God

Trust

Posted on by fivesonsplusone

Trust can be a difficult thing for me. Every person reading this right now has been burned by another person at some point in their past. I want to trust, but there is always that nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that nobody is truly trustworthy. The Bible is filled with scriptures about trusting in the Lord and not putting your trust in man, BUT what about when God puts people in your life that you are to trust. God places spiritual leaders in our lives and even spiritual brothers and sisters that we are to trust. God calls us to have fellowship with one another. I don’t believe this is us standing in the corner afraid to open up because of our lack of trust. I believe God wants us to open up and reveal our hearts to each other. I believe we need to learn to trust one another.

I believe that God uses man to do His work. God loves to use us. I believe this includes trusting God to put people in my life that I can and should trust. I believe we need to guard our hearts and listen to His still small voice when He gives us a warning about something or someone, but overall, we need to learn to trust one another. One of the big problems is that man is made up of flesh. We are imperfect and we do and say stupid things. We can be insecure and our tongues can do damage. There is not one person out there that has not hurt somebody at least once in their lifetime. I think most of us can say that there was never any intention to hurt somebody, but it happened anyway. Just as God forgives us for our stupidity and sins, we need to forgive each other. God doesn’t want us only trusting in the doctors to heal us. He doesn’t want us looking to man to provide for us. God is our provider and our healer. God is our everything and He provides our every need. If you have been trusting God for a financial breakthrough, God may provide a job through a friend. God may use that doctor to bring that healing you needed. God is a big God. He doesn’t NEED us, but He loves to use us.

I think forgiveness and trust go hand in hand. If you can’t trust people, maybe you should search your heart and make sure you forgave those who hurt you in the past. I have had to forgive those who don’t show any repentance for what they have done. I think most of us probably have. This doesn’t mean I am going to have tea with this person; it means I will forgive them so I can open up my heart to another person who God places in my path. This is a maturity level that we all need to reach at some point. My children will yell that they will apologize when they hear it from their brother first. As adults, we may not shout out those demands, but too many of us say it in our hearts.

Let us be quick to forgive. I’m not saying to just trust every person who you come across, but be smart about it and listen to the Holy Spirit guiding you. It may be a step of faith, but this week try to let somebody get a little peek at your heart. God doesn’t want us to be cut off from the world because we feel like everybody is going to turn on us. Trust God to put people in your life that love you and truly want His will for your life. Don’t be proud. We need each other.

Lord forgive me for allowing pride to keep people away that You have placed in my life. Help me to trust You above all. Forgive me for allowing unforgiveness in my heart and not allowing the love of the Lord in others to teach me how to open up. I desire to walk in the full calling that You have place on my life. I want to walk in complete freedom. Thank you Lord that Your mercies are new every morning. Today I will not only open up my heart and let You in, but I will open up my heart to another and no longer keep my light hidden.

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Rise Up With Hope and Finish This Race

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Being wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus can be a difficult road. Well, it is a difficult road. I believe that is why God tells us to ‘finish the race’ we started. When we start a race, we are sprinting and so excited and we feel like we have the energy to go forever. I used to run long distance in High School and I have been trying to get back to running again. You would think I would remember the whole pace yourself thing from all those years running, but no, this Mama is going to sprint those first couple of blocks and then stop and wonder why I only went .15 miles on my running app! There is a maturity that comes with a seasoned runner. You understand where you need to pick up your pace and you understand when you need to conserve your energy in that moment. You don’t always know what kind of terrain is coming around the next corner and if you aren’t paying attention, you could hurt yourself.

I think you could say similar things in your Christian walk. When we first get saved, we are so excited and we are probably running like a child again. We are leaping over obstacles in our way without a care in the world. We want to tell everybody about Jesus and what He has done for us. This is not a bad thing right away. As we move along this path of life though, we gain a maturity in our walk with Christ; at least we are supposed to. The Bible talks about going through valleys and low times in our life where we may feel alone but God is always with us. Sometimes we can’t see anything through the density of the troubles that are in front of us, but as we read the Bible and spend our time with God in prayer and worship, He always guides us. Spending time with Him matures us. We eventually see that obstacle in front of us and automatically know exactly what we need to do to get past this.

If you have walked with God for any amount of time, you know what I am trying to talk about here. If you feel like you still don’t know what to do when difficulties arise, you need to search your heart and find out why you haven’t matured. We all have times when we need some help along the way. Those long races are filled with people handing out water and at times an energy bar or something to help you finish the race. The church that you are called to is filled with those people. They are ready to hand you what you need in those times of difficulty. My concern here is that you may have never been one of those people who helps others in their times of need. Are you so lacking in maturity and growth that you can barely get through the day or week without the thought of giving up? God calls us to a place of maturity. There are times we rest in Him, but we never give up. We wait with hope. Search your hearts and be honest with yourself and God. He sees your heart and we can hide nothing from Him. Maybe you just don’t want to help people. That is immaturity. Maybe you don’t know how to help people. Step out in faith! I am not always the best communicator in certain situations, but I trust God will guide me so that I can help the person I am talking to. When I spend time with Him, He gives me the endurance I need to finish the race and to help others along the way. You can do this! Don’t give up because you don’t know what is around the corner; it could be your breakthrough moment!

Isaiah 40:31

“Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the LORD will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.”

Christian Criticisms….(*Facepalm*)

Posted on 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.

Progressing Into What??

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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.

Love

Posted on by fivesonsplusone

When you think about love, what do you think about? Your spouse? Your children? Your job? Your parents? God? When I think about love, I think about so many things. Love is a word that I don’t think you can define beyond “God is Love”. How can one define God? We as mere human beings try to put things in little boxes with pretty little bows and when we take it out now and again, we know exactly what we are talking about. If we understood love and how God loves us, I don’t think we could even stand up. When I think about the love that I have for my husband, it sometimes overwhelms me. I think he must not even have a clue how much I love him; how much that loves grows daily. I think about my sons and wonder if they have a clue how much I love them. Love is giving something, but love is also taking something that somebody else is giving. Love is comfortable, yet love can be the most uncomfortable thing in the world to you at a moment.

Look back at your life so far. Think about good memories and even bad memories. Love was always somehow involved. I look back at my childhood at times and wonder how different I would be today if things had been better. I don’t think I would understand God’s love and grace like I do today. I don’t think I would be as strong as I am today. I overcame my childhood. Don’t get me wrong. My childhood wasn’t even near as bad as many children around the world. I have a Dad who loves me and is proud of me. I thank God for him every day. I could have turned to the world to fill that void of a Mother’s love in my life, but I chose to turn to God. I want His love to consume me and not a hatred and bitterness that the enemy can use for his purposes.

Love holds no record of wrongs. That is hard sometimes to forgive and let go. It can be hard for me to have a fight with my husband and not bring up his past mistakes. That is not fighting fair. When we ask forgiveness from God and repent from our sins, He erases them. He doesn’t even remember them! That is love. That is what we need to consume us; mind, body, and spirit.

The world today has perverted love. We use love as an excuse for our sins. We are literally perverting who God is. God help the nations that have perverted Him and have used God as an excuse for our sins. We need to pray for our nations and pray for each other that we can all come to understand who God is and what love truly is. One day every knee will bow down; One day every tongue will confess He Is God! Lord help me to show Your love to others. Open our eyes God!

1 Corinthians 13

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whetherthere are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Joseph’s Understanding

Posted on by fivesonsplusone

Forgiveness can be difficult. Saying I’m sorry can be difficult. We are made of human, imperfect flesh. We have to die to ourselves every day. We have to get rid of pride, anger, jealousy, rage, envy; all things not of God. Our whole lives are filled with trials and we have to fight to be overcomers. That is what God calls us to be; overcomers not survivors. At times in my own life I have questioned God. Why did I have this parent? Why did I go through this God? Where were you God? I think we have all cried out to God for answers in moments of this life.

I would like to think that I have had some understanding of what forgiveness is throughout my life. Forgiveness is so powerful; it brings freedom. In the same way unforgiveness is powerful for the enemy; it brings bondage. I was reading about Joseph again the other day when I had to stop and reread a portion.

Genesis 45: 4-8

4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will beneither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

I have read those passages so many times, yet on that day God really revealed something to me. Joseph keeps telling his brothers who sold him, that “God sent me before you”. Joseph had a full revelation that God was fully involved in this whole journey. God was not surprised that Joseph was sold by his brothers, or that Joseph ended up in prison. God planned it that way. Joseph saw the bigger picture. He was sent so that one day, he could save his family from the drought.

No matter what we have gone through, or are going through, we need to hold on to that revelation that God sent us. It is so easy to say that it is all the enemy’s fault. Because of the enemy, I am not doing what I was supposed to be doing. The enemy stole my future or my calling. I know it can happen. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. We do need to be ever watchful of the enemy’s snares. God has plans for our life and sometimes those plans may include things like your own brothers selling you out of jealousy, or ending up in prison as an innocent man. Joseph understood this. He did choose to forgive his brothers, but he understood that God planned all of his life and Joseph was faithful to overcome all of his adversities by being faithful to his God, the God of his fathers.

I want to be like Joseph in that way. I want to be quick to forgive and quick to understand that the enemy doesn’t surprise God. Our parents or siblings, or that person in your life that you don’t understand why God put them in your life, they are there for a purpose. God is sending us and it is up to us to choose to forgive with the understanding that we serve a faithful God and He knows our destiny. God is sending us because perhaps one day, we are going to be saving another person’s life, or many people’s lives. Don’t live in your sorrow, or unforgiveness. Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t lose hope.

Lord I choose to forgive all those who have hurt me. I choose to walk this path with the understanding that You alone are God and nothing is impossible for You. Thank you Lord for my destiny.

Here I Am…..Maybe…

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I have been going through a process in the last few years trying to figure out what is good for my body and what isn’t. I know some things are just plain bad for me, and I try not to eat or drink them, but sometimes, there is a grey area. What may work for another person to lose weight, may not work for you. I feel frustrated at times when I feel like I have just starved myself for the last couple of weeks only to see the scale move up instead of down. I get confused when I don’t even try and I end up losing a couple of pounds, then think I’ve caught on to something, only to gain 5 more. This is my body….and sometimes it’s a little hard to love. After having 5 babies through 5 invasive surgeries, my body is fighting back. I try to eat well and exercise, but I fight sinus problems all the time and I begin to feel overwhelmed. At this point in time, everybody knows exactly what I am doing wrong and what I should and should not do. Believe me people; I’ve tried it ALL! All I can do at this point is take care of myself by eating healthy and exercising.

But what about that other part of me? What about my spirit-man? I have no scale in my bathroom that measures how I have been treating it. Do I feed it enough? So many times we only look at our flesh. I only look at my body and forget to look at my spirit. Is it thriving? It’s easy to say, ‘I’ll read more tomorrow, or I’ll pray more tomorrow’, when nobody can see my spirit. I don’t walk down the street and have some lady stop me and wonder what my secret is. Nobody says, “Boy, somebody has been reading their Bible lately!” I can feel it. I know YOU can feel it too. Just like when we fill our physical body with unhealthy ‘garbage’ food and feel horrible the rest of the day, this is what happens to our spirits when we treat it the same way. Our spirit needs to be nourished with prayer and fasting and spending time in the word of God; spending time with God.

I may be only speaking to myself here, but my spirit is malnourished. Today is the day that I decide what I want my spirit to look like. Do I want to be a warrior for Christ, who knows and understands His scriptures, or do I want to just get by on what I learned as a kid in Sunday School? Today is the day I change. Today is the day I repent for my lack of spiritual nourishment, because one day when God is calling on me, I want to stand in full armor and say, “Here I am God, use me!”

Forgive Me Again

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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!”

Your Breakthrough is Coming

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I saw a video today that literally made me weep. It was a group of men from Syria digging in the ground until they came upon an arm, then a head, and much later on in the video, finally, the whole body….of a toddler. This toddler was rubbing his/her eyes and was ALIVE! I don’t know how long this small child was buried alive, but they didn’t give up. I don’t even know if it was a boy or a girl because it just wasn’t that clear. All I know is that God has a plan for this child’s life and this child never gave up. Death tried to come for this child and this child didn’t give up! How many times have we given up? I know we struggle and get frustrated and feel like we are alone, but we are never alone. God has promised He would never leave us or forsake us. I just want to give you some hope today.

Don’t give up! Your breakthrough is coming….

Where is the Fear of the LORD?

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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!