My Faith

11:1

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November 1, 2024

Today was Monday. I don’t care what you say, I don’t care what the calendar says. Today was Monday at our house.

The morning had been occupied with work and such, so that when it was time for Doug to go to the jail we hadn’t had any time together. That made it worse than a Monday.

After spending yesterday serving my turn at jury duty, I was meditating on how much work I had to do to make up for the lost day, how far my home is from being ready for Thanksgiving, how my wrists were going to chop and mix everything they had to chop and mix for the Big Dinner, and if I would ever finish my walls – that is, getting my collection of art and family photos in their most esthetically pleasing spots.

I don’t know if I’ve blogged about my wrists. Just to quickly fill you in, I fell in August and broke my left wrist and nearly broke the right. God’s merciful protection, 100%. Some days, they feel pretty good, or at least the right feels good. Then, some days, like on Mondays, they both hurt so much I just want to wrap them in my heating pad and feel sorry for myself.

Anyway, in the one-minute chat we had before he walked out the door, Doug and I both commiserated with each other about this cloud of gloom hanging over us. We really just want to dig a cave and hide sometimes. Ever feel that way? Or, fly kites everyday for the rest of our lives.

After he was on his way to jail, I made my way to the office and tried to think about how I could possibly finish this project (that I had started months ago) with two wrists which just didn’t want to work. And, that’s when Doug texted me. It was bad news. Very bad news. Unbelievably bad news. It was just what we needed to push us over the edge. We quickly got on the phone with each other and he started making some suggestions, apologizing for the situation—which was completely out of his control—and just feeling like the worst.

Well, I started to think about what he was saying, and I guess there was just enough Holy Spirit presence that I knew what he was saying and what I was thinking were trash garbage lies from Hell. I mean, the Holy Spirit took over and truth started pouring from my lips and faith started rising up and I realized that this horrible, terrible, very bad news was exactly what we needed. Honestly, it was like God was calling our bluff. It became really clear that our only solution was to trust God, and that’s the way we liked it.

Life just isn’t easy all the time, you know? It’s really just a matter of recognizing that your “not easy” is just what you can bear if you will let God speak truth into your circumstance and let faith in His proven love and care rise up once again. He knows us best.

 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.

❤

Seeing Christ

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One of my purposes for Blogtober 2024 has been to go through my drafts file and publish posts that are just sitting there ignored. Incomplete.

So, here’s one I wrote two years ago on June 7. I briefly published it, but then took it down. It was just a thought that I spit out into my phone and threw onto the draft pile of my blog. I have added a little, since recent experiences in my life brought fresh perspective.

SEEING CHRIST

We don’t always recognize Christ in our circumstances, but if Christ lives in us, He is definitely with us in every case—in our sorrow, pain, unrest, and turmoil. He is with us in our illness, our brokenness, our loneliness, and our desert places.

No, He isn’t the source, and He hasn’t caused that circumstance. He isn’t there to watch and see how we handle this horrible situation— we are not lab rats. He is with us in our trouble, because He promised to never leave us!

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5a

Our faith challenge is to find Him, wave away the smoke (I call that worship), and keep our focus on Him and not our circumstances.

If we will keep our eyes on Him and follow Him closely (I call that repenting, obeying, and believing), He will not only keep us, but lead us to safety, wholeness, peace, and rest. We will walk in His favor in spite of feeling His hand must have been lifted from us, because we are facing such a time of suffering.

One day, I may write about the past four months and the moments when I was able to recognize Christ with me, but right now I just want to encourage you. I want you to know that in whatever situation you find yourself, Christ is there. And He is not there to be an observer, as I mentioned before, but to walk with you through this hardship.

If you call out to Him and are willing to trust Him to help you through, you will find yourself walking closer to Him than ever before, and truly knowing Him as Friend.

There is no formula here, OK? I’m not gonna give you three steps or five declarations. Just call out for help. Put yourself in remembrance of God’s Word. Believe with all your heart that His Word is true. It is, dear friend. It really is true. Today may not be the day you will understand everything that is happening, but you can still know that He is with you. Please, reach out to Jesus.

❤️

The Hard Work of Being a Christian Wife

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(I wrote this a long time ago, but never published it. Why? Well, that’s for another blog post. In any case, I’m publishing it today. And, I am publishing it without editing or second-guessing or yielding to my insecurities. So, typos and all, here it is for now. Maybe, one day I’ll come back and edit it and make it better.)

I sat down with a woman years ago. She had discovered that her husband was visiting prostitutes. She knew he had returned to drinking, but it was the prostitutes that had brought her to the point that she finally reached out for help.

That’s pretty typical. Wives will put up with a lot of bad behavior, even helping keep their husband’s secret sin a secret, until finally their husband just goes too far. Things get out of hand. “It was one thing when he would do XYZ, but now he’s not doing ABC and I think he might be doing LMNOP. I don’t know what’s going on. I just can’t take it anymore.“

Why Did She Take It At All?

So, back to my question: why do women put up with their husband’s bad behavior at all? Well, what I have heard from wives over and over is that they believe their only option is to endure: don’t complain, submit, hold your tongue. If they do a good enough job of suffering in silence, God will finally award them with a godly husband by whatever means necessary, including divorce. Mind you, they don’t know that’s what they believe; they would never confess that with their mouth. Yet, it’s true: too many women are believing that God is going to honor their passivity. God couldn’t possibly be expecting them to do something about their husband’s error or wrong inclinations. They believe thy just have to keep praying for God to help them endure.

That’s the first mistake Christian wives make. I don’t fault them, though. Most Christian women have not been spiritually equipped for marriage. I don’t know if that’s because it takes a lot of work to teach spiritual truths, or if it’s because – well, no. That’s why. Discipling humans is hard work, and churches just aren’t doing it. If a woman isn’t blessed to have a Titus 2 Woman in her life, she’s in trouble. Satan will be sure her ears are filled with every manner of secular humanist thought out there, counseling her right out of her marriage and her faith.

Is there a place for long-suffering? Absolutely! This is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our life. Just remember that long-suffering is patience, which in this scenario I think we can define as an evidence of our faith in God’s unfinished work. It is a spiritual condition. Instead of walking in patient faith in God, though, wives are white-knuckling their way through a little bit of Hell on Earth.

This is what I think happens to the godly wife full of every good intention towards her husband, whose faith is being worn down with his every transgression: she begins to tolerate his sin. Tolerance is easily mistaken for patience, aka long-suffering. We tolerate his coming home late; we tolerate his ignoring calls or texts; we tolerate his temper or offensive language. We tolerate his making place for boozing and using. We tolerate his unloving attitudes and behaviors. We tolerate his not attending family gatherings, or his skipping church, or his not serving God. Then, before we know it, sin has taken root and established itself in our husband’s life, and consequently in our marriage and family.

What’s A Christian Wife To Do?

Knowing your Christian husband is making wrong choices and not holding him accountable to the Word of God for those choices is the wrong kind of silence. That is not iron sharpening iron. That is not Galatians 6:2. It might make life easier for you in the moment, but in the long run that little transgression (it was just one drink, it was just one look, it was just one time, etc.) will lead him to the brink of spiritual death and your marriage and family to utter destruction.

For the record: a man who confesses Christ is Lord is a Christian. You should not be making allowances for any of the baggage (spiritual, emotional, or otherwise) that he brings with him to your marriage – or picks up after his, “I do.” There is no excuse for sin. Trauma or temperament or lifelong habits may be the cause of his struggle, but they are not to be accepted as a permission slip for sin. Unrepentant sin should have no place in a Christian’s life.

DON’T WRITE THE END OF HIS STORY

Yes, men have free will and they can choose to reject exhortation, accountability, or correction. However, we must not decide the end of his story. Who are we to determine God is done with him?

NO. As long as there is breath, there is hope. So, he’s rebellious to truth. Okay. That’s very bad! However, as a wife we still have a spiritual influence in our husband’s life. We exercise that influence in the spirit, through prayer and standing in the gap. We commit to intercede for him, because that’s what be a godly wife means. Through our tears, we call out to the Father for mercy. In our heartache, we believe by faith every promise of deliverance the Word has given. We cast off fear in the name of Jesus, and put on a garment of praise.

Thank God for God. Thank God for the Holy Spirit and His kind and loving ministry to our broken hearts. Thank God for tiny mustard-size seeds of faith that cannot be denied. Thank God for prophetic words received over the years, but never understood until that moment when we needed them, when the Holy Spirit suddenly opens our eyes to see that not only was He calling us to a deeper faith and great intimacy with Him, but that He had gone ahead, before we ever knew we would marry this man, and had made provision for the loving support and godly friendship we would need in this hard place. Just look around. Reach out to them.

For me, I didn’t think I could possibly take one more emotional hit, yet here was the Holy Spirit teaching me that in my place of greatest pain, it was still not about me. My marriage wasn’t about having a good husband, but about being a good wife. When it was the hardest, if I would yield my will to God’s and allow the Holy Spirit to use me as my husband’s help meet (a spiritual calling on every wife, FYI), He would meet me in that place and give me all I needed.

A Final Exhortations

Make your requests known to God. Think on those things that glorify God. Have faith for the unbelievable and impossible. Being a biblical wife to a spiritually high maintenance man is very hard. At times you feel crushed under the weight of that calling—and, I am convinced it is a calling. The unrepentant husband will tax you heavily, but remember that your prayers for him are for God to be Master, Lord, and Savior. He is willful and continue to reject the truth, but God is on your side. Make your requests known. Stop him, God! Convict him, Holy Spirit! Have mercy on him! Forgive him! Spare him! Save him!

Don’t stop praying. Ask the Holy Spirit how to pray for him! Pray in the Spirit over him. Reject whatsoever things are unlovely and untrue. Banish the lies of Satan from your mind and remember that Fear is a wicked spirit.

Read Philippians 4.

Forgive him. Again. And, again. There is so much spiritual power in forgiveness!

Love him. Be the hands of Christ whenever you touch him. Bless him that curses you. Do good to those that despitefully use you.

Speak truth out loud, because faith comes by hearing—you’re talking to yourself!

If you need prayer, but have no one else to go to, I will pray for you.

Remember, the Holy Spirit is your Comfort and your Help. Depend on Him. He will be there for you. When I had no one to confide in, no one who still had faith or hope for my husband, the Holy Spirit was there. Bless the Lord!

❤️

One Year

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I pulled an all-nighter,

listening to IHOP-KC,

when I received a notification.

The BBC.

I stopped to check it.

Israel invaded.

Israel invaded?

Suddenly, everything changed.

The atmosphere was different.

I felt it in my spirit.

Time would be measured

Differently

Now.

What really mattered changed forever.

What was I reading,

seeing,

hearing?

It took me time to process

what I was seeing…

live footage from the invaders.

The captors.

The demons.

How could they do this?

Where was the IDF?

How did they get in?

Her face!

Noa’s face.

I watched her abduction

over and over.

How were they getting

away with this?

So many questions.

Yet,

in this year

we have seen

the miraculous

hand of God

intervene

again and again.

Incredible.

Impossible.

But, God.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

🕊️

TSP: The Solid Rock

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Just wanted to share this version of The Solid Rock, recorded by my husband, Doug Gregan.

The song was written by Ed­ward Mote, cir­ca 1834, before there even were saxophones, but Doug does a beautiful job integrating his horn into this powerful hymn.  Will­iam B. Brad­bu­ry composed the music in 1863, according to the HymnTime.com website.

Below are the lyrics, if you’re inclined to sing along.

THE SOLID ROCK

My hope is built on no­thing less
Than Je­sus’ blood and right­eous­ness.
I dare not trust the sweet­est frame,
But whol­ly trust in Je­sus’ name.

Refrain

On Christ the so­lid rock I stand,
All oth­er ground is sink­ing sand;
All oth­er ground is sink­ing sand.

When dark­ness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His un­chang­ing grace.
In ev­ery high and stor­my gale,
My an­chor holds with­in the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His co­ve­nant, His blood,
Support me in the whelm­ing flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trum­pet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His right­eous­ness alone,
Faultless to stand be­fore the throne.

Refrain

Click to hear The Solid Rock on Sound Cloud.

The Solid Rock with Doug Gregan on saxophone and keyboard. There are three versions, and this is the first.

I hope you are blessed. It brings peace to my soul.

❤️

How Could This Happen?

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“Oh!”

She had just opened her phone to reply to a text.

“I only saw this now. I’m so sorry.” His voice doesn’t sound normal. She starts to reply to the message, as he calls out to her from the other room. “T was found unresponsive in his apartment!” Emotion is filling his voice.

Her first thought, the first words that come out of her mouth: “Is he okay? Where is he?” She is running down a mental checklist of what they will need to take with them to the hospital, but suddenly realizes what unresponsive means. Now, her mind is flooded. Thoughts race into her consciousness. The computer crashes. T is dead?

Reboot and reload and thoughts and images and words and sounds and so many memories fill up the screen. Tears explode. Questions. So many questions. Who wrote you? Who’s that? How do they know? What time did it happen? Do the girls know? Who are your writing? How could this happen?

“I should write J.”

Just then, J calls. Wanted to make sure they knew. too. He’s weeping. They’re all weeping. She begins to realize how many people are hurting right now—how many people his life touched. How could this happen?

The weight of grief falls so instantly. Grasping the size of this loss is impossible. There was no preparation for this, no opportunity to prepare for how bad it would feel. How could this happen?

God is on everyone’s mind. His sovereignty. His mercy. His kindness. God knows the worth of a life, the impact. The thoughts just keep coming. His first time at The Farm. The light in his eyes each time he mentions his girls. The tears that flow when he tells of God’s goodness. Or, when he mourns those who are still lost in their brokenness and sin. How could this happen?

Emails and text messages, carefully worded, fly away to the ones who will want to know. Their hearts are not prepared to be broken, and words cannot relieve the pain they are about to feel. All week long it’s, “Did you tell…? What about…? Does…know?”

Tears stop and start suddenly. Sleepless nights roll into one long state of unbelief. His best friend. How could this happen?

-cg

Please, click to read about Tom. He should be known and remembered.

This is Your Sign

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If you know it’s the right thing to do, that’s your sign.

That conviction in your spirit, the knot in your stomach, finding yourself asking that famous question, “Why am I here?”

That’s your sign!

A young man told me recently, “I was asking God for a sign, and He told me, ‘I gave you a whole book! You know the right thing to do.’”

Don’t be like me, so determined to wait for a sign that God has to knock you out and drag you through the door in order to mercifully spare you from your indecisiveness and insecurity.

Thank God for His mercy, but seriously, don’t be like me. If the end were going to be different, wouldn’t God tell you? Doesn’t He always send encouragement in those times when we are meant to hold on and hold fast? Wouldn’t He give peace in the midst of the storm, if it were a storm we were meant to go through? Wouldn’t He answer that famous question once and for all with a new confirmation from His Word?

“Delayed obedience” is a very costly price to pay for the freedom the Lord already paid for and holds in store for you. Trust Him.

❤

How Much for the Prayer of Salvation? | The American Church Today, Part 2

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Once Upon a Time…*

The sun was just peaking up from the horizon, when Zara lowered the bucket into the well. It was already warm today, so she was glad she had come a little early to gather water. Beads of sweat began to rise on her forehead as she pulled the full bucket up and poured it into her first jar. Some water splashed on her sandal and she found herself remembering a day long ago at the seaside.

It had been a day much like this one, but she and Isaac were newer and thought they had so much to look forward to in life. Zara was so happy to see the Galilee, that she had run right into the waves lapping at the shore. Isaac laughed at her childish heart—and her soaked sandals. But he found a high rock to dry them on and had rubbed a bit of oil on them when they dried, to soften them for her. He is such a kind man, she thought. He still treated her with honor, in spite of the grief she had brought into their marriage.

She lowered the bucket once more, and imagined she could feel the cooling breezes that had made that hot day long ago so bearable. She remembered he had laid down his cloak for her to rest on, while he caught fish to roast for their meal. She laid out a fresh loaf of barley bread, some lentil stew, and half-a-dozen figs from her father’s grove. They enjoyed quite a feast that day.

Remembering their happiness made Zara’s heart feel light. Everything about the day had been so special. How she wished they could restore the hope that once filled their hearts. Instead, their lives had been marked by grief upon grief, and she knew it was her fault. Still, Isaac loved her. A tear landed on her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. “Be strong, Zara,” she chastised herself.

Suddenly a voiced cried out from behind her, a friendly call that interrupted Zara’s daydreaming. She turned around to see her lifelong friend, Eliana, running towards her. “Zara! Zara! I’m so glad to see you here!” Eliana dropped her water jars beside the well and embraced her friend. Eliana’s eyes were bright and a broad smile crossed her face.

“Eliana, how are you? I am so glad to see you.”

“Oh! I am more glad to see you. Zara, I have wonderful news to share!” She held her friend’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. She could see the lingering shadows on her friend’s face, and felt all the more excited to share her good news. “Zara, have you heard that Jesus is coming today?”

“Jesus, the son of Joseph? From Nazareth?”

“Yes! The very one!”

“No, I had not heard.”

“He will be at the seaside this afternoon,” Eliana told her. “He will be there to pray for the sick, Zara.”

“The sick?”

“Yes! The sick are made well, when He prays for them, Zara. Just like that!” Eliana clapped her hands together. “Just like that!”

Zara had heard about Jesus. She had heard of the lame being able to walk, the blind being made to see. Could He…? She was afraid to think He could bring life to her womb. That must surely be too much to ask.

Eliana could see a glimmer of light in her friend’s eye. As if reading her mind, she answered the questions in her heart. “Yes, Zara, He can. I know He can.” Zara almost smile, but the fear of hoping caused her to turn away, She lowered the bucket and asked, “Where will He be?”

“He will be at Galilee.” Eliana took her friends arm and Zara turned back towards her friend, gazing into Eliana’s lively eyes. “Oh, Zara, let’s go. Let’s go see Jesus. It could be your day to receive a touch from the Master. Tell Isaac. I know he and Jacob have spoken about Jesus. I know he believes. We can all go together.” Zara’s heart began to fill with hope.

“I do want to go, Eliana. I really do!”

“Then, let’s hurry home and get ready.” Eliana was drawing her water now. Zara raised her jars to her shoulders. “Let’s meet at the great rock, and travel together. There will be many people, and this way we won’t lose each other in the crowd.”

“But, do you think there will still be tickets, by the time we get there?”

“Eunice told me that’s why He’s coming to the seaside, to allow for many more people to hear Him speak.” She positioned her jars and walked beside Zara. “It is five shekels more to have Him pray for you, but I’m sure Isaac will agree that it is worth the price.”

With every step back to their homes, hope and excitement filled Zara’s heart. Maybe, this really would be her day, the end of her shame and Isaac’s mourning. Oh, how she longed to give him the son he deserved. He was such a good and kind man. How could God continue to deny him a child? She and Eliana parted with a kiss on the cheek, and Zara hurried home to share the good news with Isaac.

“Isaac,” she called. “Isaac!” She saw him at the table and set her jars down. “Isaac, I have some—.” She stopped herself mid-sentence, as she stepped closer to him and could see his purse was poured out across the table. He had been counting his money, over and over. Her tone changed from excitement to concern. “Isaac, what is wrong?”

He looked up at her; weariness covered his face. “We have lost our ox. Phineas gave me the news. The ox died during the night.”

“Oh, Isaac.” She came closer and leaned over him with a gentle embrace.

“We don’t have enough to replace him. I will see what I can sell at the marketplace. Meanwhile, I’m afraid we will have to make due the best we can.”

“Of course. I have plenty of stores to get us through.”

“I thought I would have a happy surprise for you today, but instead I only have this bad news.”

“You are always my happy surprise, Isaac.” She knelt at his feet and rested her head against him.

“This was special, my Zara. Jesus is coming to the Galilee today, and I wanted to take you to see Him.” Zara caught her breath, stopping herself from revealing her disappointment. She forced a smile and looked up at her beloved. “There will be another day to see Jesus, Isaac.”

She turned her face to the floor and closed her eyes, forcing the tears back. Isaac bent down and kissed the top of her head. He had also heard of the miracles Jesus had performed. Hope had been rising in his heart that morning, too, but the news of their ox had once again shattered his dreams. The hope of a child of his own would have to wait. The price was too dear, when they had an ox to buy.

Eliana and Jacob waited for almost an hour at the great rock, but finally went on without their friends. As they were traveling with other neighbors they would learn about Isaac’s ox. Eliana openly cried for Zara and uttered a word of gratitude that she and Jacob were in better circumstances, at least today. At least today, they could afford to see Jesus.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:3 ❤

*This is a work of fiction.

“I Want to Attend a New Testament Church!” | The American Church Today, Part 1

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The last time I made this appeal to God, I was utterly frustrated over a situation in my church. It was so hard for me to understand what was happening. Instead of agreement on the objectives and rejoicing in the accomplishments, there was every manner of resentment, stress, opposition, criticism, competitiveness, deceitfulness, narcissism, and misuse of spiritual authority. I was so confused! Didn’t we all want the same thing? It wasn’t good, and I was not doing well. We say hindsight is 20/20, and I will say the Holy Spirit has been giving me eyes to see now what I struggled to see then. I ultimately had to reconcile myself with the fact that there was nothing I could do that would ever win me the grace of these sovereigns. That was a very painful thing for me, still so in bondage to the fear of man. but there came a point where God intervened. It’s just not healthy to want the acceptance or approval of a person who chooses to hurt and curse you.

When God hardened their heart against me1, they did what was most logical for them to do: expel the vermin! I continue to pray for them, but I remain sad for how the church has fallen away from what we think of when we think of the New Testament church.

Yes, we idealize. We forget that the NT Believers met during a time of severe persecution: the threat of death was real. They saw leader after leader tortured. Roman Christians met in catacombs, surrounded by human remains, to avoid being caught. It was illegal for these new Christians to “go to church,” yet, they we’re desperate to be together. 

Church for us today is different. We aren’t so desperate for fellowship that we would risk torture and death. We don’t know desperate. I get letters from guys inside who long for fellowship, Bible teachers, Christian literature, someone to pray with, a Bible, someone to just talk to about God. Most of us can’t relate. We have the luxury of choice. And, I think that has played a big part in the Christian becoming a consumer, the pastor becoming a service provider, and the church becoming a business. What would 1st century Christians have to say about us?

Listen, if you attend a bad church, you should absolutely leave. You don’t need a sign from God. You know as much as I knew, but fear of man or fear of violating your club’s social norms keep you stuck. You think it’s virtuous to tough it out. “No,” you admit, “I’m not being fed there, I’m not growing from the ministry there, but I listen to sermons online and I worship God on my own.” If you need a sign, that’s it. It doesn’t matter if your club has the best music or potlucks, and all your closest friends are members, too. It doesn’t matter if you serve in a high position, or vowed you’d never go. God has nothing to do with any of that! Friend, if you aren’t leaving church well-fed, you’re being slowly starved. Eventually, you’ll lose your appetite for spiritual cuisine all together. You’ll lap up the slop you’re being served and learn to love it. In fact, you’ll soon not be able to tolerate solid food at all. That’s deadly, folks! Run away from any church with a pastor who fails at his only assignment: Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.“ (John 21:17) 

If we want to be in a New Testament church, we need to be New Testament Christians first. We need to be desperate for the presence of God. We need to be desperate for the preaching of God’s Word. Yes, preaching! That means a word from God, a fresh word from Heaven; an anointed presentation of scripture that convicts of sin and leads to spiritual transformation! It’s not recounting illustrations based on TV shows or movies. It’s not retelling another pastor’s sermon. It’s not standing in front of the sheep talking about yourself and all your good works. Don’t stay in those churches! Don’t make excuses for these men or women who carry a title. That is not God’s anointed, Brother or Sister. God’s anointed is as desperate for God as you are and knows they will give account for every word. They preach with fear and trembling, not jokes and personal anecdotes. Any pastor who isn’t spiritually nourishing Christ’s sheep isn’t a shepherd: he is a human trafficker. He doesn’t care about these who are trusting him with their spiritual care. He uses them! He counts his sheep each week, keeping score.

There’s just too much to say.

Christians are in trouble. They need pastors who don’t care about the numbers. They need pastors who care about them, pastors who seek God until they hear from Heaven. They need pastors who don’t answer to the sheep, but to God—they prove that by preaching what the sheep don’t want to hear, and then hold themselves to the same holy standard. I think Christians also need pastors like Moses, willing to weep before God on behalf of the broken, hurting, struggling, and back-sliding.

Is that too much to ask? No.

Folks, it’s time. Jesus is coming for a Bride without spot or wrinkle, and He isn’t kidding. I often think He delays His coming as much for His wrinkled and spotty Bride as He does for the lost. We really do need to repent for being willing to compromise by staying in a church that is compromised. Then, we need to go. Get out fast! If you’re saying, “But, where will I go?” I say, pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to that one He has called to pastor—not the one trying to build an empire or have the coolest club in town. Then, visit churches. Seek God. Get in His Word. Listen to nourishing sermons online2. Reach out to other Christians and fellowship. Pray together. Have Communion together. It’s okay for there to be a time of transition, but you do have to take responsibility for your spiritual life.

Anyway, church is a big topic and I have more to say about it, but I’ll stop here. It’s already a monstrosity, so I’ll be surprised if anyone gets to the end. LOL

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:3

❤

1 To be clear, I wasn’t in this alone, but I do not want to speak for others in my family.
2 www.TSCNYC.org is a good place to find a lot of good, spiritual food.

Some Thoughts on Weeds

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“The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden
as its gardener, to tend and care for it.” Genesis 2:15 (TLB)

 I didn’t used to like pulling weeds when I was a kid, because that’s all I was allowed to do, and it seemed like a waste of time. “They’ll just grow back,” I’d complain. When I got older and decided to try my hand at gardening, I began to understand weeds better. Mind you, I know almost nothing about gardening, but I have learned four things:

  1. Before you can even plant a seed, you have to make a place for it. If you tuck a seed in the middle of a patch of weeds, it won’t stand a chance. Weeds won’t make room for seeds.
  2. Seeds need sun, soil, and water. Simple. Except, weeds deplete the soil, hog all the water, and grow so fast that they quickly overgrow the seedlings and block out the sun. Weeds are greedy!
  3. If a weed is left to grow, it will spread. Some have very shallow roots, but they self-seed when left to their own devices. And, some will shoot their roots down deep into the soil, or across the garden bed. Those weeds can become entangled with the delicate seedlings, and pulling or digging them out risks injury to the plants you are trying to grow. So, the sooner you address the weeds, the better. Don’t let them take root!
  4. The best thing I’ve learned though, is that if you stay on top of the weeds, you won’t have to weed so often. Nip it in the bud!

SUCH IS THE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE

We all have a “spiritual garden.” The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 talks about this. It is where things of God take root and grow—or where they fail to grow and die. One thing that causes spiritual seeds to die are spiritual weeds. We need to uproot these weeds as soon as possible! However, sometimes we don’t recognize them for what they are, or the damage they can do.

  • Some weeds are pretty: we mistake them for flowers. Instead of taking them out, we make a place for them. We water them.
  • Some spiritual weeds are so deeply rooted, we haven’t got the strength to pull them out. We clip away at the green parts when they start to show, and hope no one notices that the root is still intact.
  • Finally, some spiritual weeds are so discreet, they’re hidden amongst the fruitful vines and secretly choking away the life of the good things we’ve planted.

These spiritual weeds, you see, are those little sins we justify; our worldly beliefs that have compromised God’s truth. They are grudges and unforgiveness, and unbelief in the Word of God that leads to us interpreting scripture according to what suits our will. It’s rejecting biblical correction, and resisting the Lord’s command to surrender and obey. Instead of resisting Satan’s temptation, we yield to our flesh and choose what feels right. These are all weeds in our spiritual life that will eventually choke out the goodness of God. The Word of God tells us:

“Try me, O God, and know mine heart:
prove me and know my thoughts,
and consider if there be any way of wickedness in me,
and lead me in the way forever.”
Psalm 139:23-24 (GNV)

If we will ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and shows us what needs to go in our life, He will show us. It’s God will for us to grow spiritually and thrive in our walk of faith. However, we have to tend our spiritual gardens. We have to stay alert and pluck those deadly weeds out as soon as possible. The Holy Spirit will be faithful to show us the things we need to change, stop, repent of, or surrender. Will we be faithful in obeying Him?

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11 (NKJV)

❤