Christians |

Vote Without Fear

Posted on July 27, 2016 by fivesonsplusone

It is so easy this election cycle to become frustrated and angry. I know I have. I feel like I can present the truth to people, yet they will prefer to stay blinded. I hear talk about fear of this person winning or that person winning. Truthfully, I get nervous when I think somebody as corrupt and untrustworthy as Hillary Clinton could possibly be nominated. What will this mean for my children, who democrats believe aren’t really my children?

It is so easy to get caught up in the winds of discontent and confusion and even fear, but one thing that will never change is the fact that no matter what happens, God is still in control. God knows what is going to happen already. He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. When I allow fear or discontentment into my mind, I am not fully trusting in God. Now, I must do my part and vote, but I have to trust God.

I believe history will show that Obama has been one of the worst Presidents in the history of this nation. One good thing that his leading has done, is wake up many sleeping Christians. These last few years have been like an alarm clock going off every few moments waking more and more people up to the fact that this nation is taking a turn, and not a good one.

I will vote this fall and I will vote for the best person for the job. I will vote for the person that I believe will wisely choose the next generations Supreme Court Justices. I will vote for the person who will understand that a strong military makes for a strong nation. I will vote for the person who believes for equality among all men and women and not just prey upon those with a victim mentality. I will vote for the person who understands that not protecting our borders means having a less secure nation and the person that understands the difference between legal immigration and illegal immigration. I won’t allow pride to keep me from helping this nation because my man or woman didn’t make the nomination. I will stand with Trump/Pence not because he or they are faultless, but because they stand for what I believe this nation is about.

This election season, vote without fear. Vote because you need to stand up for this nation and what this nation was founded on. Too many Christians are saying they can’t morally vote for Trump but yet they joyfully voted for Romney in the last election, even though Mormonism is considered a cult. Trump may not have all the traits you believe he should, but he understands the attacks that are happening to Christians here and around the world. He understands that churches should not be silenced any longer out of fear. He understands that our 2nd amendment rights are NOT to be infringed upon. He understands that making this nation great again means returning back to our constitutional rights given by God and not the government.

Christian Criticisms….(Facepalm)

Posted on November 12, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

I have to say, it is so easy to criticize. We live in a world so filled with criticism, I don’t even know what it will be like when I don’t hear something daily. We have bandwagon criticisms and we have our own unique criticisms. God wants us to have a thankful heart, but when we choose to criticize, we are the opposite of thankful. This is that time of year when I start to see all those social media posts on what people are thankful for, which is awesome, except that those posts are generally in between all the critical posts.

I think one of the big things that bothers me is when Christians constantly criticize one another as well as non-believers. We jump on these bandwagon offenses and try to shout louder than anybody else. Is the solid red cup really Satan’s tactic to lead us into temptation away from God? My goodness people, quit being so silly and ignorant! We pull out our Bibles and tell our friends why they can’t eat that way; why they can’t drink that. We point our fingers and we put our noses in the air because we have received the revelation and can’t believe that all you sinners won’t listen to us. Why can’t we be thankful and love one another? Why don’t we concentrate on loving each other and helping the orphans and widows and saving the lost souls?

I want to be known by man and by God as a thankful person. I want to understand the widow’s mite. I want to help others understand that being thankful is being humble. When we point our fingers and criticize others, we are being proud and arrogant, which are not true characteristics of God. We need to speak the truth in love. The Bible is very clear about so many things that the world tries to tell us are morally fine. I’m not saying that we don’t speak the truth, but don’t condemn people. We want to be a people known by our love.

Lord, I thank You for all that I have. I thank You for my family and all that You have blessed me with. You are a good Father and I am so thankful that You love me more than I can even fathom. Lord, help me break this critical spirit off my life. Let thankfulness not only be for one season of my life, but I want a whole life filled with thanksgiving.

Forgive Me Again

Posted on May 6, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

I shampooed most of the carpet in my home yesterday. I love that clean new carpet look after they are cleaned. There is no more dirt or stains. It is like they are brand new again. It is such a great feeling! I can look at my life the same way. When I sin, I start to become dirty, or stained. I can continue to live my life with the filth and stains, or I could choose to clean myself up. We all sin, but how we deal with our sin is what can really change us. As a child, I used to say “I’m sorry” all the time to get out of trouble. I knew it would appease my parents. I knew if I showed remorse, that they would show more mercy. I think many Christians live their lives like this; without maturity. Apologizing and asking God for forgiveness makes us feel better, but it does not change us.

Yes, God forgives us when we ask for forgiveness. He never reminds us of our sins that He has already forgiven us for. The problem with too many of us, is our failure to truly repent for our sins. To truly repent, we literally turn away from that sin and change our course. God knows our hearts. We can’t fool Him. He knows when we are trying to soothe our own soul, and when we are truly coming before Him, broken and wanting to be made whole by the only One who makes all things new. I know in my own life, there are too many times I have been almost flippant in my, “Oops! Sorry Lord, I did it again! Oh, please forgive me Lord!” Then, I choose to walk right back into that very same sin. I have to stop this. Where is the Fear of the Lord in this attitude? I should have the utmost of respect and reverence for the Almighty God, that my deepest desire is to completely turn away from my sin.

This takes maturity. We need to continually be maturing as Christians. If we truly want to be followers of Christ, we need to obey Him; obey the leading of His Holy Spirit. When we hear that still small voice telling us we shouldn’t be doing something, we need to obey Him. Yes, we serve a gracious and merciful Lord, but that doesn’t mean we continue to live a sinful life because we know He will always forgive us. Why are we even Christians if we don’t attempt to truly follow Christ in every area of our life?

“Lord please forgive me for not fully committing my life to You; for not truly repenting and turning away from my sins. Lord help me to walk in maturity and today I choose to recommit my life to serving You and loving You. I choose to understand who I am in Christ. I thank You for Your grace and mercy and for always loving me because that is who You are!”

‘Til Death

Posted on January 7, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

I love being married. It can be very difficult, yet very rewarding. My husband and I are opposite in so many ways it can be a challenge for each of us. One thing we are not opposite in is our belief in marriage. Marriage between one man and one woman; as God intended. We are both saddened by the constant news about divorce and how rampant it is; even in our own families. We believe that divorce is not an option. We hear people talk about how the Bible tells us the reasons that we can get divorced. The Bible talks about how people’s hearts were hardened so they got divorced. The Bible is not a how to get divorced handbook. ‘Til death do us part is a covenant between you, your spouse, and God. To me, ’til death is pretty cut and dried. We are married until death parts us.

I am thankful for God’s grace and mercy. I believe God’s grace covers a multitude of sins, including divorce. He loves us no matter what; no matter how good we are; no matter how bad we are. He loves us…plain and simple. I love my husband; no matter how good he is, no matter how bad he is. I love him. He loves me; no matter how good I am, no matter how bad I am. Love is not an emotion. Love is not that high you get in a new relationship. Love is commitment. God is love. God hates divorce. Divorce is selfish. I know these are probably not popular words, but as Christians, followers of Christ, we seemed to have merged the path less traveled to the widest path available. We make excuses why we should be allowed to divorce our spouse. Some of these excuses are completely legitimate….as to why we should get into counseling.

People don’t just fall out of love with each other. They make choices to stop loving and remaining committed to each other. Instead of finding excuses where you can get a divorce, find excuses on why you should stay committed to each other. Start with your vows. Those are powerful words; in sickness and health, rich or poor, ’til death do us part…etc etc. Instead of naming all the reasons why your spouse is wrong or finding all their faults, start with yourself. Be honest with yourself and name your own faults. Find ways to work on yourself and go before the throne of God and find a way to begin again. Give yourself to your spouse and make your marriage about them, and not yourself. Marriage is a gift. Don’t squander it.

Thank You for the, Uh, Joy?

Posted on October 6, 2014 by fivesonsplusone

Life is tough as a Christian. I am not going to lie, but where is the joy that should be in a Christian’s life? How many times do we talk with our friends or loved ones and hear them say, “Oh I am happy to be alive”? What!?!?!?!?! Life with Jesus is so joyful that you are happy to be alive; to be breathing?! So if the joy of the Lord gives us strength…..is that why so many Christians are weak today?

Don’t get me wrong, we all have those days where either somebody has done something so incredibly hurtful to us that even getting out of bed hurts; or we are having to pay the consequences of making a stupid decision. These are times when we learn from our mistakes, pick ourselves up, and move on. Our lives are supposed to be examples of being Christ-like. How many people look at how Christians are living, or acting, and want that life?

God gave us this life to enjoy it, not to just suffer through it until we reach the great beyond. I want people to look at me at any time during my day and see that unexplained joy and peace on my face. I don’t want people to see me suffering through life, barely getting by. I want the fruits of His Spirit to be so evident in my life that people want to turn to the Love of Jesus because of it. Find things that make you happy. Help others. Love on other people. Show people what God’s love is all about. Don’t make the choice to suffer through life. Enjoy it. Embrace it. Love it!

I’m Leaving!!!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by fivesonsplusone

Imagine your kids, or someone else’s kids for that matter, stamping their feet, yelling and running to their rooms; slamming their doors. We roll our eyes. We discipline our kids when they throw tantrums. We sometimes ignore them to teach them that there are other ways to get attention. We assume that those children that aren’t ours, must never get disciplined.

What do we do when this happens in the church? When people get mad or offended, they do the equivalent. They stamp their feet and they say they’re leaving because of this reason or that reason. The people leave hurt and the people left in the church are hurt. The Pastor/Head Elder is hurt because that is their child; their sheep. The church has lost a family member. Whatever happened to, “God sent me to this church and I’m not leaving, no matter what happens, until I wholly believe God and my leaders in agreement, send me elsewhere?

When our children throw tantrums, it is out of rebellion and manipulation. In essence, what many people do in the church is the very same thing. Sure, we may not be slamming doors and stomping our feet, but we are acting in rebellion and manipulatively. We didn’t get our way, so we run to the door. That will teach them! If God wants us somewhere and we leave, we are acting in rebellion. Suppose I feel like I am going to get that Worship Leading position, and suddenly, the leaders of the church put somebody else in that position. How I react to this turn of events is going to show my maturity or lack thereof. If you don’t deal with your issues, you will keep following this cycle of immature reactions and keep hurting others as well as yourself.

We need to be truly honest with ourselves and our issues. We need to understand our place in a church. If you think you deserve a position or something else in a church, then you don’t understand God’s word. If we got what we deserved, we would all be burning in hell. Good behavior and loyalty does not get you a position in a church. We, as Christians, have callings and giftings that God gave each of us. You may have a gift of worship and music on your life, but that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed that Worship Leader position. Perhaps you need to take your instrument or voice to the streets and be a Worship Leader there.

We need to trust God and trust the leaders, as Fathers and Mothers, that He placed in our lives. We need to check our hearts and motives when we feel that little voice inside telling us we deserved something that we didn’t get in the church. If we leave churches because we always get mad, or don’t agree, we will soon become unteachable if we aren’t already there; and that is a very concerning place to be as a follower of Christ!