  How about You?  Have you felt the forgiveness and repairs from God?   Write yes below or share your experience.

 

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“I’M SUNBURNT!”

Have you ever made plans but because you didn’t understand the conditions you were up against, you did not plan right? Our family experienced this last year when we planned a hike.

This year we have had way more snow than last year.  I believe it was in April and it was still cold.  We decided to take a hike that was 6 miles into a glacier mountain lake.  It was a beautiful day but we felt sure we would run into snow.  We dressed really warm because it was so cold and we knew we were going up in the mountains.  What we did not bank on was how hot the sun would really be.

We did run into some snow as we neared the lake but most of our journey up the mountain was in the beating hot sun.  We did not have to worry one bit about staying warm.  But what we did get is sunburnt.  We were not as prepared as we should have been.

As Christians we are on a “hike” to heaven.  We think we know what the “climate” will be like.  But do we really know?  How do we need to prepare?  Some of us may think we know how to prepare and still others may be in a quandary.

How can we know that we are covering the entire basis?  Or are we not be prepared for what is a head and get “burned?”  We are up against a lot more than we realize at times.  There is a real battle going on for our lives.  We need to put on the armor of God.

Here is some tips for preparing for Ephesians 6:14-18.

  1. We need to be “girt about with truth.”  We need to surround ourselves with truth.  We can be so bombarded with ungodly things.  We need to be diligent in what we allow to surround us.
  2. We need to have on “the breast plate of righteousness.”  We need to protect our heart with right doing.  Our hearts are tender and we need to protect them so that they do not become hardened toward God.  Every time we stray away from right doing our hearts become hardened.  That is why it is so important to be careful what we take in.
  3. Cover your feet “with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”  We need to be living the gospel.  It is not what we say that matters the most it is how we live, how we walk.  The best witness we can be is how we live.  When others see our joy, peace, and love they will want to know how we can have peace in the midst of such turmoil in this world.  Then we will have the answers for them.  They will believe us because of what they have witnessed in our lives.
  4. “Taking the shield of faith.”  We need to have full faith and trust in God’s Word to us.  If we are not grounded in Christ we will not be able to stand the fiery trials, ridicule, or what ever may come our way.
  5. “Take the helmet of Salvation.”  We need to protect our minds.  We need to be meditating on God’s Word day and night.  We need to keep the garbage of this world out of our minds.  We need to be giving a thoughtful hour each day to what Christ has done for us, focusing mostly on the last scenes before His death.  He did all of this for us.
  6. Take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  This is where memorizing Scripture is so important.  The only way we can combat the devil and all the evil that may come our way is through, “It is written.”  We have to have our sword ready.
  7. “Praying always.”  We have to be much in prayer in order to stand.  We need to be in the habit to praying, so in any given situation we automatically turn to prayer just as the flower turns to the sun.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your plan of protection.  We may not be always equipped as we should but You have given us all we need.  Help us to go forward with Your plan so that we don’t have to suffer from “burns”.  Thank You for Your patience and love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

God has given us all we need to be protected.  Let’s go forward and us it.

Love you all!

Do you have an experience that you could share about how God’s way of protection has worked for you?  I would love to hear your story.