My Faith

Hey, Jude

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We must not take our salvation in Christ for granted.

“I must write…urging you to stoutly defend the truth that God gave once for all to hHis people to keep without change through the years.”

Once we are saved, yes, we are never required to say the Prayer of Salvation (Romans 10:9), again. However, that doesn’t mean we have permission to compromise Christ’s righteousness through our sin.

“Some godless teachers have wormed their way in among you, saying that after we become Christians we can do just as we like without fear of God’s punishment.” 

However, once we have believed, our life is meant to be an ever-growing, living testimony of that confession.

“But you, dear friends, must build up your lives ever more strongly upon the foundation of our holy faith, learning to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you.”

If your life today is not a living testimony of Christ, I hope you’ll stop and pray. Repent. Be restored to a place of right standing with Christ. It is possible, you know, to fall away from that great Salvation Christ won for you on the cross at Calvary. I don’t think you want that to happen.

Scriptural reference:
The Book of Jude (KJV)
The Book of Jude (TLB)

 

Trust Him Now

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Suffering serves a purpose. It is not for us to predict or understand that purpose in the midst of our pain, but to learn to trust, hold fast, and keep our faith in the One who is walking with us.

Yes, that’s right. You are not alone! The Lord is with you, and one day you will be on the mountain top and have the perspective you need to understand why He allowed you to walk through this dark valley. He has a purpose. He is not toying with us. We are not His lab rats. Just trust Him. Trust Him now.

  • Trust Him now, when you don’t understand the how and the why.
  • Trust Him now, when it hurts to face the new day.
  • Trust Him now, when you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel.
  • Trust Him now, when some mock you for still believing.
  • Trust Him now, when you Doubt tempts you to question His love.
  • Trust Him now, when there is no one reaching out to help.
  • Trust Him now, when the loneliness feel unbearable.
  • Trust Him now, when anxiety threatens at every turn.
  • Trust Him now, when you feel ready to give up.
  • Trust Him now, when Fear is flooding your faith.
  • Trust Him now, when no one understands your pain.
  • Trust Him now, when you feel helpless to fight.
  • Trust Him now, when you can still have a a testimony of faithfulness.

Trust Him now.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding”
Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)
“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”
Psalm 56:3 (NKJV)
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
❤

Divine Interruptions

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A friend reminded me of a post from my previous blog. Thought I would share it here, with a few relevant revisions. This was originally published on March 18, 2013.

Divine Interruptions

There is a limit to what anyone can or should do, but sometimes we are so in control of our life (or, so out of control of our life) that we miss something good God wants to give us. We miss a divine interruption that may be just what the Lord has chosen to use to enlarge His presence in our world.

For example: I know a couple who are the parents of five children (including two toddlers), and they were asked to become foster parents to an infant: a brand new baby—sleepless nights and round-the-clock feedings included!

Most people would have looked at their circumstances and understood immediately if they had responded, “No, we’re sorry; our hands are full,” because their hands were full. Their house was full. Their lives were full!

However, their lives were also in order. Their priorities were straight. They knew what God had called them to do, and that was the key. 

That is why they did not turn away from this divine interruption. It is why they did not put their hands up and say, “No, sorry,” sputtering a list of excuses and explanations. Instead, they reached their hands out and prayerfully said, “Yes.” They welcomed this ordained intrusion with full hearts, a warm embrace, and a surrendered will before God. 

Would it be easy? Of course not. Did that matter? Not to them. Difficulty, pain, personal cost—they knew such things could never be reasons for dismissing a divine interruption. They didn’t want to walk outside of God’s will, disobedient to His call. And, they didn’t want to miss the blessing of seeing God provide as He fulfills His purpose for their lives. Despite the circumstances in which they find themselves, they know there is a bigger picture, a picture they cannot see with their natural eyes.

If we are seeking the Lord’s will, asking Him to fulfill His purpose for our life, there will be times when we experience divine interruptions, too. It might be a short-term opportunity, such as drawing water from a well for a thirty stranger; or, it might be a long-term assignment, a call to lay down our life in exchange for a mission field.

Whatever it is, though, it is sure to be an opportunity to welcome God into our lives in a far greater measure than we could ever imagine. That opportunity may not show up at the best of times, and chances are good it won’t be love at first sight. In fact, it might be exactly what we do not want—a dreaded diagnosis, a painful discovery, or an uninvited guest. It might be the last thing we ever thought of doing. Yet, it will bear spiritual fruit in our life. That is the confirmation of anything that comes from God. We are supernaturally changed by the experience, becoming a clearer reflection of our Savior for others to see.

So, we must be alert. A divine interruption won’t introduce itself as a gift, an opportunity from God. It will intrude, disrupt, and complicate life. It might feel like a setback, and the temptation to turn it away is natural. Yet, when we are walking closely to the Lord in faith, listening for the Holy Spirit’s leading, we won’t be walking in the natural. We will hear that still small voice telling us, “Trust Me in this.” We will know in our spirit man that the Lord will be with us. We’ll know He’s going to make up the difference. 

Oh, let’s pray we don’t miss a divine interruption! Let’s be willing to cast down our plans, our pride, and our doubts. Let’s be willing to cast down our selves, if we’re getting in the way. Let’s be people so mindful of His will for us, that we don’t miss His presence in the midst of our circumstances. 

God bless you today. 

2016-02-18 21.13.40

 

Go Ahead and Ask

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I just want to encourage you to do one thing today: ask God.

Ask Him for anything and everything. Ask Him for whatever it is you desire or need. Ask Him for the thing you would never admit to wanting, but long for desperately in your heart. Just ask Him. Go ahead!

Honestly, I feel really strongly about this. I really believe we ask too little of God, and try too hard to make things happen for ourselves. I’m not opposed to us trying to make things happen for ourselves, and sometimes that’s the way to do it, even as we pray for the Lord’s help in our doing.

However, too often we just don’t think God cares about our problems. We don’t think we deserve His help. We think, “Well, I got myself into this mess, so I have to get myself out.” Or, we think we can only ask for “holy” things. We think all kinds of messed up things, and it’s robbing us of so much joy, peace and relationship.

You see, for me, that’s what it all boils down to: my relationship with God. When I share my need with Him, I am letting Him into my life in a very intimate way. Instead of Him being God in Heaven, far away, a mystical figure with a booming voice, He becomes the ultimate father, my heavenly Father, who sits with His arm around my shoulder, letting me pour my heart out as He forgives, restores, and answers.

Often, people will say, “Well, but what if it isn’t God’s will?” Well, then He won’t give it to you! But, don’t be afraid to ask Him, because you aren’t sure. He isn’t going to judge you for not knowing if it’s His will; your asking is actually a step towards knowing definitively if it is His will, or not!

And, remember: He is A GOOD FATHER! He’s gives us good things, just because HE IS GOOD, and loves to give to His children. He also delights in our faith, and responds generously—we can trust Him!

We are deep in the Christmas season, and it’s a time when the Body of Christ celebrates together the gift of God’s Son, and the salvation Christ won on the cross for us. It is the greatest gift anyone has ever, and could ever, give. It’s impossible to really grasp the magnitude of it, you know? It’s like trying to grasp the size of the ocean or space. It’s a love too vast to understand with our little, human brains!

Yet, that is the gift God gave us all. Think about that. He gives it even without us asking. He offers it to us just as we are, messy and sinful and failed. The greatest gift of all, to miserable wretches! If God loves you so much that He would give you salvation, how can you even doubt He loves you enough to give you His will? To meet your needs? To provide out of His abundance? We don’t deserve Christ, and we sure don’t deserve new shoes, but we get to ask Him for both. Salvation is a guaranteed “Yes,” new shoes, well, they might be just one ask away, but you won’t know, if you don’t ask.

So, go ahead. Ask!

  1. When we ask God for anything, we are affirming our relationship with Him as a good, kind, and loving Father.  Matthew 7:11

  2. When we ask God to meet our needs, we are acknowledging Him as our Provider. Philippians 4:19

  3. When we ask God to heal our bodies, we are demonstrating our faith in the work of Christ on the cross, and the power of His shed blood. Isaiah 53:5

  4. When we ask God for the things we don’t think we deserve, we are declaring God’s unconditional love for us. Ephesians 3:20

  5. When we ask God to save us, we are confessing that we cannot save ourselves, and accepting the greatest gift ever given: God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 4:3-5

The Truth About Halloween

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This may not be the truth you’re expecting.

“Don’t punish the child,
because of the parent’s mistake.”

Stella Lucille Mosqueda

I don’t like Halloween.

It’s not a good “holiday.” I know evil things happen every day of the year, even on the truest of holy-days, but Halloween is especially wicked. In fact, Halloween represents everything I truly hate in this world—with one important exception.

I love children, and Halloween and children go hand-in-hand. In the United States, it is the best day of the year for most of them. They love dressing-up, and getting free candy. They love being out after dark, and parading down the middle of the street with their friends. They get to wear make-up and costumes to school, and eat popcorn balls for lunch.  On Halloween, every child gets to be someone pretty or someone strong or someone special. It’s just one day, but it’s a day many children anticipate all year long. For them, the most innocent among us, Halloween is a day of great fun.

So, despite the awful truth behind Halloween, despite the real meaning behind the decorations and symbols, children look forward to it. I know I did. You probably did, too. And, I’m sure you knew as little about the truth of the day as I did. We might have known it was originally a bad day, like a million years ago, but we assumed it was all make-believe now. Right? I mean, the skeletons were just made from plastic, and those spooky voices were on a tape recording. The scary Dracula with the bowl of toothbrushes was really Dr. Garcia. It was all make-believe and let’s pretend.

That childish innocence, and ignorance, is always on my mind this time of year. As much as I wish I could protect every child from the evil of the day, it’s not my place. So, do I withdraw and turn off my porch lights, punishing the children for their parent’s mistake? Is disengagement from anything to do with this dreadful day the moral choice? Or, do we compromise and just stay away from the spooky and focus on the fun?

This year, I decided to ask myself what Jesus would do. It’s a question that has become a cliche, but I think it should be how we live, how we measure our choices. After all, He is our role model: Be ye holy, for I am holy. ^

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”

1 John 1:5b

The first thing that came to my mind as I asked myself this question, this question of how to deal with the truth about Halloween, was Christ’s habit of meeting people in their circumstances. He is still that way today, meeting us in the midst of our unbelief; in the midst of our sin. He even meets us in the midst of our ignorance. He comes to us where we are, in the most unlikely moments and places.

When I think about that, trying to imagine Jesus in my neighborhood and what He would do on Halloween 2017, I know He wouldn’t be hiding behind drawn curtains and a closed door. He wouldn’t be ignoring the world outside. In fact, I think His door would be wide open—or, more likely, He would be sitting on the front steps. Would He hand-out candy, when the truth of Trick-or-Treat is so evil? You know, I think there would be big bowls of treats beside Him, piled to overflowing, because He wouldn’t give out His candy sparingly, one piece at a time. He would hold out those bowls and invite every child—and every grown-up—to take freely!

His house would be different, too. The porch light would not only be on, but every light in the house would be blazing! Nothing dark and spooky about Jesus’ house; it would be bright and welcoming. It would stand out from every other house on the street. Twinkle lights and brights mums—no one would be afraid to walk up His driveway.

If it was a warm night, maybe He’d offer chilled water bottles. Cold nights would warrant hot cider, ready to serve in to-go cups. There might even be some lawn chairs out for tired moms or dads who needed a break.

It would be the BEST house on the street! 

Can’t you just see it? He’d shake hands, ask names, and bless each one as they moved onto the next house—if they could bear to leave! Since He offered them all the candy they could want, they might not feel the need to go any further. They might want to linger in the comfort of His presence, and forget about the scary attractions at other houses. They might prefer to stay longer than they knew polite company should, because they were receiving so much more than just a sweet treat and a dime store thrill. True love is irresistible, and for some of them this would be their first encounter. For others, a reminder of what they once had known, but left behind.

When the night was finally over, Jesus would make sure everyone knew His door was always open to them. They were always welcome.

Those are nice thoughts, aren’t they? I don’t mean to make Jesus sound like Mr. Rogers. I hope my imaginings didn’t offend. It may be lighthearted to think of Jesus living down the street, but it is what He once did. He dwelt among us.*  He visited His neighbors; He attended their weddings; He served them lunch. His example is greater than just being a good neighbor, but He did set a standard of hospitality, generosity, and kindness towards others. He reached out in ways that were practical and meaningful, without ever compromising. And, in doing that He gained an opportunity to share the truth.

I am definitely challenged by His example. What if I practiced a level of hospitality that was beyond my comfort zone? What if I chose to be more generous than I think I can afford, and more gracious than I think anyone deserves? What if I loved like Jesus loves, without prejudice towards parents who allow their pre-teens to dress-up like demons and prostitutes?

But denunciatory rhetoric is so much easier and cheaper than good works, and proves a popular temptation. Yet is it far better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.

William L. Watkinson

These days, we don’t actually get many Trick-or-Treaters.  I always have candy on hand, but you won’t find any other signs of the day. A pumpkin on my step, maybe. I smile as I drop candy into every treat sack, but I don’t make any extra effort. I don’t really try to be friendly—I don’t go out of my way.

In other words, I’ve never tried to be a light in the darkness. I’m ashamed to admit that, but it’s true. I never before thought of the darkest day of the year as the most perfect day of the year to shine my little light. How stupid I have been. What an opportunity I’ve been missing!

The truth about Halloween is that it just might be the best day of the year for me to be more like Jesus. Instead of cursing the darkness, I can dispel it.

I really like that idea a lot.

^1 Peter 1:15-16
*John 1:14

 

What On Earth is Happening?

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I wanted to share this short video with you.

On October 7, 2017, Jan Markell interviewed two biblical prophecy teachers, Pastor J.D. Farag and Amir Tsarfati. They touched on so many topics in this very short time, that I thought others would be interested in hearing.

These are topics mentioned.

  • The Spiritual Condition in Europe
  • The One Thing Happening They Believe is a Sign from God
  • Current Events and Current Believers
  • Satan and the Pre/Mid/Post-Trib
  • Biblical Illiteracy
  • America in Prophecy: Is She Babylon?
  • Israel in Prophecy
  • Being Eternity Focused
  • The Impact of the “Accident of November 2016”
  • The Two-State Solution
  • Gog & Magog
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:3
  • The Las Vegas Shooting: Was the Islamic State Behind it?

I encourage you to follow ALL of these teachers. They each post regularly on YouTube and Facebook.

Jan Markell: http://www.olivetreeviews.org/
J.D. Farag: https://www.youtube.com/user/alohabibleprophecy/featured
Amir Tsarfati: http://beholdisrael.org/

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:7, KJV

On Hollywood and Hamburgers

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Once upon a time, the Hollywood elite woke-up to the news that one of their gods had been cast down and cast out. It was revealed that he had treated women very, very badly. In spite of the fact that the Hollywood Casting Couch has long been a fact of life in the entertainment industry, everyone reacted with shock and horror. Famous men and women began speaking out.

“Oh, he’s a great man. Everyone knew he did things like this. but he’s such an artistic genius. He means so much to this industry.”

“Well, we just didn’t…talk about it. You know?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess I knew about it 25 years ago, but— but, I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“There were rumors, but I never actually heard anyone say he’d done it to them. So, you know. What was I supposed to do?”

“So glad it’s finally come out. It’s so exhausting to have to cover up that behavior day in and day out. I’m so glad I don’t have to that anymore!”

“I knew women were being mistreated, but I thought it was just a dirty, little secret we all kept hush-hush. It’s not like I’ve never, you know….amiright?”

“I sure felt bad for all those women over the years. Me say something? Well, why would I do that? Defending them would have cost me my career.”

In their own special way, Hollywood suddenly cared about women being raped.

Women who have helped objectify women on screen, selling their bodies to the highest bidder, were suddenly appalled at how this man behaved in private.

Men who are as guilty, or more so, suddenly decried his actions as unacceptable.

The industry that has been teaching us how to rape, teaching us that people like to be raped, and teaching us that rape is proof he (or she) is really into you, suddenly decided they didn’t like rape, after all. At least, not today.

Was this really Hollywood speaking, or Holywood? Everyone was suddenly morally self-righteous. All those who once bowed at his feet, paying him the highest tributes, suddenly knew right from wrong.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world absorbed every titillating word.

In mid-1990s, another Hollywood god was temporarily dethroned, when it was discovered he had been molesting his daughters—ultimately marrying one of them. He said they were in love.

When this happened, I was certain his career was over. I was very wrong. Like another famous director, I thought he would be forced to leave the United States. Instead, he continued to live life in all its previous glory, even spawning his own grandchildren. So precious.

Most importantly, for today’s discussion, his career was unhindered. He continued to make movies—at least one a year, since those gross revelations. And, who starred in his movies? Why, the very same people who now cry foul on Hollywood’s latest sexual predator/movie mogul. Needless to say, I’m not very convinced by any of their shock and horror. They are actors, after all. You don’t have to be very good at the craft to play outrage.

Frankly, I think many of us are outraged, disgusted, and saddened by the news of one more victim of someone else’s sin, but no one can be surprised. Did we really think the Hollywood moguls were a choir of angels? In the upper echelons of the industry, where money and power are at stake, angels don’t survive.

I don’t know how long this story will make headlines, but I hope it’s just long enough to convince us that our participation in this industry needs to be reevaluated. We can boycott all the movies this man produced, but we know he isn’t alone. We know there are some who have committed crimes far greater than his—they just haven’t yet been dethroned.

When our daughter was still at home, we only watched what we would want her to watch. Even if she was not watching with us, we believed that she was susceptible to anything we brought into our home. We were the watchmen of our home, after all. We controlled the gate.

Well, when she got older and was living at college, we kind of slacked off. The entertainment available to us had really exploded, compliments of the internet. We would use filters and the fast-forward button, but the truth is you can’t predict every bad word that might be said. Some images cross the screen, before you can catch them. Despite our sincere efforts, there were still things we were seeing and hearing that were poison to our spirit man.

It’s kind of like a person with a wheat allergy, trying to enjoy a hamburger on a wheat bun. I can tell you, it’s not easy. It’s messy, and nearly impossible. Some of the gluten free bun options aren’t very good—they fall apart or taste like a punishment. Lettuce-wrapped buns are a nifty invention, but only a deft hand can turn lettuce into an effective bun substitute—the wrong technique leaves you with a pile of disappointment. So, what usually happens is that you end up eating some of the bun, drowning your regret with gallons of water, but still getting a headache and swollen joints.

Fortunately, there are a lot of other things to eat. We have a choice. We don’t actually have to compromise our health and well-being, or our soul and spirit. There are alternatives to Hollywood. There aren’t many, and some of them are like a disintegrating GF bun, but who cares? Some things just aren’t worth it, and for me, that includes Hollywood.

What Else Matters, Really?

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This song just started playing, and it hit me deep in my spirit. Does that ever happen to you? Music is so visceral, but some music is anointed. I believe this is one of the latter, because I hardly know this song, yet as it began to play I had to stop my work to listen. I didn’t even know the whole lyric, but somehow I knew this was the song of my Autumn of 2016. I searched online for the lyrics, but I didn’t really need to read them. I know the Holy Spirit was telling me, “This was you.”  Last November, I wrote briefly about what I was going through (LINK ), and my Aunt Barbara left me a very faith-filled comment that I could hardly receive at the time. The Holy Spirit brought her words back to me, as I was listening to this song.

“Sounds like God is preparing you for the next level of intimacy with Him. Hang in there and keep your heart on Him. What else matters really? You know, ‘Seek first….'”

A breakthrough did come—a milestone, as the song says—and I shared about that, too (LINK).   Now, today, the Lord has used this song to show me His hand, how He has been working right along, even in my unfaithfulness and unbelief.  I can look back at that spiritual chaos, because it is really in my past. Praise be to God.

So, I share this song with you today, for all of my Brothers and Sisters in the fight. Hold fast to Him. Everything may seem totally awful right now, but if you will just surrender and let God have His way, He will bring you through! Take Aunt Barbara’s words for yourself. Hang in there, keep your heart on Him, and seek first the Kingdom of God. What else matters, really?

“WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING (SOMETHING HEAVENLY)” by SANCTUS REAL

It’s time for healing, time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
But I’m giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone, time to begin again
Re-evaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills?
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything, I surrender

To whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace
And though it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
I’m giving in to something Heavenly, something Heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life, something Heavenly

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life, something Heavenly, something Heavenly
It’s time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/sanctus-real/whatever-you-re-doing-something-heavenly-lyrics/#XQGojuXrHM67tQ2e.99

Bring It On, New Year!

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As I think about the New Year, I just cannot resist the temptation to look back at 2016. I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but this past year was not my favorite. I’ve been looking forward to a new calendar!

However, I have no reason to think 2017 won’t be full of the very same challenges that kicked my tookus in 2016. Let’s be honest: our problems don’t belong to the calendar. They belong to us. And, they go with us wherever we go—new address, new relationship, new year.

There is a way to overcome our problems, though. That doesn’t mean our problems will go away, but it does mean we can overcome them. That distinction matters.

STEP ONE
If we can be honest with ourselves, the first step to overcoming our problems is taking a long, hard look in the mirror. It might not be pretty—in fact, it might be downright horrifying—but if we cannot see ourselves rightly, we’ll never make it through Step Two.

STEP TWO
For the person who believes in God, Step Two is prayer. Now, I’m not talking about prayers that sound more like begging, demanding, or bargaining. I mean prayers of repentance. Prayers that acknowledge God is The Answer: our Hope and our Help. If we’ve been trying to solve our problems ourselves, it’s time we remember that our lives are supposed to be in His hands. That is not a mystical or romantic notion. It’s surrender, and surrender is obedience.

THAT’S KINDA IT
Two simple steps. Repeat as needed. I know that may seem ridiculous, but I know it works.

There are many ways God has taught this simple method to me, but I will use one particular problem that dominated a good part of last year. It started out rather small, but it just began to escalate. There came a point when it had brought so much strife into my marriage that I really thought it might be the thing we couldn’t survive. I know you might be tempted to imagine what the problem was, but I can guarantee you won’t guess. It was something so mundane, but the Enemy caught me off-guard and found a way to use it against me, my husband, our marriage, our family, and the ministry. I would be ashamed to admit I allowed anything to do that, but Christ took my shame when I finally repented.

Repentance finally came when I “accidentally” caught a glimpse of my Self in the mirror. I had been praying about this problem, and showing me the truth about myself was God’s merciful answer.  Oy! It was bad. The image I saw in the mirror was an ugly beast of selfishness and pride. That’s not me, I said to God. “Yes, it is,” He replied.

Well, it wasn’t exactly that moment I repented. I’m a stubborn fool, and it took a few more days of me hearing the most awful things coming out of my mouth. I think the Saxophone Player must have thought I’d lost my mind. I was so convinced, though, that The Problem was the problem. But, then it happened. I was standing in our bedroom, and I finally had to admit The Problem wasn’t the problem. What am I doing?  I was the real problem. My sinful attitude. My arrogance. My disobedience. The thing I’d allowed Satan to use? Eh. It didn’t go away. It will be with us in 2017. Maybe, forever, but my sinful response and willingness to yield myself to the spirit of pride was the problem that was keeping God’s grace from abounding in the midst of The Problem.

You see, that’s what God’s about, my dear friends. His Holy Spirit abides with us, and is our ever-present help in trouble not to remove all the troubles of life, but to help us walk through them. God is not looking for us to live the perfect life one imagines their photogenic Facebook friends are living. He calls us to be perfect as He was perfect, which means we face trouble and sin not.

We serve a good and loving Father, generously giving without measure. However, He is a Father. That means He is willing to allow us to throw our tantrums and stumble as we learn to walk, because He knows it’s working something in us. He is just asking that we trust Him to know best. If The Problem remains, will we curse Him and blame Him and stop obeying? Or, will we continue to yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to do what He pleases, allowing whatever trouble or suffering He believes will best work His perfection in us? That is the kind of trust He longs for us to have in Him, and His commitment to us is to keep bringing us to those places where every weakness, every bit of doubt and unbelief, is challenged and worked out of us through repentance, surrender, and obedience.

And asking that the way you live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God better and better. We are praying, too, that you will be filled with his mighty, glorious strength so that you can keep going no matter what happens—always full of the joy of the Lord, and always thankful to the Father who has made us fit to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the Kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:11-12, TLB)

Happy New Year, my friends! I hope you and yours welcomed 2017 in health and safety, and I pray this new year brings you ever closer to the One who loves us enough to stick by our side—even through the temper tantrums of life. ❤

Colossians11.1

I’m Alive

/ SaxophoneWife / Leave a comment

[Today is the five-year mark, since my cancer surgery in 2011. I am going to share a few posts from that year, and one other post. As you may know, the five-year anniversary for any cancer patient is a noteworthy day. So, in my own way I am marking it by living and breathing and testifying of my dear God and heavenly Father, Jehovah, who has shown me great kindness.]

sevenTH (and final) POST IN THIS SERIES: Written 10/27/11
(to begin series from beginning, click: First Post)

2016-10-27-01-28-11

10/26/16
P.S. Thank you for walking down this portion of Memory Lane with me. It wasn’t an easy walk five years ago, and not exactly fun to remember today. However, remembering the hard times is important. It gives us perspective. It reminds of the goodness of God. And, He was very good to me in this season of my life. There were exceptional acts of kindness by nurses that I will never forget. There were divine interventions, and such grace in the midst of the trial. I know what He has done for me, He is willing to do for anyone. If you are going through a hard season, I hope you will find hope in my story. I hope you will seek Him for help in your time of trouble.

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:9, ESV)