Spiritual Vision Impairment

2 Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. Although Satan is the one that blinded them, it is their choice to choose to continue to reject the Truth of the Gospel. It is their own unbelief that continues to blind their minds. Therefore these people bear the responsibility for their own rejection of the gospel. It’s only in believing in Christ Jesus that our spiritual eyes are opened and we can find freedom from what I like to call ‘Spiritual Vision Impairment’. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

For the believer the spiritual veil that blinded our minds from receiving the Truth was removed when we believed in Jesus Christ. We now have freedom through the Spirit of the Lord to see and reflect the glory of God. So as we read his Word and spend time in His presence the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

But is it possible for believers who have already had their spiritual blinders removed to begin to experience Spiritual Vision Impairment again? The answer is sadly yes!

Spiritual Vision Impairment is not much different from natural vision impairment. Natural vision impairment results from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions and cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive correction, medication, or surgery. Spiritual vision impairment is similar in that it is both congenital and degenerative. From birth we were born with a sinful nature that causes spiritual blindness that also cannot be cured by conventional means, such as psychotherapy, man’s wisdom, or religion. It can only be corrected by faith in Christ Jesus. Spiritual vision impairment can also be a degenerative condition for Christians who have already been freed from spiritual blindness but haven’t supplemented their faith with godly living and are not growing spiritually.

The Holy Spirit explains in 2 Peter 1 that by His divine power, God has given us everything we need for godly living. He said that we received this empowerment when we came to know Christ. He goes on to explain that we have to supplement our faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. He promised that the more we grow like this, the more productive and useful we would be in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But for those of us who fail to develop in this way, we can become spiritually shortsighted or blind. Then we forget they we have been cleansed from our old sins and begin to revert back to our old ways. (2 Peter 1:3-9, Ephesians 4:22)

These are just some symptoms of Spiritual Vision Impairment:

* Weak in faith and convictions with a double minded attitude. (James 1:5-8)

* No desire to do God’s will. Do what they think is right in their own eyes. (Proverbs 14:12)

* Inability to discern and resist attacks from the enemy. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

* Consumed by the cares of this world. With a “woe is me” attitude. (Matthew 6:31-34)

* Dominated by thoughts of worry and anxiety about life’s tests and trials. Inability to see God working in the midst of it all. (Philippians 4:6-10, Romans 8:28)

* Hardening of the heart to the voice and leading of the Holy Spirit. Being led by the flesh producing the results of the sinful nature which are clearly: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. (Galatians 5:19-21)

* Denial, minimizing or justifying sinful behavior. Making a practice of sinning. (1 John 3:6-10)

* Legalistic, religious, judgmental, know it all, prideful, or critical attitude. (Matthew 9:9-13, 1 Corinthians 10:12, 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, Proverbs 16:18)

* Consumed by unforgiveness and bitterness. (Hebrews 12:15, Colossians 3:12-13)

If you or someone you know is experiencing any or all of these symptoms I urge to run to the throne room of our gracious God to seek help and healing. He is full of mercy. We WILL find favor with Him and He will give us His grace to help us in this time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16) He does not want us to continue in spiritual darkness. He is the one that wants to open our eyes and reveal Himself to us.

The Remedy

1) Acknowledge that Spiritual Vision Impairment is the result of sin. (John 8:32)

2) Humble yourself before God, confess, and repent. Then He will lift you back up again. (James 4:10, 1 John 1:8-9)

3) Start truly seeking God’s way of living through prayer and reading the Word.

4) YOU MUST RENEW YOUR MIND! (Romans 12:2) Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. (Ephesians 4:22-24) Start by meditating and applying 2 Peter 1:3-9 to your life, which means supplementing your faith with: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, and brotherly affection and love for everyone.

5) Have a support group. These are people that you can call to keep it real with. Talk, vent, and ask for prayer. Allow them to speak into your life. Be willing to be accountable and accept constructive criticism, godly counsel, and direction from those who love you and know you best. These people will be the watchmen that God has placed around you to prayerfully watch your back and hold your arms up in battle. (Galatians 6:2,Ezekiel 33:1-9)

Each of us has a choice to make. What will it be? To continue in spiritual darkness, or to humble ourselves and ask the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, to heal us and give us eyes to see again? May the Lord help each of us to make an honest evaluation of our spiritual condition.

Moving Backwards Instead of Forward - Do What God Has Called You To DO!

Over the past couple of weeks I have felt a leading to read the book of Jeremiah. I am ashamed to say that I knew that upon reading it the Spirit would reveal to me a Word of reproach that our Lord wanted to speak to me and through me, so I prolonged reading it. I guess the truth is that there is still this fleshly side of me that longs to be accepted and not persecuted for speaking God’s Word. But I love Him too much not to allow His Spirit to speak through me. I love Him with all my heart and I long to please Him and be His faith filled handmaiden; therefore I must be obedient to His leading. He constantly reminds me that if I am going to try to win the approval of people, then I will not find approval with Him. If pleasing people ever becomes my goal, then I could NOT be Christ’s servant. (Galatians 1:10)

I only got to chapter 6 when I had to start writing this. My spirit is so grieved within me. All our heavenly Father has ever wanted was for us was to truly surrender our pride and power. He has wanted us to trust Him and change our hearts before Him. He wants us to be humbly sorry for our sins. To go before Him with broken and contrite hearts, with weeping and mourning because of the sins that we have committed, instead of acting nonchalant and ignoring the Holy Spirit’s tugging at our hearts to do what is right. He wants us to have a reverential fear of Him. A holy respect and honor for our God that will keep us on the narrow road that leads to life. He wants our obedience.

All we have to do is acknowledge our guilt, admit that we have rebelled against the Lord and wanted our own way, and confess that we refused to listen to His voice. Can’t we see that His kindness and patience has always been meant to lead us to repentance? But so many take His kindness for granted and continue in their rebellion and sin forgetting that our God sees everything. There is no where that we can hide from His Spirit. We can hide from others. We can lie to them and to ourselves, but we cannot lie to our omnipresent God.

There is a lack of reverential awe for God in the church today. This lack of fearing the Lord has caused many believers to ignore the direction the Lord is giving them for their lives. Many Christians are refusing to receive the Lord’s correction and then are wondering why their families are falling apart, their businesses are in trouble, their finances are mess, and they have no peace. They are doing work for God and making sacrifices in Jesus name, but they have forgotten what the Lord told His people when He led them out of Egypt. Listen to what the Spirit of the Lord says through Jeremiah about this,

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: ‘Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ “But My people would not listen to Me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward..” Jeremiah 7:21-24

How many of us today feel like we have moved backwards instead of forward. If so then we need to allow the Holy Spirit to show us where we have gone wrong. Where we have rebelled and refused to listen to the Lord and instead followed our own desires. We need to get back to doing what we know is right. We need to get back to truly loving God. Loving Him means obeying Him. That is how we truly know that we are in Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, obey My commandments.” (John 14:15)

1 John 2:3-6 says, “And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live as Jesus did.”

It is time for us to start living in the truth. No matter what our Lord is calling us to do, whether it’s something we need to change, to leave behind, to surrender to Him, to step out in faith and go, the time has come to step out in obedience and faith. Remember that He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He never asks us to do something that He has not equipped us to do. Sometimes we will not feel equipped for what or where He is calling us, but we have to believe that He will honor our obedience and give us everything we need to do His will.

Don’t be fooled when we know what we ought to be doing and instead we choose to ignore God’s direction, then we are in sin and rebellion against God. (James 4:17) We can be sure that because He loves us so much that we will receive His divine discipline and punishment if we don’t repent and do His will. Oh but too many believers are following teachings of those who water down the Word and glorify a God that they have made up that is so merciful and forgiving that He does not judge, correct, punish or rebuke us. But this is not the God of the bible. This is not our Heavenly Father. You see our Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child. He disciplines us so that He can produce a harvest of right living in us. (Hebrews 12:5-12)

No more excuses it’s time to do what He has called you to do! If not, your rebellion will deprive you of wonderful blessings. Your sin will rob you of many good things that the Lord has planned for you. (Jeremiah 5:23-25)

“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

Brothers and sisters it is time for us to go before the Lord and humble ourselves in His presence asking Him to forgive us for being rebellious and giving in to fear, doubt, anger, bitterness, unbelief, compliancy, or whatever other hindrances’ we have allowed to keep us from obeying His direction. He will not reject a broken and contrite heart. If you want to see change in your life then it’s time to humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor. Make a choice today stop moving backwards and start moving forward. (James 4:7-10)

Don't Be Lukewarm!

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:15-16

When I feel led to write these types of messages I tend to want to resist the Word that is on my heart. This comes from a fleshly desire to be liked, not to offend anyone, or to hurt feelings. Most of all I do not want anyone to feel judged. However, I must be obedient to this prompting because I desire more to please God. I pray with all of my heart that the Spirit of the Lord would convict your heart if you are in need of correction. May this be a loving nudge to get you back on to the narrow road. May His Word which is alive and powerful, sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cut between our soul and spirit, between joint and marrow and expose our innermost thoughts and desires. May He give us a willing heart to receive His correction remembering that our Lord corrects and disciplines everyone He loves. In Jesus name amen. (Galatians 1:10, Matthew 7:13-14, Hebrews 4:12, Revelation 3:19)

Christ is not weak when He deals with us. He may be slow to anger and slow to wrath but He does get angry. Just look at what He says to the lukewarm Christians above in Revelations 3. Does He sound pleased with their behavior? He is a God of justice and order. He is pure and holy and we are supposed to be just like Him. We must live as God’s obedient children. Not slipping back into our old ways of living to satisfy our own desires. We are called to be imitators of our Father and imitators of Christ Jesus. We are in a time of grace. He is allowing people time to repent and turn back to Him. That is why He has not returned yet. His kindness is meant to lead all of us to repentance. (2 Corinthians 13:3, Exodus 34:6, Isaiah 61:8, 1 Corinthians 14:40, Matthew 5:48, 1 Peter 1:13-17, Ephesians 5:1, 2 Peter 3:9, Romans 2:4)

Our Lord has gone to prepare a place for us. We can not even imagine the good things He has prepared for us. In the meantime we as Christians (followers of Christ) are supposed to be about our Father’s business preaching the Gospel, sharing our testimonies, and glorifying Christ Jesus with our words, actions, and good deeds. That is our purpose in this world. That is God’s will for us. If we are not doing this then our faith is dead. ( John 14:2-3, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Matthew 28:19-20, James 2:26)

He gave us His Word so that He could teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip us to do every good work. So are we making the most of every opportunity to do good works? Are we being careful how we live our lives? Are we being about our Father’s business? ( 2 Timothy 3:16, Ephesians 5:15-16)

There are many believers that are neither hot nor cold. They have become complacent in their walk. They have allowed their contact with the world to taint them. Now they justify their sin and compromise their faith to fit into to society. They have become stumbling blocks to others. They love the world and the things it offers them. They are more committed to serving their own physical selfish desires than serving Christ. They have forgotten that when we love this world we do not have the love of the Father. We are not to love this evil world! (Romans 12:2, Romans 14: 13, 1 John 2:15-17)

We need to examine ourselves. Examine if our faith is genuine. Test ourselves. And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he want us to? Someone may say, “I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.” But if he doesn’t do what Christ tells him to, he is liar. But those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or not you are a Christian. Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did. (2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 John 2:3-6)

How did Christ live? Christ taught the people God’s Word, preached “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”, He made disciples, healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, encouraged others, corrected and rebuked, prayed and fasted, feed the poor, loved and had compassion for people, and laid down His life for His friends. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works..” Are we doing these works? What kind of fruit are we producing? (John 14:12, Matthew 7:15-20)

It was evident in Jesus’ life that He loved God because of the works that He did. He has given us the same Holy Spirit that gave Him power and ability so that we could be doers of the Word, not to just say that we are believers. Believing is useless without doing what God wants us to. Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. Anyone can see where our faith lies by the way we act. How are we acting? Are we doers or just hearers? (James 2:20, James 2:18)

Our Lord’s return IS near and we are supposed watch and be ready for his return with our lights burning bright for Him, our lamps full of oil, and properly managing all that He has entrusted to us. We must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Until then He expects us to be faithful servants diligently serving Him and bringing glory to His name by the way that we live and treat others. Are we faithful servants? (Matthew 5:14-16, 25:1-13, 24:45-51)

So let us be diligent and turn from any indifference. Let us be filled with the Spirit and full of the Word of God. Let us fan into flames the gifts that the Lord has given us to build up the church and preach the Gospel to the lost. Let us not be lukewarm but instead let us be on fire for Christ Jesus. Let us feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, invite a stranger into our home, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. Let us live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let your life be an offering to God the kind that He can accept, pure and holy. (Revelation 3:19, Ephesians 5:2, 2 Timothy 1:6, Matthew 25:31-46, Ephesians 5:2, Romans 12:1)

From the Archives: Is Anything too Hard for God?

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind; is there anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 33:27

Our troubles, temptations, strongholds, and enemies are not too big for our God. Often times I have been at the point where I wonder if I am going to be overcome by my troubles. I fear people saying, “Where is your God now.” Then the Holy Spirit reminds me that I serve Elohim, God the Sovereign, Powerful, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is always there willing to supply all of our needs. He is El Shaddai, God Almighty.

In the movie screen of my mind I see stories of deliverance from the bible playing. I am suddenly filled with excitement and faith knowing that our God is powerful and faithful. One of my all time favorite stories is Daniel in the lions den. You may know the story.

Daniel was one of three presidents of Babylon helping king Darius rule over the Medo-Persian Empire. He was a godly man who proved more capable than the other presidents and governors. The king was contemplating putting Daniel to rule over the entire empire as his administrative officer. This made all of the other presidents and governors very jealous. They began plotting on him, trying to find fault in the way he handled his affairs. But they couldn’t, they knew their only chance was his religion.

They devised a plan to have a law made and approved by the king that no one would worship or pray to any other god. King Darius approved their decree that permitted no petitions to any God or man except to him for a thirty day period. This law was irrevocable under the law of the Medes and Persians. Anyone who disobeyed would be thrown into the lions’ den.

Daniel’s haters knew that he loved God and that he prayed three times daily. Once the law was approved they immediately went to see if Daniel would continue seeking God’s face anyways. They saw him praying in his window and they went running to tell the king. The king was upset with himself and wanted to save Daniel, but he couldn’t undo what had been done. By decree he was forced to order Daniel to be thrown to the lions. The king said to Daniel before throwing him in, “May your God, whom you worship continually, deliver you.” He was so upset that he couldn’t eat, refused entertainment, and couldn’t sleep all night.

(Daniel 6:19-23) Very early the next morning he hurried out to the lion’s den, and called out in anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the Living God, was your God, whom you worship continually, able to deliver you from the lions?” Then he heard a voice! “Your Majesty, live forever!” It was Daniel! “My God has sent his angel,” he said, “to shut the lions’ mouth so that they can’t touch me; for I am innocent before God, nor, sir, have I wronged you.” The king was beside himself with joy and ordered Daniel lifted from the den. And not a scratch was found on him, because he believed in his God.

Daniel’s God is the God we serve, the Deliverer. He is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He preserves his people and delivers them. Always remember that nothing is too hard for our God so keep believing in Him.

Do Not Let Sin Control You

“Do not let sin control your puny bodies any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God-every part of you-for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.” Romans 6:12-13

A couple of postings back I wrote on how our Lord gives us 'Do Overs'‘ when we mess up and sin. I feel the need to follow up that posting by clarifying that all though we know that our Lord Jesus is merciful, quick to forgive us, and gives us ‘Do Overs’ when we sin, that does not mean that we are to take advantage of that. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. We are Christians saved to be living testimonies for the world to see Christ. We are the walking Gospel. Our lives will either be an encouragement and inspiration to others, drawing them to Christ or our lives will be a hindrance to others faith and could possibly be the reason why they stumble and fall away.

We must stay away from sin. We are not to make plans to sin doing things that we know are unpleasing to our Lord. We are called to live holy and pure lives. This is not an impossible request from our Lord. He would never ask us do something that He has not empowered us to do. It is by His power, the power of the Holy Spirit that we can resist the temptation to sin. It is by reading and hearing the Word of God that our minds are renewed and our desires are changed. When we are constantly in the Word we will desire to please our Lord instead of gratifying our own sinful desires. The secret is staying close to the Lord, being in the Word of God consistently because our Lord promises that if we keep looking steadily into His Word that we will not only remember it but we will do what it says, and God will greatly bless us in everything that we do. (1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:25)

But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God. So if we stay close to him, obedient to him, we won’t be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning, they should realize this: They sin because they have never really known him or become his. Oh, dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: if you are constantly doing what is good, it is because you are good, even as he is. But if you keep on sinning, it shows that you belong to Satan, who since he first began to sin has kept steadily at it. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the devil. The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning. Because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him, he has been born again. (1 John 3:4, 6-9, 1 John 5:18)

There should never be an area of our lives that is reserved and devoted to sinful practices. We are to give ourselves completely to God. Instead of being defensive and self excusing, we must acknowledge our sins and renounce them. We should continually look at all areas of our lives asking our Lord to reveal to us anything in us that is unpleasing to Him. By not exempting any part of our life from continuous self-scrutiny I believe the Holy Spirit will show us any hidden sin that hinders us and may even be a stumbling block to others around us.

Just as you used to be slaves to all kinds of sin, so now you must let yourselves be slaves to all that is right and holy. You choose your master. You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself-he will take you and be your master and you will be his slave. (Romans 6)

Holy Spirit search us through and through. Show us any unconfessed sin that we need to renounce. We long to be slaves of righteousness. We do not want to be slaves to sin. Thank you for the power to resist temptation and sin. May our lives bring you glory and draw others to your Son, in Jesus name. Amen..

Read the posting "Do Over!" now

"Do Over!"

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23

Recently I have been thinking about how many believers allow themselves to be tormented by feelings of guilt and condemnation when they sin and fall short of our God’s glorious standard. They get so down on their selves when they realize that they are still susceptible to sin. We must remember that we are going to make mistakes as long as we are here in these sinful bodies living in this world full of sin and temptation.

Satan and his demonic forces are determined to keep us bogged down under feelings of condemnation and guilt when we sin. These forces immediately try to attack our minds with negatives thoughts like..

“Do you think God is really going to keep forgiving you when you’re always messing up.”

“Real Christians would never say or do that. You’re not a real Christian.”

“See you’re not good enough, smart enough, or know enough for God to use you. You can’t even stop sinning.”

I seriously doubt that I am the only one that enemy attacks with thoughts like the ones above. I know this because the Word of God says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10) These accusing thoughts and words are straight from the pits of hell. The Accuser wants us to have a “woe is me” attitude and give up. He knows that if we are busy beating ourselves up, feeling guilty, condemned, and unworthy we will not want to enter God’s presence to receive His forgiveness, mercy, and grace when we need it most. We will be bound by these emotions, unable to be used by our Lord.

Instead of sitting and meditating on our mistakes and our shortcomings we need to remember what 1 John 2: 1-2 says.

“My little children, I am telling you this so that you will stay away from sin. But if you sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely.”

You see our Heavenly Father knows that we are not perfect and that we will sin, so He has given us Jesus Christ to be our Advocate. So we can go boldly before the throne to ask forgiveness and healing. Our joy and peace will be restored because we know that all is well between us and our God.

I remember when we were kids we used to love playing kickball. For those of you that don’t know kickball, it is a mixture of baseball and dodge ball, only the ball is much bigger and softer and you kick the ball. When the pitcher rolls the ball if you miss it or kicked a foul everyone would yell “BALL!” or “FOUL!”, “DO OVER!” You then were given another try, a ‘Do Over’ to kick the ball as far as you could.

That is how it is when we fall short of God’s glorious standard and sin. As followers of Christ Jesus we are trying to live each day pleasing to God, avoiding sin, but sometimes we just miss it and mess up. But if we confess our sin and repent He is faithful to let us try again. So rebuke those negative thoughts and reject that “woe is me” attitude and remember that our Advocate, Jesus Christ gives us ‘Do Overs’. Thank God for that!

p.s.

I suggest also reading Don't Let Sin Control You

Little Lost Sheep

Jesus said “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:11-14)

Since early this morning I have heard the Holy Spirit telling me about the little lost sheep. I feel so sad for these sheep. They are so hurt and lonely. So today I write to the little lost sheep whoever you are.

Little sheep the Shephard is looking for you. He wants you to come back to the fold. You can’t stay away from His people and think that you can stand strong on your own. The enemy is lying to you and replacing the company of God’s saints with the company of the world. They are the ones closest to you who are just as lost and confused. You need to be with the other saints who love the Lord and His people. They will stand with you and often times hold up your hands in prayer.

You have excessive wounds and troubles because you have chosen to walk away from the Shephard and His ways. All He has every wanted for you is to trust Him to care for all of your needs. He loves you so much and would never leave you alone, but He has allowed you to have your own way. Now you are reaping what you have sown and you are heading towards the cliff.

I know the Shephard intimately and personally. He loves us even when we stray. He is known to go out looking for His little lost sheep. He is looking for you now. Come home. Put all of your trust in Him and stop leaning on your own understanding. If you will acknowledge Him in all that you do He will direct your path. Remember not to get angry when things don’t go as you planned because He is in control. He will always work everything out for your good, even if you don’t understand what’s going on at the time. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. However, we know that He is all knowing and He has a plan for our life. Abandon your own will and desire His will for your life. He will console you and give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Many will see what He has done for you and in you and praise God.

The Shephard says, “You are weak, angry, hurt, sad, confused, and dependant on the love of your other gods. You love them but they don’t love you. I love you and want you to draw close to Me. I want you to eat and drink my Word. It will give you new life and hope. You will be full of determination to live life and fulfill the destiny that I have called you for. If you will spend time in the Word, with the Word, with Me I will help you to do what my Word says. You will know who you are when you spend time with Me. You will no longer be a weak and frail sheep. You will be strong and confident because you are walking close to Me. Strength and courage to live your life more abundantly will come from the healing that My Word will bring you. I am here to guide, protect, and sustain you. Trust me and walk with me. Come home. I'll carry you.”

Let It Roll Off Your Back

" An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all types of sins.” Proverbs 29:22

I used to be full of anger, easily offended, and constantly fighting. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the renewing of my mind with the Word of God over the years, I have conquered anger issues that used to control my moods and emotions. However, I find myself still getting bent out of shape over situations that I just can’t change or people who don’t change. Although I do not react the way I used to, I hate that I still get so angry.

Let me clarify, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I am not a time bomb waiting to go off. For the most part I am a pretty chill and easy going person. I’m the first to make excuses for others offenses, trying to see the best in them, and trying to see their point of view. I am also very long suffering and patient. I really don’t care if I am talked about or persecuted because I know that my Lord was too, so I don’t take it personal.

However, recently the enemy has attacked me where it hurts the most, with my family. I see my children facing situations that they don’t deserve. I see my loved ones being tempted and persecuted. My first reaction is anger. Then there is an internal battle between my old nature and my new nature. They war within me each wanting to resolve the situation in their own way. I wish I could say that all the time the new nature wins, but that would be a lie. Sometimes I quickly retort with words of anger, without even thinking.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” James 1:19-20

I have learned by experience that if I am lead by the emotion of anger I will only make matters worse. Instead of acting out foolishly I have learned and am still learning to give the situation to the Lord and I trust Him to have His way.

Through tears I pray for God’s mercy and grace. Then I sit back and I pray for those that hurt me or those I love. My prayer is always for God to have mercy on them, to help them, and draw them to Jesus. He gives me the power and the willingness to want to forgive them. Then I am full of peace as I trust Him to work it out for our good and for His glory. It is always so amazing to me that He turns my anger into sorrow and compassion for our offender. I KNOW that is a God thing for sure.

Anger is a natural emotion. We will get angry sometimes, but what matters is that when we are angry that we do not sin and that we do not go to bed with that anger still lurking inside of us.

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27

Recently my pastor taught on anger. The two things that still stand out in my mind that he said are, “Don’t be angry about the things you can’t change. You’re angry for no reason. And don’t get angry about the things you CAN change.”

When I heard him say this I chuckled to myself because is just makes so much sense to me. It’s so simple and yet so profound. It was an on time Word that I needed to hear. I am determined to apply these words of wisdom to my own life and would encourage you to do the same. We will avoid so much unnecessary drama if we do not react in anger but instead we learn to let things roll right off our backs.

Harboring anger will only lead to malice, wrath, bitterness, clamor, slander, resentment, and unforgivness. It will have a huge snowball affect in our lives and will hinder our relationship with God and others. If we sit and really think about it, it’s silly and pointless to get angry about things that we can’t change because what’s done is done. You can’t change it and getting angry isn’t going to help the situation. Getting angry will usually make the situation worse. We may say things that we don’t mean or we may do something that can’t be undone. Dealing with our problems in anger most certainly will have regrettable repercussions.


However, in some situations we have the power to change the problem. Rather than getting angry and adding to the problem we can make a difference and seek change. Instead of anger being our guiding emotion let us be inspired by the Holy Spirit and full of determination to transform our problems.

Anger is pointless. Let it roll of your back and don’t allow anything to steal your joy and peace.

Is Anything Too Hard For God?

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind; is there anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 33:27

Our troubles, temptations, strongholds, and enemies are not too big for our God. Often times I have been at the point where I wonder if I am going to be overcome by my troubles. I fear people saying, “Where is your God now.” Then the Holy Spirit reminds me that I serve Elohim, God the Sovereign, Powerful, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is always there willing to supply all of our needs. He is El Shaddai, God Almighty.

In the movie screen of my mind I see stories of deliverance from the bible playing. I am suddenly filled with excitement and faith knowing that our God is powerful and faithful. One of my all time favorite stories is Daniel in the lions den. You may know the story.

Daniel was one of three presidents of Babylon helping king Darius rule over the Medo-Persian Empire. He was a godly man who proved more capable than the other presidents and governors. The king was contemplating putting Daniel to rule over the entire empire as his administrative officer. This made all of the other presidents and governors very jealous. They began plotting on him, trying to find fault in the way he handled his affairs. But they couldn’t, they knew their only chance was his religion.

They devised a plan to have a law made and approved by the king that no one would worship or pray to any other god. King Darius approved their decree that permitted no petitions to any God or man except to him for a thirty day period. This law was irrevocable under the law of the Medes and Persians. Anyone who disobeyed would be thrown into the lions’ den.

Daniel’s haters knew that he loved God and that he prayed three times daily. Once the law was approved they immediately went to see if Daniel would continue seeking God’s face anyways. They saw him praying in his window and they went running to tell the king. The king was upset with himself and wanted to save Daniel, but he couldn’t undo what had been done. By decree he was forced to order Daniel to be thrown to the lions. The king said to Daniel before throwing him in, “May your God, whom you worship continually, deliver you.” He was so upset that he couldn’t eat, refused entertainment, and couldn’t sleep all night.

(Daniel 6:19-23) Very early the next morning he hurried out to the lion’s den, and called out in anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the Living God, was your God, whom you worship continually, able to deliver you from the lions?” Then he heard a voice! “Your Majesty, live forever!” It was Daniel! “My God has sent his angel,” he said, “to shut the lions’ mouth so that they can’t touch me; for I am innocent before God, nor, sir, have I wronged you.” The king was beside himself with joy and ordered Daniel lifted from the den. And not a scratch was found on him, because he believed in his God.

Daniel’s God is the God we serve, the Deliverer. He is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He preserves his people and delivers them. Always remember that nothing is too hard for our God so keep believing in Him.

Trusting God the Gardener

I love gardening. I find it so relaxing. I enjoy planting seedlings in small pots and watching them grow under the sunlight. As they grow, their roots start filling up their pots… they to need more room to grow so I upgrade them to a bigger pot, more suitable for their needs. Sometimes they immediately accept their new habitat really well. It appears that they stand taller with their branches spread out even more looking happy and confident. I believe they’ve determined right away to allow themselves to grow, reproduce and fill this new container, looking forward to the day that they can move on to the next glorious pot. They’ve learned to trust me and my hands with their lives.

Then I have more temperamental plants that don’t do so well when I transfer them to their new pot. It seems to be that they are putting up a fight and rejecting where I have planted them. They don’t care that I’m trying to allow them to expand and bloom. It’s depressing to be around them because their leaves and branches droop looking sad and wilted, angry that I messed with their roots. They refuse to accept that their time in that old pot is up and it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. I wish they would understand that I know what’s best for them.

So here they are in this bigger pot, mad as ever. I guess they were accustomed to their old pot and became complacent and content there. However, I can’t have that in my garden. If my plants refuse to fulfill their purpose to reproduce and help beautify my home then I really don’t have a need for them. Although I get a little frustrated, I patiently and lovingly nurse the plant back to health. Eventually some accept my will and care, adjust to the new pot, and go one to become beautiful plants. The stubborn ones just give up, reject me completely, and die.

I believe that we are part of God’s garden where he loves, nurtures and waters us with His Word and the Holy Spirit. He prunes us of those dead and useless habits and strongholds that hinder our growth and ability to produce good fruit. He plants us where we are currently so that we can beautify our surroundings and bear much fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, for others to see. Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit”. (John 15:16)

We have to trust our omniscient God and His direction for our lives. Where ever he has chosen to plant us we should willingly and confidently accept knowing that it is only a temporary place where we are to grow and produce good fruit. Once we have out grown this place then the Lord will take us to a new and better place where we can continue to grow even more. Let us remember that the Lord knows where we can grow best.

If instead we become temperamental and reject where God wants us to be then we will begin to resent His will and His way for our lives. Our countenance will eventually reveal our discontentment, anger, and resentment. It becomes apparent that we are no longer abiding in Jesus and His words. Our God the Gardener is left with no choice and must cast us out as a branch and we will wither. Then we will be gathered with all the other useless branches and be thrown in the fire and burned.

Trusting in God’s will and His Word is vital to our spiritual growth. Let’s never become complacent or too comfortable with where God currently has us, instead let’s be ready and willing at all times to go and grow in whatever new pot He plants us. (John 15:1-8).

Surrender Daily

When we ask Jesus to come into our lives it should be because we acknowledged that we have sinned against God and disobeyed His laws. We go to Him broken with a contrite spirit, humbly sorry for our sins. Asking Him to forgive us, restore us, transform us and create in us a clean heart. It has become apparent to us that we need Him to help us because our ways of doing things in our lives have lead us down the wrong path. Heart ache and pain are the result of our own selfish and rebellious nature. Tired of this way of life we turn to Him and ask Him to take the wheel. We want him to be our Lord and Savior so we surrender to Him and confess our sins, repent, and ask Him to come into our hearts to live and rule.

This attitude of complete surrender that we have when we realize that we are sinners and hopeless without Him is one that we need to have on a daily basis. The definition of surrender is to give oneself up to another’s power or control. In order to be effective, victorious, powerful Christians then we must choose to surrender daily to the Lord’s will, His Spirit, and His Word.

Our Lord gave Joshua specific instructions when he was promoted as the new ruler of Israel after the death of his mentor Moses. His directives were to 1) be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy, 2) obey God’s Word, 3) always remind the people of God’s Word, and 4) daily read, study, and meditate on God’s Word. Joshua followed our Lord’s instructions and he conquered his enemies and successfully ruled God’s people. This advice is still good today. We can apply these instructions to our Christian walk so that we can be mighty conquerors just like Joshua was. (Joshua 1:6-8)

The writer of Psalm 119 also understood that it was vital to know God’s Word and to submit to it.

“Blessed Lord, teach me your rules. I have recited your laws, and rejoiced in them more than in riches. I will meditate upon them and give them my full respect. I will delight in them and not forget them.” Psalm 119:12-16

“Keep me far from every wrong; help me, undeserving as I am, to obey your laws, for I have chosen to do right. I cling to your commands and follow them as closely as I can. Lord, don’t let me make a mess of things. If you will only help me to want your will, then I will follow your laws even more closely.” Psalm 119:29-32

“May I never forget your words; for they are my only hope.” Psalm 119:43

If we will choose to meditate on and surrender to God’s Word daily we will desire His will and His way of doing things for our lives. His Word will rise up in our hearts and minds and then flow out our mouth producing life. We will be changed and empowered to live victorious Christian lives.

Thank you Lord for your Word that gives us power and courage to produce fruitful Christian living. We will daily surrender our will and lay it at your feet. Your way is what we desire most. Thank you for your power and wisdom. In Jesus name. Amen.

"I Will Not Be Mocked"

With much heaviness and concern I write this posting to the believer who claims to love the Lord but continues to go back to the pig pen. (Luke 15:11-32)

The Lord says, “If you love me you will obey me. My kindness was meant to lead you to repentance. I delivered you from your old ways so that you could live free from the bondage that you were in. Why do continue to visit Egypt. Don’t you see that there is nothing there for you any more? You are my child. You bear my name, but you don’t understand that yet. I see everything..there is no place that you can go that can hide you from my love. I will not allow you to be plucked out of my hand because you are mine and I love you. My mercy and kindness endure forever. I am loving and forgiving, but you must remember that I am a Just God and I will not be mocked! You can not continue to sin because you know that I will forgive you. Your sin will bring you shame and judgment. Serve me with your whole heart so that I can use you to spread the Gospel. Surrender completely and your whole household will be saved! I am coming soon. Do not be deceived by those who say that it is not so. I will return for my children soon! Listen to the Words of my Son..

“Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own! But if you are evil and say to yourself, ‘My Lord won’t be coming for a while,’ and begin oppressing your fellow servants, partying and getting drunk, your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected, and severely whip you and send you off to the judgment of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:46-50)

Brothers and Sister these are the end days. We are called to be diligent servants of the Lord. I am pleading with you take these words seriously. Happy and fortunate is the man who God reproves; so do not despise or reject the correction of the Almighty. (Job 5:17)

Lord please help us to be obedient to your Word. Teach us to reverence you. Please forgive us for our sins. Change and mold us to be vessels of honor that you can use to be win souls for your kingdom. In Jesus name.. Amen!