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As we watch our world, and many Christians along with them, fall prey to hard-heartedness and temptations of all sorts, I wonder if they understand what’s happening to them and around them?

Luke 8 tells us that there are those who hear the Word and receive it gladly, but then the Word, being in their heart, is choked with the cares, riches and pleasures of this life.

Are you being weighed down with the cares, riches and pleasures of this life?  Or, worse yet, have you placed them above God in your life?  How can you tell?

Who’s On First?

One way to tell is to think about how much time you spend with God.  We all have a lot on our plate to take care of, but how often do you make time to spend with the Lord, talking with Him, praying to Him, reading the Word?  Do you remember the last time you did any of those things?  Are you, ask God instructs us in the book of Matthew, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?

Who’s the Boss?

Another way to tell where your priorities are is to think about the decisions you make.  Do you stop and ask the Holy Spirit, given to us as counselor, before making decisions?  Is God involved in the decision-making process when you buy things, go places, or do things?  Or do you simply do what you see fit and what you see as best for your family, without any regard to what God may have to say about it.

Sometimes people don’t ask God before those decisions, because they think the answer is obvious, but it isn’t always clear.  Remember; God sees the big picture in your life, not just the present situation.

A perfect example of this is the purchase of our first horse.  When Star came into our lives, and the Lord spoke to my spirit and said “Buy the horse.”, I thought He was off His rocker.  We had no money at the time to buy him, board him and care for him.  We were scraping by, paycheck to paycheck.  I argued with the Lord for a good week before He stepped back in silence, waiting for me to come to the end of myself.  I then repented, and we bought the horse.  He brought the money to pay for the horse and board him, and now today, 2 years later, we are caring for Star on our own hobby farm, which, ironically, is much cheaper than boarding him.  And that horse has brought a joy and confidence to our oldest daughter that is absolutely priceless.

Often times, our plans for our family aren’t God’s plans.  Life offers us several roads to take, and we don’t know where each of those roads will lead.  But God does, and that’s why it’s crucial that we ask Him before making decisions, even the smallest of decisions.

The Right Perspective

When we moved to our hobby farm last fall, it allowed us to start looking at the world from the outside looking in, so to speak.

Out here in “the boonies” we are largely forgotten about by “modern” society, while they busily work to achieve the American Dream of “having it all”.  But do they really have it all?

John 16:15 says:

You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Are you working toward those things that will justify you before men?  The things that you think will make you highly esteemed among men?  If so, the fruits of your labors are worthless, and will profit you nothing.

Why?  Because no matter how highly man may esteem you, there will always be someone who will come along and take your place, leaving you old and forgotten, like yesterday’s news.

Pastor Andrew Wommack spoke in a sermon once that when he would go and minister in nursing homes, he would find many men and women, sad and broken-hearted because they, though once had it all, were now replaced by others who were younger, prettier, richer.  The world had forgotten them, and they were all alone.

This is what happens when we seek the riches of the world instead of the glorious, un-ending riches of a right relationship with Jesus Christ.  If you want temporary fulfillment and happiness that comes and goes with the wind, choose to seek the riches of this world.

However, if you want true happiness, peace and joy, choose to seek God first, above all other things in your life.  There you can find a contentment, joy and peace that are worth more than all of the money in the world.

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As we look around the world today, or watch the news, it’s quite evident to most that we’re in a heap of trouble.  The world is amass with violence of all kinds.  Greed and selfishness are the order of the day.  Crimes against children are at an all-time high and it seems by many to be perfectly acceptable.

So, as Christians, how are we to function in today’s world without giving in to fear, discouragement and defeat?  How are we to stay positive in a negative world?

There is one way, and one way only; keep your eyes on Jesus.  We must have faith in Him if we are to survive.  Mark 13:13 tells us that in the end, “Brother will betray brother, to the death, and a father his child.  Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

If we are to be among those who “stand firm to the end”, we must have faith that Jesus will strengthen us in this journey.

We must also never forget that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1).

There is a BIG difference between fact and truth, ladies, and knowing the difference is crucial.   The fact may be that “there is no one righteous, not one (Romans 3:10), but the truth is that “righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22).  The fact may be that the world is spinning out of control at a rapid pace, but the truth is that Jesus came and that “whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.”

When the days are wearing on you, and the world around you seems hopeless, don’t forget that it is hopeless.  More importantly, don’t forget that that’s why our Father in Heaven sent His Son, Jesus Christ, not to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  Regardless of the facts, the truth is that you and I have this awesome Savior!  The Bible calls Him Almighty, Counselor, Keeper, Protector, Healer, Deliverer, and a whole host of other wonderful names.  He has come that we may “have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10).  Proverbs 18:10 tells us that “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it, and they are safe.”

So when the pressures and the fears of the world start bearing down on you, take refuge in the shadow of His Wings.  Don’t look at the facts, look at the truth – the truth that you have an Almighty God in Heaven waiting for you to take refuge in Him and stay safe through all storms.  Choose to believe the Word over the world.  Stand on that Word – the Word of God, that promises that He will “never leave you or forsake you.” (Deut 31:6).  Make a thorough search of the Word and believe in the truth of His love, protection and guidance today!

How has your faith guided you through when it seemed like there was no way out?  Share your story with us!

Tomorrow: A Guide to Protecting Your Family in These End Days

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I watched a speech this morning that is making the rounds big time and wanted to share it all with you.  We are coming to a crossroads in America where each and every citizen will have to choose whether to stand on the side of God, or to turn our backs on Him and reject Him.  There really is no neutral position here.  What will you choose?

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As I sat and pondered all that I learned yesterday in my Bible teachings, something occurred to me.  There are literally millions (hopefully billions) of Christians sitting in church during the week, going to Bible studies, participating in prayer groups, Sunday school, youth groups and the like.

There are also, among the lot of us, many, many opinions about who God is and what He does or does not do, can or cannot do.  Yet, the God of the Christian Bible is only one, never changing God.

How is it that even though He never changes, there are so many differing opinions about who He is?

Some say He heals all of the time, some say some of the time, and some say that healing in Christ was for “back then”.  Some say the price for sin was paid on the cross, and others say that price is still being paid today through natural disasters, disease and the like.

My question to you today is: Who is your God?  Do you know, really know, who He is?  Do you really understand His Character, or are you letting other teachings, the circumstances of your life, or your own judgment determine the character of God?

When you look at all of the different teachings and opinions about the character of God, isn’t it true that some of us have to be wrong?  After all, if God is the same yesterday, today and forever, then He doesn’t change.  So it must be that some of us have got our view of the character of God all wrong, isn’t that so?

My prayer for you today is that you would make a decision that 2012 will be the year in which you immerse yourself in the Bible and discover the true character of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Go into this journey with an open mind, and see what you discover about our Lord and Savior.  Determine through the Word what His character really truly is.  Look at the story as a whole, not just verses here and there, but the whole story.  What you find just may surprise you!

Have you discovered a different God from what you once thought about His character?  Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment.

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It was only midway through the week, and I had already reached my breaking point.  I was just plain tired.  Tired of doing laundry, of caring for the kids, of homeschooling, blogging – tired of every single thing I did every day.  I had had enough.  I had a wonderful life, but I just couldn’t take it anymore, and I didn’t understand why.

So I went up to my room, and I cried – again.  I had just heard a wonderful sermon on how self-centeredness is the root of all grief.  I knew that me thinking about myself was a big part of the problem, but I didn’t know why, or how to get rid of it.

You see, I wasn’t a self-centered person in the traditional way: I spend my days, intentionally and purposefully and eagerly caring for others.  I want it that way.  Self-centeredness wasn’t plaguing me in the traditional “I’m going to do whatever I want” way.  Instead, it was plaguing me in an entirely different way.

In my younger years, my teens and twenties, I went through some pretty rough stuff.  My parents divorced, which was extremely difficult for me.  The next almost two decades were spent with me searching desperately for the acceptance I felt I had lost when my parents divorced.  I got into, at age 14, an abusive relationship.  My-older-than-me boyfriend would beat me, assault me and threaten to take my life for 3 of the 4 years we were together.  What followed after I finally broke free of that relationship was a plethora of bad decisions that led to a lot of people hurting me, both physically and emotionally.  I won’t share all of that now, for time’s sake, but suffice to say it’d make a great book some day.

But the problem was that although my life was good now, I had a whole big bunch of sadness and grief stored up inside of me from all that I had experienced in those years, and no matter how many counselors and prayer ministers I saw, no matter how much I talked it out with the Lord or anyone else, no matter how many books on healing emotionally I read, I couldn’t make it go away.

So as I pondered the message I had heard that day on self-centeredness, I cried out to the Lord, “Please show me how to make it go away, Lord.  I don’t know how.  I don’t want to be thinking about this stuff anymore but I can’t make it stop hurting.”

Here’s what happened next: On the sermon that I had heard that day, the minister happened to mention his prayer line number, which he rarely, if ever, had mentioned before in all of the sermons that I had watched of his, and there were hundreds.  Figuring this must be a sign, I called for prayer, briefly explained the problem, and the wonderful gal, Selena was her name, talked with me, comforted me, shared a personal story with me about overcoming fear, and then prayed with me.

On the phone, I didn’t feel anything spectacular, although I did feel a bit better when I hung up.  But it was after I hung up the phone that the Lord spoke to me:

Laurie, you’ve been trying to earn my love, and the love of those around you.  But what you don’t understand is that you already have my love, and that my love for you is so grand, so all-encompassing, that if you’ll understand it and accept it, that it will negate any other needs you have in your life.  This revelation will free you from the need to obtain love from others, but instead, get your focus on loving others like I love you.  This will automatically draw them toward you, and them loving you back is an extra blessing, but even if they don’t, My love for you is so grand that it won’t hurt you if someone else rejects you. 

The Lord was showing me what He meant when He said 1 John 4:18 that “perfect love casts out fear”.  Immediately, for the first time in three plus decades, the pressure was lifted off of my chest, and I just didn’t care anymore.  Not in a bad way, but in a “My God loves me just as I am” kind of a way.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I had a peaceful heart.  I spent the evening with my family, went to bed and woke up refreshed, again for the first time in over 30 years.

As I went downstairs the next morning to pray, I pondered all that had happened the day before, and the Lord gave me a life-changing revelation.  He said:

The revelation of My love for people is the key to getting them to not sin.  You see, all sin comes from a need to feel loved, to feel happy, to feel accepted.  But once people get the revelation of my great love for them out of their heads and down into their hearts, they no longer look to satisfy themselves, whether through people or through things, because they are already satisfied.  It’s at that point that not sinning isn’t about wanting to please Me or do well, but instead, not sinning is about not needing to sin because you are loved and you know it.  You feel it.  And you receive it. And you don’t need anything else. 

People have a great misunderstanding of God’s character.  They don’t understand His grand goodness and His desire for us to have a GOOD life because that’s not how things work in the world.  In the world, in every single thing we do, man judges us on a performance basis, giving you good when you “deserve” good, and evil when you “deserve” evil.  People spend much time trying to earn God’s love, subconciously usually, and they get it wrong almost every time, because they think that they can earn themselves out of trouble, or worse yet, that if God wants to inflict harm or bad things on His people, that’s His right and they have no say in the matter.  They go to church, they volunteer, they “be good” in order to please God, but they cannot please God in this way because even in our goodness, we are wretched in His sight because He is so holy.  God is only good, and He wants only good for His people, no matter what your preacher or anybody else may tell you.  But NOTHING we could ever do could make us not wretched in His sight because His holiness is so grand and His goodness is so big.  Nothing but Jesus, that is.

With Jesus, we’ve won the lottery, so to speak.  When Jesus came, died on the cross and rose again, the first thing He did before He sat down at the right hand of the Father was that He put a permanent pair of rose-colored glass on God.  God now sees people through the lens of Jesus, His perfect Son.  No matter what you do, or don’t do, God is so pleased with you He cannot contain Himself.  His love for you is so overwhelming that, if you choose to receive this all-encompassing love, it can allow you to conquer every problem you’ve ever had.  And at that point, you almost automatically love others with the love of Christ, thereby spreading the message of salvation simply with your actions, effortlessly, because you have allowed yourself to be filled up with His grand love for you!

The problem here is that we often won’t receive that grand love because we think that we don’t deserve it.  Notice how many “we’s” there were in that last statement? Self-centeredness is indeed the root of all grief.

So, how do you get this grand revelation of God’s great love for you down into your heart?  Get yourself into the Word and into spending time with God.  Talk with Him, share with Him.  One of the other things that the Lord told me throughout all of this is that He doesn’t command us to read the Word in order that we may gain “points” with Him.  He has us read and study the Word because once we understand the Word in its entirety, it will bless us by showing us how to live in the blessings that He has for people.  Most people read the Word and only understand that God gets angry, and they think it’s because the disobedience of the people offends God.  But although He does command our respect, that’s not the total issue here - mostly, it frustrates God because He has to watch His people create a life of hell on earth for themselves because they’re  not following the map.  God LOVES us and planned a life of blessing for us, but we keep screwing it up by not following the map, and hurting ourselves and all of those around us, and that’s what frustrates God, not the fact that we are “dissing” Him.  God’s big enough and strong enough and powerful enough to take being “dissed”.  But it hurts Him to the core to see His beloved creation suffer.  Once we get the revelation that God wants us to follow His ways because He LOVES us, the entire game of life changes, for the better!

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Happy Friday, friends!  So, you may or may not have noticed that my posts have been pretty sporadic this year.  Part of the reason for this is that the Lord has had me studying specific things in the Bible pretty intensely the last several weeks.  One of my big questions to the Lord has been:

The Word says in the book of John:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, tha the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.  (John 14:12-14)

Lord, your word is clear here.  Why are the majority of us, as followers of Christ, not doing the works that Jesus did and even greater works than that?  Why are we not healing the sick with a word, and raising the dead?

Now, before you stop me, let me tell you where I’m coming from.

As Christians, the only way to truly know God is to decide in your heart whether or not you believe that the Word, the Bible, is the true and inerrant Word out of God’s mouth and God’s mouth alone.  Absolute truth has to exist in order for the Bible to be the inerrant word of God, and we as readers of the Word and as Christians have a responsibility to decide whether or not we are going to believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God as it says it is in 2 Timothy:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, tha the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

SO, if you believe that the above verse is true, then you must believe that God did indeed intend for us to “do the works that Jesus did, and even greater works than these”.

Anyway, back to my question of “why” we aren’t doing what Jesus did in the body of Christ.  Even many of those who believe we should be doing things like casting out demons, healing the sick and raising the dead aren’t able to perform these acts.

I don’t claim to have all of the answers yet, but thought I would share with you some of the revelations I have gotten so far as I’ve studied the sections in the Bible, both New and Old Testament, where people were healed of sickness and raised from the dead.

Revelation #1: The instances of healing that Jesus did, and the instances of those being raised from the dead, both New and Old Testament, were pre-cursored by a belief on the part of somebody involved in the story that healing/life was the expected end.  And by believed, I mean, they fully expected that healing and raising from the dead by God was normal, and that sickness and premature death were abnormal.

Revelation #2: The people asking/expecting their loved ones to be healed or raised got to “have whatever they said” (Mark 11:24).  They called the shots, by and large.  Not in a demanding way, mind you, but in a “I know my God loves me and wants the best for me” kind of a way.

See for details: 1 Kings 17:17, 2 Kings 4:8, Mark 5:21, Luke 7:11 Acts 9:36, Acts20:7.

I’m not sure where exactly all this is leading, or why exactly the Lord has led me to focus so exclusively on the above Biblical references for an extended period of time, but I can tell you this: we are getting closer to the end of days, and God desperately wants to open the eyes of as many people as possible to save them from a life of eternal hell.  God loves people – all people – very very much.

What better way to show both the unsaved and the saved a clear revelation of the love that God has for them than by doing for them the things that Jesus did?

To be continued….

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“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. (Joshua 24:15)

The time is coming in America when people will be asked to choose sides.  Maybe not so much as physically asked, but instead, spiritually asked, by the Lord.  The day of reckoning in America has come.  For far too long people, Christians included, have worshiped false Gods.  Gods of selfishness and gods of lust.  Gods of materialism and gods of heresy.  Gods of violence and hard-heartedness.  The disciple Timothy explains it well when he says:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, dispisers of good, traitors, stubborn, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5a)

What is that, you say?  You don’t believe that so many Christians are off track and heading for eternal damnation?  Let’s see what Jesus said about this in the book of Matthew:

“Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ “  (Matthew 7:21-23)

Don’t deceive yourselves into believing that Jesus is talking about those “crazy charismatics” in that verse.  Jesus makes it abundantly clear that those types of acts are indications of salvation:

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:16-18)

No, Jesus is talking in Matthew 7 about those who take more pride in the works that they do in their church than in making sure that God gets the glory and the attention.  Church has become, in many places, just another popularity contest.  Another place where people can be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, dispisers of good, traitors, stubborn, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (see above)

My dear, beloved friends: The time is coming in America when there will be no more “gray areas” in terms of Christianity.  No more lukewarm Christians or “on the fence” Christians.  No more Christians with one foot on the Lord’s side and one foot in the world.

In one last attempt of mercy for the people, God is going to make sure there is a clear, stark difference between those truly committed to God and those whose hearts are given over to the things of this world.

Why?

Because He wants the Light – the Narrow Path – to be blatantly obvious.  He wants to make it crystal clear which way is The Way, in order to draw as many as possible to the glorious blessings of a soul-saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  Our dear Lord is desperate, that “all may come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved”, so He is making the line between the saved and the unsaved stark, bright and crystal clear.

So I ask: Does God have first place in your life?  Is your time spent clamoring after the things of the world, or clamoring after a closer, deeper relationship and knowledge of our Father God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Before it’s too late, before you end up on the wrong side of the fence, I beg of you to choose this day to “love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your mind and ALL your strength.

He indeed loves you with the same ”ALL”.  And we are blessed indeed that His “ALL” is SO much more than ours.

As we celebrate the Passover and Resurrection Sunday, let us remember that “For God SO loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life”. (John 3:16)

May God bless you and keep you, may He make His face shone upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Numbers:6:24-26

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Therefore do not worry, saying “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”.  For after all these things the Gentiles seek, and your heavenly Father knows that you need all of these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:31-34)

Does God have first place in your life?  Really: does He?

Question: What gets more of your time: the TV or your Bible?

Question: What gets more of your time: your smartphone or your Bible?

Question: What gets more of your time: your church or your Bible?

Jesus loves you.  With all of His heart.  Just as you are.  Seeking Him first or not seeking Him first, Jesus loves you.

So why is it so crucial to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?  Is it really that important?

Yes.  Why?

1.  Because it shows that you are truly committed to God.  God is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5).  He’s jealous for our time and attention because He loves us with a love that’s immeasurable.  Who is it in your life that you love the most?  Don’t you simply crave time with that person?  Do you miss them when they’re away from you?  God feels the same way about us, times a million.

A God who loves us SO much and gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us, doesn’t He deserve first place in your life?  Not out of guilt, not out of obligation, but out of love.

2.  Because it will help you.  The thief comes not, but to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  Jesus defeated Satan’s rule over us on the cross.  But that doesn’t negate the fact that the Enemy works 24/7 to deceive people into thinking otherwise.  God is good.  The Devil is bad.  And if you want the wisdom to discern what in this world is from God and what in this world is from the Devil, you need God’s help.  Make it a point to seek His wisdom and His guidance first, above all other things in your life.

3.  Because it will bless you.  The second half of John 10:10 says “but I come that you may have life, and have it abundantly“.  Yes, there will be tribulations in this world, but Jesus came that we may overcome them, through Him (John 16:33)!  You see, if you live a life seeking first the kingdom of God, you have the benefit of walking in His blessing (not because He bases blessings on performance, but because you’re following HIS road instead of the Enemy’s road – you’re following the narrow path).

If you’re blessed, that will allow you to be more proficient at blessing others, which will in turn bring glory to God, which is the whole point, right?

God has such a wonderful life planned for you, my friend.  Choose today to seek Him first and find out how wonderful life can be when God’s on first.

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Happy Friday, all!  We’ve been seeing a lot of changes in our state legislature as of the new session this year – changes that bring our state further and further away from the laws and instructions that the Holy Bible instructs us to live by.  As we contemplate how to handle these changes, I am reminded of my Christian chiropractor.  The man doesn’t make a move without first consulting with the Holy Spirit.  Continue reading »

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With things getting messier in America and in the world, how do we keep our heads on straight so that we are making decisions in wisdom instead of in fear?  Believe it or not, it’s easy to confuse the two.  The Enemy often makes us believe we’re making wise decisions when, in fact, what we’re making is the most logical decision we can come up with in the face of fear. Continue reading »