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God’s Grace is Sufficient

Creation

I don’t know about you, but when I read the story of God creating this world, I start to imagine.  No matter how vivid our imagination, it is a feeble attempt.  Just think of the perfect temperature, the beauty of the flowers and trees, the transparency of the rivers, lakes,  and streams of water, and how the animals, with their majestic beauty down to the creepy-crawly, presented no fear.
For those who love to plant a garden, can you imagine how easy it could be to grow anything?  It would be a gardener’s paradise.  We wouldn’t have to worry about the soil being too hard or rocky; there would be perfect nutrition in the ground, no need to weed, and an automatic watering system that took no work to set up.  It sounds like heaven to me.
And what about the animal lovers?  I would be in that category.  There are so many animals I wish I could enjoy.  I have always loved horses and the thought of having one and being able to ride.  Having a monkey as a pet has been a dream of mine.  Throughout my life, mostly, I have stuck to cats and dogs, which I love dearly.  The pain and suffering when one passes away are heart-wrenching.  But in the new creation, there was no death or fear, only life, love, and peace.  It is hard to imagine a life absent of fear and full of love and peace in our world today.  God created Adam and Eve to enjoy the beauty of His creation.  They had no fear or sadness; peace, joy, and love were all.

Then came sin

I think all of us have probably questioned at one time or another why Eve would make a choice that would destroy her peace and happiness.  Eve had everything that she could have possibly wanted.  But the devil caused her to believe that she was missing out on something great!  And Eve believed him.  The reality is that we are no different.  If we trust God and the Word He gave us, why do we go in another direction all the time?  The bottom line is that we think we might be missing out on something.  And we are not trusting that God has our best interest in mind.  We are not any different from Eve.  Many times in our lives, we allow the convincing words of others or circumstances to convince us that something is okay.  And after the fact, we realize this was not in God’s plan.
On the other hand, Adam decided to eat it when he was presented with the fruit, knowing it would be wrong.  He knew it would be wrong to eat the fruit; even though he may not have understood the consequences, he knew it was wrong.  How could you know what death is if you have never seen it?  But he should have trusted God’s Word that it was not a good thing.
Imagine what must have been going through his mind.  He had to be concerned about what would happen if he didn’t eat the fruit when his wife had already eaten it.  If he chose not to eat it, he could lose her forever.  He was not choosing to love God above anything else.  But again, we are not any different.  How many times do we put other things before God?  God has to be number one in our lives at all times.  We can not let people, things, circumstances, any rabbit trail, whether of a religious sort or not, or even ourselves get in the way of making God number one in every area of our lives.

Then comes…

If we didn’t know the end of the story of Adam and Eve, it would appear hopeless.  But then came grace.  Their choice had significant consequences, but God’s love and grace gave them a second chance.  Their choice to sin should have brought instant death.  The grace of God, willing to give His only Son as a substitute, and Jesus willing to accept the consequences of sin, gave Adam and Eve and each of us another chance.
Imagine what it must have been like for them.  Adam and Eve had never experienced death.  They had never seen anything die.  God, in His mercy, sacrificed a lamb in their stead.  The lamb would have been their friend.  All the animals would have been like pets to them.  And to see two of these precious lambs dying because of their sin must have been excruciating.
The only way we can even come close to getting a glimpse is to think about one of our pets.  I relate primarily to our dogs.  It would be excruciating if one of our dogs had to be put to death for my sin.  We love our pets so much.  But they also had to realize that this sacrifice pointed to the One that would ultimately take the consequences of sin.  What joy they must have had that Jesus was willing to do this for them while simultaneously being sad that they had caused so much pain and suffering.
It pains my heart as I write, thinking about myself and how easy it can be to bring hurt and pain to the One that has done so much for me.  God loved the world and gave His Son so that I may live.  Why is it so difficult to remember what He has done for me?  I don’t think I am the only one with this problem.  We get so caught up in daily life that we forget to contemplate what He has done for us.  Yes, we may go through the motions of daily Bible study and prayer, but we fail to connect with God fully.  Spending time with God, going to church, or any religious thing we may be involved in can become just a ritual and lose all meaning.

God’s Grace

I love God’s promise: “My grace is sufficient for thee:  for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Our weaknesses are His strengths.  This is the most exciting news!  No matter how weak we think we are, He is even stronger.  We can’t create; we can only submit to God creating in us.  As David, we can say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalms 51:10).  We can’t clean our hearts!  No one can empty themselves of self.  The only thing that we can do is consent for Jesus to accomplish the work in us.
It is easy to look around at others and be like the Pharisee, thanking God that I am not like “those” people.  But I want to be as the publican, “standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Read Luke 18:10-14).  We are all sinners in need of God’s grace and mercy.  And “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him (Jesus), seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).  God through His Spirit is the One that draws, convicts, forgives, cleanses, makes the changes, recreates, He does it all.  Our job is to consent, and we will find rest when we consent!
Dear Father,
Please, take my heart; I can’t give it to You.  You created me; my heart is Your property.  I need You to keep it pure.  I am so weak, selfish, and unchristlike; please save me despite me always getting in the way.  You are the potter, and I am the clay; mold and fashion me, so I love Your pure and holy presence so that I can feel the rich current of Your love flow through me.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Surrender fully to God today and let Him do the work within You.
I love you all!
When have you felt the closest to God?  I would love to hear your story!  Comment below or private message me.
Note:  This platform for my blog will be going away soon, so if you would like to continue to get my blogs, message me.
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I Was Devastated

Life goes on

You know how life goes on each day without much thought.  We have our routine that we go through and often we don’t allow much to change those routines.

A good example is our dogs, they love to receive love from us.  They want our attention daily.  I know for me when I sit down there come one or two of the dogs to sit beside me on my chair.  It often doesn’t require a whole lot of time but I don’t have the time.

One dog, in particular, is a struggle.  Prince sheds a lot and if you don’t want to go off to work with your clothes full of hair you best keep your distance.  It has been difficult over time because I just love it when he comes up and sits on the back of my neck when I am sitting on the couch.  He keeps my neck warm and lays his chin on my shoulder with such love.

We eventually started to train him to not get on the furniture due to his shedding.  But he would often sneak, when no one was looking, to curl up on a chair or the couch.  And he loves it most if there is a piece of clothing he can lay on that belongs to one of us.  But if we see him we chase him off, wiping off the furniture or shaking a piece of clothing.

I remember that morning

There was one particular morning I found him laying on my coat.  I quickly chased him off and shook out my coat.  But I wish I would have picked him up and just hugged him.  We often chased him away due to his shedding hair.  And we do it without much of a thought.  Because we think today is not going to be any different than any other day.  And this day was no exception.

Every day when I come home from work all 4 of our dogs start barking.  I don’t even really think about it much anymore because it always happens.  So I did notice that only 2 dogs were barking.  When I came into the house there to the left of me, in the entrance to one of our bathrooms sat Cuddles, one of our other dogs.  He appeared to be leaning over like he was choking on something.  But as I came nearer to him I realized he was soaked.  He was trying to walk with his head laying on the floor.  At that point, I realized he was wounded and in major pain.  I didn’t know if his neck was broken or what exactly was wrong.

But then it hit me, where is Prince.  I frantically went to his little bed as I called his name but no Prince.  Then I rushed into the living room where he has another little bed but still no Prince.  I headed for my bedroom where I could look out the window and see the area where we have a fenced-in dog yard.

I was devastated

There lying on his side just before the steps, was Prince, his body had been torn open beyond repair, he was dead.  I was devastated, to say the least.  Grabbing my phone I called my husband crying and hysterical.  I was not sure what to do.

I knew I needed to deal with our dog Cuddles but was not sure how to approach the situation.  He was in such pain I couldn’t pick him up.  I was afraid to make whatever was wrong with him worse, especially if his neck or back was broken.  I am so amazed at how dogs are so intelligent.  Cuddles knew I was trying to help him.  So when I got a box that had low sides and told him I needed him to get into the box, he jumped right in.  I was able to carry him to the car so I could take him to the vet.

Thankful

I was grateful to find out that Cuddles did not have a broken neck or back.  He had several puncture wounds but they didn’t want to stitch them but allow them to drain.  The doctor gave him a muscle relaxer painkiller and an antibiotic for him to take.

Cuddles was in major pain and didn’t do a whole lot for a couple of days but he has recovered.  It did change him and he will never be the same but that is what life experience does to all of us.  Just like us, when injuries happen they change our lives.  Cuddles also lost a friend and you could see the pain in his eyes and the depression that came over him.

It made me think

It started me thinking about the verse that says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8.  He is seeking to destroy each one of us.  Satan has a goal in mind and it is not in your best interest.

How vigilant are we?  I know I can say for myself I am not as vigilant as I should be.  He can be so subtle.  I am sure that Prince wasn’t suspecting that he would die that day.  And when we start our day we don’t often don’t suspect that our spiritual walk will suffer that day when we feel too busy to take time with the Lord.  But without even seeing it coming our spiritual life is dead.

And the reality is that we can even be spending “time” with God and still be spiritually dead.  Has it just been a duty to spend that time or a routine that you know you should do?  Or are you having an intimate connection with God during that time?  We need to check ourselves and make sure we are connected and if not take the time to reevaluate our life and make changes.

Why me

Then there is another question.  How many people around us have been torn up spiritually by that roaring lion and need help?  But is that my responsibility?  Why does it have to be me?  How do I do it and what is the priority?

Thinking back on my situations with the dogs maybe there is an answer.  There was a dog torn, bleeding, and dead and there was a dog wounded and in much pain.  There was absolutely nothing I could do for the dog that was dead but bury him.  I couldn’t miraculously bring him back to life, only God can do that work.  As I saw it, the emergency at hand, was to take the one that was wounded to the person that could help him in his time of crisis.

I believe the same is true of those around us.  If there is someone that is wounded but still hanging on to a thread of life, it is a crisis and an emergency.  If you don’t deal with it immediately, spiritual death is imminent.   We need to go into immediate action and bring them to the Great Physician for spiritual healing.  It will take time for recovery just like it did for Cuddles.  We have to realize it will take much care, love, prayer, acceptance, and most importantly time, they can come around.  It may not even be in our lifetime but we know God is able and we trust His healing powers.

I remember

One person that was a real praying person in my life was my grandma.  And I remember how she prayed for her children, particularly one of her sons.  Many years after she had passed away her son, on his deathbed, gave his heart fully to God.  Each person has the power to choose and God can’t force anyone but as we continue to pray He will continue to work.

It brought me comfort to know that she prayed for all of us and how much faith and hope she had in God and His ability to answer her prayers.  And although she is resting in the grave until Jesus comes I believe God is continuing to honor her prayers for her family.  I believe prayer is the key to opening the storehouses of heaven.  In other words, God will pull out all the stops for the salvation of just one person.

But what about…

Now the question is what about Prince, the dead dog?  How can I apply this to someone dead spiritually?  Can they be brought back to life?  Well, for Prince my son made a special box for the burial, dug a hole, then we had a moment of prayer and buried him.

When it comes to death, spiritually speaking, it will take much prayer, love, compassion, acceptance, and time.  It takes the same formula as for the wounded that are hanging on spiritually by a thread.  Often it is the faults of others that have caused a person to be devoured by the roaring lion, Satan.  It is a time for reflection and making sure we are in alignment with God and His love.

What can we bury

Is there something we can bury when it comes to someone dead spiritually?  I believe there is more than one thing that needs to be buried.  Let’s start with self.  It is so easy to look at others and see the problems and we think we have the answers, “if they would just do this or that.”  Or maybe we think they need to change and we have the answers for them.  Let’s bury those thoughts right now.  We need to get back to thinking, “What would Jesus do?”  Yes, we have all heard this saying and it has become a saying without meaning.  But the answer is still there.

If we dig into the Word and study the life of Christ on earth, we will find how He treated people that had serious problems.  The people with serious problems, whether physical or spiritual were drawn to Jesus.  Are people with serious problems drawn to you?  This is a question we need to ask ourselves.  And by the way, the majority of the time the physical problems will go away when the emotional and spiritual issues are addressed.  We can see this process in the life of Christ and His ministry.  It takes much prayer, love, compassion, acceptance, and time.  It is God that does the work, we are just His instruments.  He is the one that knows the timing and what is fully needed for any particular person.

What else…

You may be asking the question, “Great but what else needs to be buried?”  Eventually, the person you’re praying for, loving, showing compassion to, and making them feel accepted through their struggle, will want to bury something.  There is something that has died that they will want to bury so that it doesn’t come back.

They have been torn and they have been bleeding and death has come to their spiritual lives.  But because of your prayers, love, compassion, and your smile of acceptance, they are ready to bury those things that have wounded them.  The things that have drained the last bit of life out of them, they are ready to let go of and let the love and blood of Christ fill their souls.  It is us allowing the power of Christ to work through us.

So many…

There are so many souls that are hurting, ready to end their life forever.  The numbers seem insurmountable but you can start right here.  There is someone within your sphere that is experiencing either just barely hanging on for dear life or is dead spiritually.  And being dead spiritually will eventually bring physical death sooner than we want to have it happen.

Let’s put our time into that soul that is closest to us.  Don’t worry about what others may say or think about your choices.  This can become the most important focus you have and others may not understand.  But there is One that does understand.  Let Him lead and guide you.

Much prayer is needed.  We need to be praying for God’s leading in our lives so that we can see the wounded and dying around us.  It is so easy to just go day to day without thought or notice, oblivious to those around us.  When we are told to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), there is a reason.  We need to have our thoughts so connected with God that at any moment we will be lifting up a prayer when needed.  And being connected is the only way we will hear God’s voice as He leads us.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You are always there for us and that You see all our hearts. Give us eyes that see people as You see people. As we go through our day, give us Your love to extend to those in need. Continue to prompt our hearts to stay connected with You so that we can reflect Your love.

Be with those that are hanging on by a thread or are dead spiritually. Surround them with Your Angels, protecting them from the devouring lion that seeks to destroy them. Protect us and guard us so that we don’t become a source of their discouragement but only reflect Your love. We know only You can read hearts but we sometimes forget and judge anyway.

Thank You for Your continual grace and mercy toward all.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Keep your eyes on Jesus and stay so connected that you reflect His love. Let’s not let another day go by letting someone slip away.

And if you are just hanging on by a thread or even feel totally “dead” reach out to someone that can help you through this difficult time.

I love you all!

What about you? Have you struggled at times where you have felt like you are hanging on by a thread? What helped you through your situation? Share in the comments. Are you going through hard times right now? Share your story so that we can be praying for you and there may be someone here reading that can relate to your story and be of help to you.

I am working on moving my blog over to another platform where I post blogs that cover every aspect whether spiritual, physical, or emotional health.  If you would like to continue getting these blogs please go and subscribe at Revitalizing Your Health

 

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“Oh No, I’m Bleeding!!”

Open wounds

Have you ever cut yourself and you were bleeding all over?  It seems like a ridiculous question because of course, the answer is yes.  We all have had some time in our life where we have injured ourselves.

Whatever profession you have decided to take there are always risks.  When you are learning anything in life there is a time when more accidents happen.  And hopefully, you learn something in the process so that the next time you’ll remember what you don’t want to do.  But even if you are seasoned in your profession you never know everything.  You are always learning.  If you come to the place that you think you know everything there is to know in your profession, you really are not a blessing to anyone.  Know it all’s are not learners.  And just because your seasoned doesn’t mean you still don’t have accidents.

I have a young friend who is learning construction.  As my friend has been learning, he has had several accidents that have resulted in blood.  And some of his accidents could have been really bad.  There are other times where there could have been a serious accident but he was spared by the hand of God.  I think he may have two guardian angels.

It made me think

It made me start to think about how this is a good example of our spiritual lives.  When you become a real Christian, it is a process.  You may be wondering what I mean by a real Christian.  Well, you may have grown up in and around Christians but that does not make you a Christian.  What makes you a Christian is your own connection with God.  We cannot have a connection vicariously through our parents or anyone else, it has to become our own.  How would that work in your profession?  It would not!  You have to learn yourself with the help of the master teacher.

Spiritually speaking God should be our teacher.  He is that Master and can truly teach us how to be a Christian.  Can we learn from others?  Yes!  But ultimately we need to be learning from the Master.  When you get a job there may be others that know things within your profession that you can learn from but you better be sure it lines up with the master teacher (your boss) or later on there will be some repercussions.

I have followed what others said and it turned out to be wrong.  Or I have even given wrong advice that turned out to be wrong.  The one that gets the most reprimanded is the one that did it wrong, not the advice giver.  Why is that?  Because the master teacher (boss) says you should not rely on what others have told you but go to the one that knows, your boss, supervisor, etc.

So how does that look when it comes to our walk as a Christian?  We can learn from others but we always need to be sure that it lines up with the Master Teacher.  In the end, when we follow the advice of others and do not follow through with checking it out with the Master Teacher, we will receive the repercussions of our decisions.  We are responsible for our own decisions.

Growth takes time

Just like when your learning a profession it takes time, so does growing as a Christian.  In any profession, there are those times that we may choose to do something that we know isn’t the best thing but we know that we can get it done more quickly.  It may not be bad in and of itself but our master teacher (boss) has said he wants it done a certain way.  And most of the time, in the end, we may have made a mistake that could have caused us harm or someone else.  It is the same in the Christian walk.  Sometimes we choose deliberately to do something that we know is not pleasing to the Master Teacher (God) but we think we know best but in the end, we discover God always knows best.

Then there are those times that we are going along at work and after the fact, we realize we have made a wrong move.  Sometimes the consequences are minor but sometimes more severe.  In our Christian walk when we are walking along there are going to be times that we make a mistake that we did not even realize until after the fact.  It could be that we are still in the growth process and the Lord has not revealed it to us yet or it could be we did something without thinking.

In whatever case we find ourselves, I am so thankful for a God that is forgiving.  We can come to Him with a contrite heart and He will forgive.  And just like God is so merciful to us we should be merciful to others.

One of the faults that can break down the camaraderie in the workplace is to have a superior feeling.  If others around you feel like they can’t ever do anything right and that you feel superior to them it breaks down any relationship.  This happens within the Christian walk as well.  We have to be careful not to be pointing our fingers at others and thinking ourselves superior because we are following this rule and that rule.  The fact is we can be lost just because we have an attitude of superiority.  In the workplace, you can end up losing your job.  In the Christian walk, you can end up losing your salvation.

We need to allow everyone to grow as God leads them.  And God leads everyone on a different path because everyone’s journey is different.  The best thing we can do for someone is to love him or her and pray for them.

Growing

So how do we keep growing?  When we start in a profession there is definitely a learning curve and the same is in our Christian walk.  So do I eventually learn it all and don’t have to keep learning?  The answer is no.  This applies to the workplace as well as the Christian walk.  When we stop learning we become stagnate.  No matter what profession you have chosen there are always changes that take place due to new technology.  And if you don’t keep learning you’re going to fall behind and eventually probably lose your job.  The same is true in our Christian walk if we don’t keep learning we stop growing in our knowledge of the truth.

Some may say it isn’t really the same because our profession changes because of new technology but God’s truth has always been the same.  My question would be, has the technology always been there but we are just learning about it?  I would say the affirmative yes.  It has just taken someone to come along and discover the technology.  We all have the opportunity to discover the “technology” of truth from God’s Word but we all discover it differently because that is how God works.  We should not rely on people to discover the truths of the Bible and then tell us, we should be discovering it ourselves.  Because even if someone has discovered a truth in the Bible we are supposed to study for ourselves and see if those things are so.

Dear Father,

I am so grateful for Your saving grace.  As I cling to You and stay in Your Word You will lead me into all truth.  Keep us faithful to You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Stay connected to God each day.

Love you all.

What accidents have you had in life that you can draw a lesson from?  I would love to hear your story.  Share below in the comments.

 

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“You Can’t Trust Your Vision!!”

Have you ever looked at an example and everything seems so right so you followed it?  Your eyes, senses and every fiber of your being made it seem right but you discover after a time that it was totally wrong.

I am working at a print shop.  I run the digital copy.  You have to set everything up on the computer that speaks to the digital machine and thus you make your product.  It sounds easy but there are a lot of things you have to make sure you do right or it could turn out wrong.

One of the most important things is to read the jacket.  Every job comes with what we call a jacket.  Inside the jacket can be artwork or a sample of what the job is.  But the most important information is on the outside of the jacket.  It gives specific information.  For example, what kind of paper to use, what size the paper should be, whether your printing black and white or color, or whether it is printed on one side of the paper or two sides, just to name a few.

The other day I got the jacket and scanned over it.  I seen it was a spiral bound book.  In the jacket was a sample so I pulled it out and look at it.  I thought, “Great this is going to be an easy one because the pages are just one-sided.”  I was in a rush to get gone because I had an appointment to go to.  So I set it all up and started printing.

After it was done printing I had a question so I went to the guy that has been training me in and he looked at what I had failed to pay close attention to, the front of the jacket.  The sample was a one-sided print but the instructions on the jacket was a two-sided print.  I missed comparing the sample to the instructions.

I went to my boss about the mistake.  Here I had printed several pages and it was wrong.  When He looked at the jacket and the sample.  He even had some confusion on what it needed to be.  The jacket instructions seemed a little confusing.  But after looking things over thoroughly and talking to the one that had put the job together I figured it out.

This reminds me of our Christian walk. We have an instruction book, the Bible.  We need to be thoroughly studying the “jacket” (Word of God).  We cannot go by what we see or hear.

In this world today there can be so many things that we can get caught up in.  It can sound amazing and look amazing but is it really a true “sample” of truth.

There can be so many false things that are out there for us to get caught up in.  Some of those things may be perfectly harmless in and of themselves.  But is it keeping us from focusing on the things we really should be, the true directions for life (God’s Word).

It says in Matthew 24:24, “For there shall arise false Christ, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”  We are in a time where we need to keep our focus on the study of the Word of God.  So that we can be so grounded in the true information that we will not be thrown off by what we see or hear.

I don’t think we begin to realize how closely Satan can make things look so real and right that it is very deceiving.  We cannot go by our senses.  We have to go by the truth of God’s Word only.

I could have totally done the job correctly if I had just gone by the instructions written rather than looking at the sample.  I would have been way farther ahead.  If I had been thoroughly studied in the truth of the jacket I would not have been thrown off by the false of the sample.

In the same way if we stay focused on the truth of the Word of God we will not be thrown off by the counterfeits that come our way.  But if we are spending our time focusing on the world and it’s counterfeits we are going to be unknowingly swept in to untruth, which can lead to final disaster.  The devil doesn’t care what rabbit trail he gets us going down, just as long as we are not focused on what we should be.

I was grateful that my boss was so understanding.  When we come to God and admit our mistakes, asking forgiveness He is so understanding as well.

Just like I needed to look at all the aspects of the jacket to know the truth, here a little there a little.  The same is true of the Bible.  We can’t make our decision based on one verse.  We need to study it carefully, here a little and there a little.

I also could not have figured out the jacket unless I had gone to the one who had put it together.  We are not going to understand what we study in the Bible unless we go to God asking for guidance.  Then the Holy Spirit will come and enlighten our eyes.  And those things that have seemed confusing will become clear.

Dear Father,

Help us to realize how important it is to stay focused on Your Word.  Help us to realize the sensational things that we can get caught up in can lead us in a direction to take us off the focus we should have.  Thank You for Your love and Your patience with us.  Continue to guide us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Keep in the Word, it is the safest place to be.

Love you all.

Have you experienced a “rabbit trail” in your life at times?  What happened to help you get back on track?  What do you do to try to stay on track?