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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.

Progressing Into What??

Posted on November 6, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

Today as I was reading Deuteronomy, I came across this scripture.

Deuteronomy 4:2 “Do not add to what I command you and do no subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”

God’s word is enough. We don’t need to add to it. We cannot subtract from it. So why do we see so many churches revising their church guidelines? Why do we hear so many religious people saying they have evolved in their thinking? Well, that is not scriptural or Godly. God doesn’t change His mind. He knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. He stays the same through the ages.

So many people argue that the Bible was written for so many years ago and surely God has progressed with the times! No, you just took God off His throne and put Him in your own little box and told Him how it is. God doesn’t sit on His throne and think, boy did I screw that up making a woman for Adam; or even making them have their own gender! He doesn’t look upon us and see how Satan has corrupted too many minds and brought perversion into mainstream society as a norm and think that the ‘student has surpassed the master’!

When we say that the Bible is an old book and the world has changed. Yes the world has changed, and the Bible may have been inspired to be written a long time ago for us, but it doesn’t take away the power that God’s word brings us. In Deuteronomy, His word says not to add or subtract from it. Man can attempt to change governmental laws all they want, but they will never ever change God’s laws. The Bible is filled with answers, and power, and encouragement. The Bible tells us to watch out for the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy us. If you believe that gender is fluid and sex is between whatever man, woman, or thing you want it to be, then you don’t know Him. You don’t know God and you have lost all fear of the Lord. What you have gained is the fear of man and the fear of rejection. You won’t be standing before a group of your peers on Judgement Day. You won’t be able to tell God that ‘love is love’ or that the world is evolving. Yes, God is a merciful and gracious God, but He is a just and jealous God.

If you believe that the world is evolving and it’s just better to go with the flow, then you have rejected the Holy love of God and replaced it with the unholy darkness of the enemy of God. God does not change. He gave us a choice to choose Him, but He will not make us choose Him.

Lord, today I choose You. I choose to follow Your commands and to not add or subtract from them. I repent for ever listening or obeying the enemy when I felt it was the right thing to do to compromise. God I know one day every knee shall bow and ever tongue will confess that You along are God. I thank you for Your grace and mercy on my life and I will continue to worship only You; My KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.

Where is the Fear of the LORD?

Posted on March 12, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

My husband and I were talking about this just today. What has happened to the fear of the Lord? I can’t say that I have complete understanding of every scripture in the Bible, but I feel like I understand this scripture in my own way. I would love any sort of feedback from all of you if you have anything to add to this!

Now I talked about fear a couple of days ago and I pointed out that we are to no longer have fear; that Jesus took it up on the cross with Him and we are freed from it, but this ‘fear of the Lord’ is a different fear. This fear is in reference to utmost respect and love and reverence toward Him that we are in absolute awe of Him. This fear is complete abandonment of our former sinful lives and nature, and trying to live our lives Christ-like. Christ loves us; all of us, unconditionally, but He will never change His mind about sin.

When we look at the news and the world around us, the world wants us to see ‘progress’. When you read your Bible, does it say something anywhere about one day in the future, how God will throw out all His laws and commandments because society has progressed so far that we just don’t need them; we don’t need HIM? I know mine doesn’t say that!

I believe many in the church who have compromised their morals and lifestyles in the name of progress have lost that fear. I believe we live in a ‘God will forgive me’ society that lacks repentance. I can’t say that I am sinless. I struggle with things often, but I will forever bind His word to my heart. I will learn even more so, to fear my God because He is a Worthy and Holy God. I think we humanize God and try to make Him like us so we can understand Him better. I know I have found myself in the past doing this. I would ask myself, “How does God forgive so quickly and easily?” Well, because He is God!

God gave us a will so we can choose Him. I will choose Jesus over immorality in the name of progress every day. I encourage you today, get to know Him. Spend time with Him.

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty. Who was, and is, and is to come!

No More FEAR!

Posted on March 9, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

As I sit here listening to “No Longer Slaves” by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, I find myself really listening to the words. We are no longer slaves to fear. Those words are so important. I know in my own life, I have missed out on too many things because of my own fears. I feared unusual things, and what many would consider to be ‘normal’ things. We find in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” It does not say that it is okay to fear certain things! God sent His son to die on the cross for all those fears, no matter how rational you think they are. I do not like bugs or heights, but I don’t fear them.

God does not want us to live in any sort of fear. Give your fears to Him! He has given us a sound mind. I can’t tell you what that scripture means to me having lived with massive anxiety for too many years. Don’t give up this life because of your fears. Go outside and enjoy God’s creation. Look at things with new eyes. Go to the top of the Empire State Building and see what beauty you can find there. Go to the ocean and find the beauty there. Go to your mirror and find the beauty there. Go for a drive and revel in the beauty of nature.

Beauty is everywhere. You will find it more easily if you are no longer a slave to fear. You will see the beauty in others as well as this world. We have enough to overcome in this world than to let fear control us to the point we can’t leave our homes, or even our towns.

Your fear died on the cross with Jesus. It is time you left it there. When Jesus rose, all our sins and fears were washed away. His blood saved us and to this day spares us from all fear and anxiety. Let’s rise up and walk together as one body of Christ without fear. One day without fear will turn into two. Two days will turn into three and before you know it, you will be walking in complete freedom from fear and anxiety. You can do this!

Perfectly Imperfect

Posted on January 16, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

I started another semester of my attempt at a college degree and I am taking a rather large workload. This works against my personality in so many ways. You see, I am a bit of a perfectionist. Getting a 100% at the end of the semester is the ultimate reward. I actually get disappointed if I get below an A on an assignment. Now, I don’t have a perfect 4.0 GPA, but it is still pretty high up there. I only say these things because I am trying to show a major flaw in myself….perfectionism.

Did you know perfectionism is most definitely NOT a good thing?! I have had to work on this in myself for probably the last couple of decades since I was even a child. I realize much of my perfectionism comes from trying to please a parent who quite possibly, I will never please, but it is still wrong. How many times have I redone something that my husband or my sons have done because it isn’t the way I would do it; which of course is the perfect way? I stress over coursework because I am afraid I will do bad and people may think I am imperfect. Well, there is another problem with perfectionism. It allows fear to have a foothold in your life. I have become afraid of being imperfect.

This is an ongoing process for me. I have to sit back and realize that I only need to do my best with school. I have a fantastic GPA and I feel like I am learning quite a bit; which is kind of the point! When I redo something that my sons have done, I am telling them that what they did isn’t good enough. I know at times kids don’t do their best, but often enough my boys work hard to clean something and I have to praise them for what they did and thank them. I don’t want them to give up because they think they will never measure up. When I redo something my husband has worked hard on, I am telling him the same thing…what he does just isn’t good enough; YOU aren’t good enough; YOU aren’t as perfect as I am. Sounds a little like pride too doesn’t it?

This is a reminder to myself just as much as it is to possibly help something out there. I can’t get stressed over one question wrong on a test. I don’t need to check and recheck household chores because I saw a speck of lint on my floor. Well, I may recheck my boys’ bathroom because, let’s get real, boys can be a little nasty!

Any comments to add to this? How do you find yourself buckling under the pressure of perfectionism??

No Fear

Posted on December 16, 2014 by fivesonsplusone

When each of my sons was just a newborn baby, before we even left the hospital, I prayed a prayer over each of them. I prayed that God would help me give them back to Him. I prayed that He would help me understand that even though He gave them to me, I have to let them grow up and do what they are called to do. My boys are young enough that what they want to do when they grow up has changed pretty consistently over the years. My boys pray over different countries every night that God puts on their hearts. Some of those countries are scary and dangerous places. My motherly instinct is to say scream, “no! No you will not think of that country and you will definitely not be going over there.” I have to remember that my sons are here to bring glory to God in whatever they do. They may grow up and get an office job. They may be missionaries. They could even live in other countries in dangerous areas where they feel called to spread His word.

I love my boys so much I can’t even believe it. I never thought I could ever have this much love in my heart for my husband and my five sons. I can see how parents want to protect their children even beyond their childhood into their adulthood, but that is not what is supposed to happen. God called us to raise our children to become independent of us; to understand right and wrong; to fulfill the call of God on their lives. My boys have seen us just three and a half years ago sell everything we owned to move across the country because we felt that was what God wanted us to do. It wasn’t easy. It was hard to sell my beautiful things I had accumulated over the years. It was hard to hear the negativity from family members and the harsh words. It was hard to see the disappointment in my sons’ eyes when we told them we were selling everything and moving because we knew God wanted us to. It can be difficult, but they saw for themselves how God works. They have seen for themselves how our life is not our own. They have seen the tears and excitement as well as the anger from parents and other friends and family. One day, this may be them. They may feel called to move across the country, or even to a completely different country for that matter.

It is not unloving to let your children go. It is not unloving to let your parents go. So many parents don’t ever want to let their children go into this big scary world. We live in fear of the unknown; in the fear of failure. We have taught our children that fear is bigger than God, rather than God is so much bigger than our fears. Too many of our children are afraid to leave the nest and we are too afraid to push them over the side and let them learn to fly on their own.

I will always remember those prayers over each of my boys in the hospital. I have to remember them because one day I will want to not let them go and God will gently remind me of those prayers. I will always be their Mama and will always be there to help counsel them when they need it. They know that. They also know that God has plans for each one of them and one day in the future, they will work on fulfilling their callings.

Parents, don’t let fear hold your children back, or yourself for that matter. Children, don’t let your parents fear hold you back. Don’t let your own fear hold you back because our God is greater than any fear in this world. He loves us!