Expecting From The Lord!

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. I Chronicles 4:10 NIV

So, the first day of boot camp didn't quite turn out the way we wanted it to work.

The breakfast I had planned was a miserable fail (baked omelette). Apparently, I forgot something needed in the recipe and we ended up with cheesy egg toast. 

Lunch was chicken salad, which for me was enhanced by using the cheesy egg toast for an open-faced sandwich.

Dinner--well, I have no idea since I didn't eat dinner and left the others to their own devices.  We'll get better as we go along--I hope.

A rocky start, but most of what we wanted to accomplish for day one--achieved.

Grandson is reading and analyzing specific passages of scriptures, relating them to daily living and other literature designed to open his eyes and open dialogue with us.

More next time--keep praying!

Lord, keep us focused on our task and always dependent upon You and enlarge our understanding of how to move forward in such a way that not only will our grandson learn a valuable lesson, but we will, too.

The Devil--Cloaked With Deceptive Devices!

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 2 Corinthians 4:1-5 NIV

Disclaimer--I am a devout Believer in Jesus Christ and claim no denominational ties or affiliations, I am ordained by God and man to teach God's Truth, no matter what the circumstances or who it may expose. I'm not particularly impressed with any politician because I know they all lie, but when it comes to mocking a practice that is pivotal to our faith, I tend to get a bit incensed.


Your thoughts are welcomed!

I am unable to attach the link I wanted to reference, but please check on YouTube and search for "Donald Trump Meets With Religious leaders." Here it is https://youtu.be/Uk4c2uoOF3o

Please note that this video posted in September 2015. Much has been revealed about the man, by himself, since then.

I'm praying even the more for God to pour out His Wisdom upon all flesh, that blinders will be removed and ears unstopped so they will receive Truth.

Keep On, Keeping On!

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have show hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (Hebrews 13: 1-3 NIV)

How simple are these instructions? Keep on loving, keep showing hospitality to strangers, keep remembering those in prison and keep remembering those who are mistreated! Who are our brothers and sisters? Who are the strangers we should be nice to? Who do we know in prisons? Who is being mistreated?

Our brothers and sisters are everyone in the Body of Christ--no matter what denominationalism is recognized and honored, all Believers--are joint-heirs with Christ, we are the spiritual seed of Abraham, and children of the Most High God. If then, we are all children then we are all brothers and sisters in The Lord! I love meeting my brothers and sisters who I've never met--at car rentals (had a great time of fellowship at Enterprise once with two brothers in The Lord upon our first meeting), in supermarkets, at the park, in parking lots, at phone stores, online, in restaurants--everywhere I venture, I meet a new brother or sister and we just rejoice like we've known each for all our lives. In the spirit--we have--which is why we have no problem loving one another.

Showing hospitality to strangers should never be a problem for those of us who Believe since we never know who it is we're treating right. And it shouldn't matter. If we treat all we know the way we would be want to be treated, they will know who we are. And I don't mean we should treat people who are celebrities or politicians with more respect than any other person with whom we have no relationship. The beggar on the street deserves our respect just as much as any other person of any type of status. I'm not advocating being foolish, but in exercising the wisdom God has so abundantly given us, in all things. I realize that sometimes, we can not, avoiding certain people is an exercise of using wisdom rather than putting ourselves in danger. We must be wise as a serpent, but gentle as a dove--not being hateful, but mindful of our safety and staying out of harm's way. The enemy is a master of deception and some of his demons will try to use this instruction to worm their way into our lives and destroy everything we've worked to accomplish.

Remembering those in prison means so much more than just empathizing with those locked behind bars a prison cell. Some people are prisoners of their mind because they don't have the mind of Christ are constantly at odds with themselves. Some people are prisoners of their addictions and don't know how to break loose. And some are prisoners of spouses, parents, or children--locked into situations they cannot escape. We must continue to pray for them and those who are locked up in prisons--for standing for justice and holiness.

There are so many people who are mistreated that this space is not room enough to enumerate them. But there are people who are persecuted for their faith in God; parents are mistreating children, and children are mistreating parents and grandparents; spouses are mistreating each other, governments are mistreating the people and total strangers are abusing and mistreating those they encounter. Lord help us all to seek You for wisdom in all situations! For anyone who mistreats someone else, they demonstrate they have not received the love of God, are incapable of loving themselves and therefore, cannot love others. We cannot give or demonstrate what we do not have!

Lord, help us to keep looking to You to know how we are to do all You have asked us to do. Help us to keep on keeping on, doing all that pleases You, mindful of the fact that You know our hearts and see all we do.

Are We Praying?

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:2-6 NIV)

When I think about what I might do if I was in chains, I wonder if I would have had the fortitude that Paul had. I honestly don't know the answer to that because I've never been locked away from people or in chains. I can only pray that my devotion to God would enable me to do likewise.

But that's the key--devotion--totally dedicated and committed to doing what is needful. Although most of us are appalled with the way the terrorist groups treat Christians, we must admit they are totally devoted to their goal--no matter how inhuman it is. They are so committed to accomplishing their goal they are willing to die to see it come to pass.

I don't want to be involved with taking the life of a another human being, but wouldn't it be great if the rest of us were as devoted to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the terrorists are in trying to decimate us?

This, then is why Paul encouraged the church at Colosse (and us) to devote ourselves to prayer--being in constant communication with God about everything that concerns us. He cautions us to be watchful--paying attention to the changes taking place around, hearing Holy Spirit when He warns us of things to come, and taking whatever action we need to take to make sure the way of the Gospel is never blocked or closed to all those who desire to hear it.

Let's face it--we have not always heeded Paul's advice which is why there are so many changes in our society--and not all of them good. We were not being watchful when Madeline Murray O'Hara decided that her children didn't need to be exposed to anyone praying in schools. The Body of Christ didn't think she'd accomplish her goal and did nothing and so today, the school systems all over the country are running amuck because open prayer is not allowed. In other words--the devil won that round. But there are still those who are devoted to praying--and students are leading prayer circles in limited situations. Hooray for the brave, bold students, but what happened to the adults who should have been fighting for the rights of all to hear and agree with the prayers?

Once again, Christian Leadership in the country failed to act on warnings by Holy Spirit and the Supreme Court has led the way for the downward spiral of morality and we shall soon see such decadent immorality that it will make our dead ancestors cringe in unbelief. Were we praying before issues reached the Supreme Court? Were we praying that our elected body of legislators would do their jobs?

Are we praying--even now--or have we become complacent and apathetic--willing to just let things take their course?

My daily prayer includes thanking God for wisdom being poured out upon every leader in this country--that they will hear from heaven and act accordingly. I'm praying that those who made the decision to legalize sin would repent and for those participating in sinful acts would repent and seek God. I thank God for the ability to love, the boldness to teach His Word, and the wisdom to know what to say and when. I thank God for inspiring me to teach my children and grandchildren to learn to please God, not man. And more importantly, I've taught them to seek God--communicating with Him on a daily basis--for answers to all their questions and solutions for all their problems.

Are we praying? Are we devoted to seeking God for every situation we encounter--for peace in the world and salvation for all?

Lord, give us insight to know that we will never have the answers for all the world's problems, but You do. And when You speak to us--directing us in how to help solve them, give us an ear to hear and a made-up mind to do--just as You direct us to do, exercising Godly wisdom at all times. Thank You for loving us enough to give us chance after chance to get things right before You return. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen!