What Do You Do When You Hurt?

     

     Where did we get the idea that God doesn't hurt? or do we think He doesn't hurt like we do? ....but aren't we made in His image? Then if we hurt it must mean that He hurts too, right?
     We go through a lot of things in life that brings pain to us, but it did not originate with us! From the beginning "people" have brought pain to our Heavenly Father and yet He continues in love and forgiveness! 
     I am walking through a process of grieving so this is all fresh in my mind and I have felt a closeness to my Father in a new way. He has drawn close to me to comfort me, to wrap loving arms around me and lift me when I need lifting. 
     He has shown me that I do not grieve alone, that He walks through it all with me and He feels the pain that I go through. He is not cold and distant, He is the loving presence that says to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep"(Romans 12:15).
     Many times we hear of people rejecting God or being angry with Him after a loved one has suffered or died. They say how can a "Loving God" let this happen? They are not facing the fact that we are born into sin because we are no longer living in the Garden of Eden, our ancestors got us kicked out of the perfect environment and now we are living behind enemy lines in the battle zone where our enemy is doing his best to "steal, kill and destroy". 
     Why do we blame God for the facts that we are born into? It's like blaming gravity that we are not able to flap our arms and fly! It is not God's choosing that Adam and Eve sinned, that hurt Him! It is not God's fault that mankind was kicked out of Eden, that was from a choice made by Adam! It hurt God also, He longed to walk in the Garden and fellowship with His creation! We blame God for sickness, that was not in Eden and therefore not His choice, that was and is the enemy! It hurts God when we walk through illness! We blame God when people are evil or do evil things to each other. That is not His choice! God says "love one another"! It hurts God to see His creation abusing one another, He never-ever intended for that to happen, but He did give people free choice! Why do we not face the fact that we have free choice and an enemy? We make bad, selfish, rebellious choices and allow our enemy into our live. The enemy will do whatever he can to destroy God's creation!
     Today God is showing me that He is walking through this pain with me and saving all of the tears that I am shedding(Psalm 56:8). He is not distant, He is close to me, hurting for me. He is not hurting because my mother has left Earth, because now she is home with Him, but He is hurting because I am hurting from the separation. If we could grab hold of the truth that God is not distant and cold, but loving and closer than we can imagine we would have a much different relationship with Him and comfort in our hurting times! Our Heavenly Father is less than a cellophane thickness away from us. Try pressing against the cellophane that holds you back from Him and you will grow closer still.
     He loves us, He does not want us to hurt, but it is part of life. Unfortunately pain has been part of mankind's life since God's creation rebelled against Him by listening to the enemy and choosing to bite the fruit and be cast out of Eden. But put the blame where it belongs, on "man" and our enemy. Yes man was tempted by the enemy, but Adam made the choice. 
     Please recognize that God does love greatly, does hurt deeply and tries to draw us close to Him when we hurt, if we will only let Him instead of blaming Him. 

     Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book? Psalm 56:8

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. Genesis 3:1

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?" Genesis 3:8-9

Happy Holidays?

     This time of year people start worrying about how to greet one another and hold onto what the Christmas holiday is really supposed to represent. There is a big controversy about saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". 

     I really do not understand why Christians have let the wording of a greeting become a big issue to them. We don't really know when Jesus was born, but we have "agreed" to celebrate the occasion on December 25 each year, how was that choice made?

     The same people that don't want to say "Happy Holidays" will yearly set up a Christmas Tree in their homes, never wondering where that tradition came from and they'll teach their children or grandchildren that Santa Clause will bring all good little boys and girls presents by slipping through a chimney...where did that come from? Why do they accept some things readily but are offended by the term "Happy Holidays"?

     The Christian parents and grandparents while refusing to say "Happy Holidays" to show their love of God will overload their children with gifts they don't need and neglect teaching the idea that it's better to give than to receive. The holiday becomes a focal point of material gluttony! 

     If we don't want to say the new Politically Correct greeting, let's also re-examine the other things that we have accepted for years without question. Is the purpose of Christmas really to buy junk we don't need, give the stuff to people that don't want it and will forget it by the next week? 

     I'm not asking people to give up celebrating Christmas, I'm only asking that before we take offense at a greeting, let's focus on why we celebrate Christmas and along with examing our greetings, let's reconsider how we've been celebrating it and the way we've embraced the materialistic ways of the world.  

      Let's turn the focus back to Jesus, it's supposed to be His birthday celebration...what does that have to do with Black Friday or Cyber Monday or Santa Clause for that matter? Absolutely nothing.

Facebook, Twitter, Intagram, Google Plus

     Have you ever considered the things you post on Social Media as something that you'll be held accountable for? It has really been crystallizing in my thinking lately.
     Not only will I be held accountable for what I shared, but I will also have to face the repercussions of things I have caused to happen in other people's hearts because of my posts!
     I have really started being a lot more careful and had to go back and delete some things that really weren't necessary, and not only not necessary, but downright mean spirited.
     You may think I'm being a little "legalistic" about this, but consider the warning in this scripture, "The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:35-37
     I'm sure there are some that could debate the meaning of this scripture, but that's not my desire here. I simply want to say, be careful, your words are more important than you realize.

When Are We Supposed to Be Holy?

Holiness~

     As a follower of Christ and child of God, what areas am I to live in holiness?
     In my church life? Yes! in my Family life? Yes! In my work life? Yes! now it gets tricky....in my social life? Yes! In my world of earning and spending? Yes! In my speech and thoughts? Yes! In my times of entertainment? Yes! You mean when I'm watching a movie? or reading a book? or talking to friends? driving to work, shopping for groceries? listening to the news? ...so then at what point am I able to stop being holy and living a holy life? This is beginning to sound like never! Not even briefly?!
     I think that's what this scripture is saying ~ Therefore, my dear friends, since we have these promises let us purify ourselves from everything that defile either body or spirit, and strive to be completely holy, out of reverence for God.  2 Corinthians 7:1
     My husband always tells me that when you read "therefore" in scripture you're supposed to pay attention what the "therefore" is there for! In this case it is telling us in 2 Corinthians 6 that God has heard our prayers, that we are not to let the grace of God be for nothing. It tells us that we are not the same as those who do not believe in God's salvation and have not prayed to Him and we are not to live as unbelievers do! And more! It tells us that God "will live with us and walk with us"!
     Ok then! That's why we're to be "Holy" in every area of our lives! We have a Holy God living with us! Does that boggle your mind? If you haven't stopped to think about it before it might! Every second of your day He is there! He hears everything you say and even think! He hears what you talk about with your friends, He sees what you watch on TV, He rides is in your car with you as you drive...instead of spending time complaining about other drivers, take time to talk to Him! Just talk to Him! He is a parent longing for His children to confide in Him, to bring their needs, their wants, their hurts to Him...but like a good parent, He waits for us to make the first move...   Well that was a little rabbit trail from trying to understand why we're to walk and live in holiness...
     Pretty much we've covered it, we are to be Holy in every area of our beings, our minds, bodies and spirits...in our thoughts, words and actions...with all people we encounter, family, friends, coworkers, fellow believers and non believers because our Father is Holy and lives with us 24/7 and we as believers are now His children.
     And in case someone was wondering...the definition of holiness is "the quality or state of being holy" and now we have to look at the definition of holy, "set apart for God's purpose".
   

Integrity, Innocent, Cross-Examine! Oh My!

     When I read a story I often put myself in the story...I don't know if that's normal or right or even if anyone else does it, but it is how I do it! "It's how I roll!"
     So this morning I was reading Psalm 26 and had to do a lot of confessing and repenting as I read and prayed it from my own position. The scripture starts with "Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity"....can you honestly claim "integrity"? I realized that I can not, I have not always walked in integrity....sometimes my integrity has been compromised! I believe integrity is like purity, either it is or it is not...there is no middle ground!
     Integrity means "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principals" and "the state of being whole and undivided". The first part I am good with, but to be transparent (a good goal!), I have been known to not be "wholly honest", sometimes I have stretched the truth or as some would say "a little white lie". However I don't believe a "little white lie" fits into a person of integrity's life.
     In reading and feeling the conviction of the fact that I have not always been 100 percent honest I had to confess before I could read more...that was just the first verse! So I prayed, "Lord, You know sometimes I have not been completely honest. I'm sorry for my dishonesty and then trying to act like I'm a person of integrity! Please forgive me and wash me clean! I will do better, I will not say or do anything that is not honest and true." (In our world that will be tough! Many people will label me a "hater" for not accepting the diversity of things that I don't believe are right. It doesn't mean I have to get on a soap box on Facebook, or anything that extreme, but it does mean when faced with a situation I don't believe is right I can't just go along with it to make everyone happy.)
     The second part of the FIRST verse says "I have trusted in the Lord without wavering"....ok, let's see if that's true? Have I ever worried or let myself be stressed? Well, yes, I have! Then there is the answer for that! I have not trusted without wavering or why would I fear or why would I be stressed? Or for that matter have I ever grumbled about a situation? A long line at the store! a red light!..high prices!..paying bills!...nothing to wear! car's not running...not enough money, not enough time...I guess you can tell I have heard grumbling?
     Back to God in prayer..Father I am sorry for the times I have NOT trusted unwaveringly! Please strengthen my trust, help me remember that I am in Your hands.
     Finally made it through the first verse. Now verse 2! "Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me"...wait a second! Father please don't put me on trial! I know I fall short in many areas! Please clean me, strengthen me, show me where You want me to grow and change! And I already lay it all before You because nothing is hidden from You, I only hide things from myself! I'm sorry and I already know I carry guilt for not being everything that You want me to be! Please forgive me! "Test my motives and my heart", Okay, let me confess first that I know my motives can be self-serving, sometimes I can be like Peter when he is quick to defend You and eager to follow Your instructions but when it comes to my own well being I react to keep it intact! I'm sorry Lord!
     Psalm 26 has already given me so much to face, confess and pray about in the first two verses!  I'll try to deal with verse 3 and 4 in the blog later! However I do well with verse 3! "For I am always aware of Your unfailing love"! Thank You Father!

The Heavens Tell!

This always amazes me! Can you imagine, the "heavens are telling"!? The heavens are delivering a message to us! 

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. Psalms 19:1-2

 

You Don't Have To Do It Alone

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Philippians 2:13

Complete

     Holy Spirit, Thank You that You have come to teach and lead me into a deeper, more complete relationship with the full Trinity Who is my Creator.~
     I don't understand it all, but I know that the Trinity is God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.
      The part I don't understand is why we focus on just one part of the Trinity and ignore or neglect the other two.
     I know that Yahweh the Father is the Great Creator and
     that Jesus the Son is my Saviour, Redeemer and King
     and that the Holy Spirit came to Teach, Correct, Comfort,
     Encourage and bring us into a deeper reality of relationship with      Father and to Glorify Jesus more completely.

     How can we limit our worship or focus to only One part of the Trinity? It takes all Three to be complete...

Chase God

This is something on my heart for this season. God's word over and over tells us to look to Him for all things, but we continually look to people.

     I guess it's a habit we start as babies looking for milk and a diaper change...and yes our physical needs are important too, but I think when we look to be happy or satisfied by our relationships with people we are setting our selves up for failure.

     How many times do young women think if they could just find the right guy then they are set for "Happily Ever After"? Or guys think if they find a woman "just like mom"(used to be the song or saying?), then they are set...and I remember one more, behind every successful man is a good woman...while there is truth in being "equally yoked", our relationship with our Heavenly Father really is a lot more relevant to our happiness, success or satisfaction. And what about the complicated relationships of parents and children...if I only had a  baby, or if we could just have children, or if my children would just listen to me, or if my parents would only love me or show their love or approve of me or my choices?

     Why do we continually look for acceptance, approval and love from each other? This flesh is only temporary, but God and His love are eternal! Quit chasing people and their approval and rest in His love...if you don't know how, ask Him to teach you, to show you the way, He will guide you beside the quiet waters, He will restore your soul, He will guide you in paths that are right....chase God and you will find Him.~

Psalm 23:1-3

No Other gods

God said to have no other gods before Him. Do you think that might even apply to yourself?

Exodus 20:3

Our Vision

To Demonstrate, Cultivate and to Disciple a lifestyle of passionate engaging with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit in accordance with Scripture. Setting the captives free and ushering them into a living, loving relationship with Yahweh.

One plus One

     Lane and I have heard many teachings, messages and sermons. One that God refuted yesterday at church to me was that "Jesus can't return soon because He's coming for a bride without wrinkle or blemish". 
     During the service we had praise and prayer and many people went forward to lift their praise to God at the alter. Some lifted praise, some surrendered their lives and some were giving thanks. It's really hard to know what all of the people are feeling in their spirits, God deals with each of us so differently. Isn't it amazing that each of us are able to interact with Him from our own beings and it's all custom made for us? God is not a One Size fits All kind of God! 
     This is a "Rabbit Trail", so please bear with me for a moment, and take time to marvel that God meets each of us in different places, in different ways! He may be more gentle with the person that has a softer more sensitive spirit and sterner with the hardheaded one that won't listen! Isn't He amazing!?
     Okay, back to the point of the blog. The idea that Jesus is not able to return until His bride is without blemish.....if He is able to cover us and our gaps in our spirit, is He not also able to cover His bride that He is preparing to return for? This is what He spoke into my spirit yesterday at church, it had nothing to do with the service or the praise, I think He was just showing me that to expect to see a perfect church before His return is delusional! He can and did cover a multitude of sins by His blood. 
     There is nothing too difficult for Him and He has already paid the ultimate price for His bride and He will return for her, make sure your oil is full! 

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’   Matthew 25:1-12

Sacrifice~

     Something to consider~ 
     I hear prayers telling Jesus "Thank You for dying on the cross", we know He did a great deal when He allowed Himself to be crucified. He paid for our sins through the sacrifice of His blood, He washed us clean of our sins (when we trust and believe in His Crucifixion), through His blood He provided for us all that we needed, through His wounds and beatings (stripes) He provided our healing....and we know that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, right?
     Have you considered that before He even allowed Himself to be accused by the Pharisees and questioned by Pontius Pilate that His whole life was a sacrifice? 
     Jesus lived in Heaven! He was with God and He was God! He walked streets of gold where there is no suffering, no tears, no illness, no death, no hate, no envy, no rebellion, no strife, no decay....He left that for us! Wasn't that an amazingly large sacrifice? How many of us are willing to step away from our comfortable homes and walk the worst Third World countries among disease, death and decay to try to reach out to those who live there? I can't even imagine the stench that the World must have carried with it when Jesus had to breath in the air of our lives.
     The sacrifice started way before the cross! As soon as He was conceived in Mary's womb the sacrifice had started. He was carried in the womb of one of His creations, as a baby He had to cry to be fed! He was dependent for His safety and life on those who had been created in His image! He spent time with other children and you know children are not always kind to each other, there were probably bullies in Jesus' days too. And the growing pains of a teenager? Growing into manhood and never quite fitting in with His friends or brothers. Why were none of His disciples friends from the old days? (Yes, I'm sure angels were always about, but I don't believe that He relied on them for protection or provision, even when He faced the enemy in the desert He did not call on them to step in. It was only after the time of testing was over that the angels ministered to Him!)
     You hear stories of people who have died and then come back to life, they say that it is so beautiful that they don't want to come back but they are sent back because it's not yet time for them to pass on, yet Jesus made the choice to come when it was not required of Him! When you take time to consider and be thankful to Jesus for His sacrifice, consider what He set aside to live on Earth, please take time to recognize that all that He did on Earth was a sacrifice!  

One Body

     God is really wanting me to be transparent here, I am not happy to admit that I was watching several members of a youth group and thinking they should have sat at the back of the event we were attending. ...but...God used it to teach me and maybe can teach you through my transparency...?
      We were at a Revival and enjoying great teaching, but we sat close to the youth group, you know that age where the kids are still feeling that they have to be “cool” and not interested in the things that adults value? 

     Well, the speaker was one of those that wants you to look at your neighbor and share some point, so I looked at this young man/boy next to me wearing a “Chicago Bulls” hat (which I huffed to myself that he should take off in church!) he had a sealed off face with a look that didn’t make me want to share anything with him! But God doesn’t leave me to what I want to do in situations like these, He made me reach over and tap this guy and share with him. Man was that guy surprised! And then I think God had the speaker add a lot more sharing moments and the young guy next to me started “thawing”, the rest of the youth group started watching and giggling every time there was a “share” moment and they were all smiling, I winked at one of the girls and kept sharing with Mr Chicago. By the end of the teaching, God had really put that young man on my heart and he had started smiling too! 

     Then they called for everyone wanting prayer and Lane and I went forward for prayer, we love to go forward for prayer! You can never have too much prayer! While I was up there I looked around for my young neighbor, Mr Chicago and couldn’t find him, I glanced back at the seats and he was still there! I started waving at him to come up front, he started smiling and shaking his head, I tried several times but he would have none of it!
     I knew he was supposed to be prayed for so I talked to his Youth Leader and checked to make sure if it was okay if I took the prayer to him and prayed for him? The Youth Leader said “Yes!” So I went back to the seats and told the young man I was supposed to pray for him, would that be okay? He told me his name was “Gracen”, I’m not sure that is how it’s spelled but what I heard was “Grace On” and I told him that I heard “Grace On”, that God’s grace is on him and I prayed for him as God’s Mighty Man, that he will lead many to Christ through the Grace that God has put on him and that he has courage and joy unlimited, that he will face the enemy and not back down and not be afraid and joy will be with him everywhere he goes! Wow....all of that from thinking he should have sat further back and taken off his hat!?
     What if I had kept my fussy attitude about this group of uninterested kids? I am so thankful that God allowed me to see more in these young people than is visible to the human eye. He allowed me to see His future army in the making! He is raising up an army that we may not yet recognize but we need to be there to encourage them! Pray for them, reach out to them and smile at them! Let them know we are for them and not against them! We are all one body! No division by age, sex or color....we are the Body of Christ! We are His Bride! Stand together! Support and Encourage each other!

Hand Up, Not a Push Back!

     I'd like to share a lesson and opportunity with you that I have learned! It might save you the trouble and frustration that I went through! 
     My husband and I went to a conference that we had looked forward to for months! The conference was attended by hundreds of people and had amazing praise, fantastic teaching, and much needed fellowship opportunities.....there was only one little "fly in the ointment". 
     You know how you can have something that you value greatly but it's obvious that others don't think so highly of it? We went to this conference with great expectations and then had a situation that I had to deal with in my spirit. A young couple sat in front of us and while the woman was really "into" every aspect of the conference the man appeared to only be there with the woman!
     I was really caught up in the spirit moving at the time and only slightly aware of this specific couple the first few times, but every session and every day we went into the conference out of hundreds of people the couple kept sitting in front of us, no matter where we sat! We sat to the front, there they were, to the back, yes they were there too! To the left or to the right it didn't matter, there they were! 
     By the last evening they had finally really registered in my atmosphere! The man was sitting directly in front of me and I had to get around his obvious boredom to get into a praise attitude! He looked around at everything going on, appearing bored and distracted, it was hard to not notice!....I began to pray for the young woman he was with, "If you're not married to him, don't marry him! he's not a Christian like you! Your life will be one long struggle!"...but then God (don't you love those words?!) told me to pray for the man, I wrestled with that a bit. Do you wrestle with it when God tells you to do something you don't want to do? It's better to just go with it, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble!  
     As the preaching was drawing towards the end I leaned over to Lane and told him I needed to pray for this man before we left. Small, independent groups praying at the conference was not really something they wanted, so I had to move and do it fast. As we all stood up and were dismissed I reached over the chair the young man had been sitting in and touching his arm i told him that I had sat behind him several times now and he really reminded me of my nephew(It was all I had as an ice-breaker!) and "I wondered if I could just pray a word of blessing over him as an aunt"? He was very open for that! 
     I prayed a word of blessing and I added "a new deeper walk with his Heavenly Father". I had accomplished my assignment that easily! I could feel a satisfaction in my spirit that the seed words were planted! Why didn't I do this the first time I noticed him and was irritated with his boredom? We picked up our bibles, notebooks and things and left the row where we were sitting but the young woman came and caught us and told us "thank you so much" for that word of prayer, it was a small word to us, but in her world it was evident that it was big!
     Now the moral, every good story needs a moral, right? Don't be irritated by those less spiritually mature, pray for them, give them a hand up to a higher level, boost them, don't push them back! .....And if you do this earlier in a conference you may remove irritations that will follow you through the weekend!  

Backs to the Wall?

     Recently I had Pandora playing and was enjoying some Contemporary Christian music, but some of it I didn't enjoy as much. While I was listening a song came on that talked about "having our backs to the wall" and then "throwing our cares on God". 
     If you weren't too concerned about words and their meanings then this would sound like a good idea, but as I listened I considered that we shouldn't see ourselves as walking through life and then when we get our backs to the walls we turn to God. If we walk with God consistently then we will most likely walk through problems and never see ourselves with "our backs to the wall".
     Do you walk your own way and when you run into problems you turn to God? The better plan might be to walk with God constantly, then we would have put everything into God's hands, not just our "cares". And if we've put everything into God's hands, even where we go and what we do, then it's not as likely that you'll end up with your back to the wall. What do you think?

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

Love, Betrayal, Forgiveness

All Christians have heard of Judas, and many have wondered why Jesus allowed Judas to stay with the rest of the disciples. It has been growing in my heart to understand this very thing. 

     Surely we all have people in our lives that hurt us and have either betrayed us or we would not be terribly surprised if they do, and there are even ones that we are terribly surprised when they do turn against us. The ones that surprise us are the ones we love deeply and we do not all have the insight that Jesus did to know that it was coming. Yet even if we did have the insight the love we carry for these people is too deep to allow us to do anything except try to survive the hurt inflicted. So even as Jesus loved His betrayer, we love ours. 

     The next step we have to add to this path is forgiveness. In the full picture of Jesus' path that we're called to walk out, is forgiveness of the betrayer. It's not always easy, but are we called to do only what is easy?

     And we need to face that in the end, all of us have chosen to go our own way and we have all betrayed Jesus. As those who have betrayed and who have been betrayed by others we have to come back to walk in forgiveness. If we do not walk in forgiveness, it is all wasted, all of Jesus' sacrifice for us has not fulfilled it's full purpose.

What Does God Mean When He Says...

     There is something I don't understand and I have not had the nerve to ask people about. I haven't asked because I don't want to offend people that I look up to, but they are the only ones that might be able to explain to me why it is acceptable for them to use the name of God in a conversation where they say "My God" when they are not discussing something about Him or praying to Him. 
     I know and understand the freedom and grace that Christians have through Jesus' sacrifice, so I'm not questioning basic freedom, but God was concerned about His name enough to include the commandment in the basic "10 Commandments". 
     I have asked some people about this, but never the ones that actually do it, from fear of offending...maybe I should be more afraid of offending God by accepting this use of His name?  I have pulled these verses out in trying to work this understanding for myself~ 

‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. Deuteronomy 5:11

You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:12

and then I checked the definition of the words, because sometimes we think we know what a word means but we might have a wrong understanding~

     "vain" is~ "marked by futility or ineffectualness:having no real value".
And~
     "profane" is~ "to treat (a holy place or object) with great disrespect; to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use".

     If we are using God's name in a casual conversation, are we using it ineffectually? and yes, I know some people will wonder what "ineffectually" means, so here is it's definition~ "not producing or able to produce the effect you want". So if someone is telling you a story and then pauses to say "My God!" is it in vain, or ineffectual or of no "real value"?
     This is probably not a big issue for many people and I don't know that it issue it is to anyone besides me! ....I just wonder if we are glorifying God or degrading Him by our use of the slang term, "My God", that many Christians and non-Christians use.
     I'm just curious, what do you think? Please keep your comments loving and not condemning, let's consider what pleases our Heavenly Father.

Life and Death

     As a Christian I know that death is not the end. For a Christian there is no end, life is eternal. There is a passing over, from this existence to the next. For me there is no doubt that after our life on Earth we will still live on in a new body, exactly how that will be I'm not sure of. I trust God and know that He knows how it will be and that it will be good, that's enough for me. Actually I may like to know more but until my own passing I won't really "know".
     I do know that Jesus said that He has gone to prepare a place for me, John 14:1-3, and that He will return to receive me unto Himself. and that I will be in paradise with Him, Luke 23:43. I also know that I will have a new body, 1 Corinthians 15:51-55
     So, logically I have no issue with the process we call death, it's actually only a transition, right? But it is something that we try not to think about or for some to only consider with fear.
     At this point in my life with a loved one facing the transition, I am looking at the emotions that surround this time. Grief for the ones left behind, even when we know they will go to be with Jesus.
Maybe our lives are so intertwined that we are like the plants that when one is pulled up the others who have shared the root space feel the shaking and rending of losing the one they had been close to.
     Even as I try to understand my feelings I realize there is not always an explanation for our emotions. Even so, God created us as emotional beings. His word tells us there is "a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance", Ecclesiastes 3:4.
     I think this means that when one of our loved ones leaves our presence and moves into the presence of Jesus in Paradise that yes, we will grieve and we will cry, it doesn't mean we doubt that they are in a far better place, it means that we will miss their presence with us until we see them again.
     This is kind a self involved article trying to make sense of my sadness even when I am at the same time rejoicing. Thank you for your patience with me as I talked myself through all of this to reach an understanding that my tears are not an insult or distrust to God but part of the loving celebration of my mother's life.

Stand in the Gap

I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30

United We Stand

Good day!

     I want to share an urgent item that God laid on my heart yesterday morning. He woke me with clear instructions to decree unity over our Nation. He showed me how all of the factions are being used by our enemy, the devil, like a pack of many smaller animals that will take down a great and mighty animal when it is outnumbered and not prepared.
     We are part of the great and mighty and the devil is the one that has stirred up many small groups. You know the small groups, they are covered and glorified on the news everyday.
     God's instructions to me were to decree that we are ONE body! That we will not be pulled apart and that we are ONE body under God. He said it's not just a Nation, we are a body and we are letting our body be destroyed.
     It is our place to decree, each of us over the whole country of the United States and also over our own home town and state(that's where we have more authority). "We are one body, we will not be destroyed, we are one body under God!"
     As God's children and members of His Kingdom we have the authority to decree this and to stand for our Lord and our country at the same time.
     When I first learned of "decreeing" I struggled to grasp it, but it is simply standing in the position that you have been given. You are in Christ, you are His hands and His voice on Earth. As His voice you are simply calling things on Earth as they are in God's universe. And scripture tells us that what we bind on Earth is bound in Heaven, Matthew 18:18. So we need to step in and start binding.
     United we stand, divided we fall. I want to stand, don't you?

God's Still Working

     I'm sharing this as a Christian to other Christians~
   
     Isn't it surprising how we can judge and deem far from perfect someone that God has created and chosen as His vessel for His purpose? Surely I'm not the only one that has either judged or been judged "less than perfect"?
     I have to frequently remind myself that someone is God's daughter or His man and ask to be forgiven for negative things that I've said or thought about that person. I do not want to be found by God criticizing His workmanship when I think someone is less than they should be!
     On the other hand I'm thankful that I can trust that God is still working on me! I know that I'm less than I should be, I do know that I'm not perfect but I also know that I am God's creation and that He's still working on me. If I myself, or someone else, feels that I'm not usable by God for His purpose, then they are selling God short! Nothing is too difficult for Him!
     Thank You Father that You don't leave us as flawed vessels, but You continue working on us to bring about Your purpose! You see in us the spark of possibility that is hidden from others, You see our hearts and You know our thoughts and words! Thank You that a "far from perfect" being is still "workable" for You! and please forgive us when we judge others or ourselves and when we don't take time to recognize that we are Your workmanship and that You are still working on us all!

Bumps in Your Life?

     Many years ago, when I still read articles about improving my life, I read an article about getting rid of the rough edges that bump us throughout the day. The idea is that life is too short to go through your day tolerating things that really irritate you or upset your day. 
     With that idea I implemented some things they suggested, like making up your bed so your bedroom can have a semblance of order for the rest of the day. I know that doesn't sound major but over a lot of years you do realize that there is a calm in your bedroom just because the bed is made, it has some "order" to it. Of course once that habit is in place some other things fall into place in a normal progression. Taking care of your laundry, your clothing and on and on.
     The point of this article is not about improving your bedroom, but it is about improving your life! If life is bumping you around, maybe you need to get some basic things in place to make it an easier world, to have some order?
     Let's start with a natural assumption that if you're reading this you're probably a Christian, or at least interested in the Christian path, since the title for the blog is "Following His Path". So with that assumption in place we can move on! 
     The first bump to remove from your daily path is trying to have your own way, as long as you are living for yourself you are going to have a lot of bumps in your day. Try turning to your Heavenly Father and going His way, living His will! Like it says in Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
     The next bump is the neglect of conversation with your Heavenly Father, how are you going to know His path for you if You neglect Him or His word? Be sure to read His scripture, hide it in your heart and pray, talk to Him without ceasing. Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
     Another bump is lack of forgiveness, do you hold anything against anyone? If you harbor unforgiveness then you are going to receive a lot of jolts. Let's go ahead and add not being thankful, if we are not thankful for what God is doing for us, in us and through us then we are going to have a very ugly outlook on life and it will bump us without ceasing! 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
     I can't promise a "bump-proof" life, but if you can put these basics into place in your path then things will be much smoother for you, and each day will be easier and more joyful to walk through!

So Beautiful!

This year is amazing for the trees and flowers! Everything is so beautiful! 

Luke 10:20

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

Luke 10:20

Disciplers

     When you walk with God as your Heavenly Father you need to pray about your choices. It takes awhile to get into this pattern of thinking but it is essential.
     The world has many preachers but it needs more "Disciplers", I'm making that word up but I don't really know any other word that would fit what i'm trying to say here. There are many people that tell the unbelieving world that they need Jesus, but they don't tell them what to do with Him once they have Him.
     I'm not telling all of the things that you need to do with Him now, but I am telling you that you need to take your life to Him in prayer. Not part of your life, but all of it.
     When you choose to believe in Jesus and to be His follower that means that you have moved into a new realm. You are no longer in the realm of the world, you are now in God's realm! You probably will think one realm looks a lot the same as the other, but that's because it's a change in the spirit part of life not the physical.
     We are spirit beings with a physical body (quote from CS Lewis, because I can't say it any better!). You have to accept that or how can you truly accept Jesus? With that understanding covered, you are now ready to see that you are in a new spiritual realm! and now the Holy Spirit has come to live within you. The Spirit has not come to just walk with you, but to actually live within you! How amazing is that?
     The next thing to try to grab hold of and understand is that you are a "work in progress", you are now a disciple of Jesus. The definition of disciple is "a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower". So your job now is to learn the doctrines of Jesus, and follow them!
     That brings us back to needing more "Disciplers", we need more people that are helping others in their pursuit of following Jesus.

Favorite Psalm.,...along with all of my other favorites, but this rates in the top 5!

139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20 For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Our Father is Holy

     A few years ago I heard a message that God is calling His people to holiness, and more recently I've been reading the scripture that talks about Uzzah and his lack of respect for God's holiness. I don't know if you remember him, and I wouldn't have known him by name until now, but now I'm taking note of his story! You know....Uzzah could be a slang term for "you was"!
     Uzzah is the man in 2 Samuel 6:1-7 that reached up, touched the Ark of the Covenant and was struck down by God.
     Now I realize that Uzzah could represent a lot of people in the Christian life today. Uzzah had lived with the Ark in his father's house for a period of time....many of today's Christians have grown up in a Christian home, Uzzah didn't recognize the importance of the holiness of the Ark, many Christians also don't consider the holiness of our Heavenly Father and are very casual about their approach to Him ( I've been guilty of this too!), Uzzah had lived around the Ark and yet knew so little about it! Is that us? We've grown up in a Christian nation and yet know so little about the holiness of our God?
     Do you go to church Sunday morning and figure you've taken care of your relationship with God for the week? Do you reach up and touch the Ark once a week and think you've played your role in the Christian walk of bringing God to the world? Are you in danger of walking casually with your God and treating Him less than holy?
     Remember even the angels who have been with Him for a very long time are only able to sing “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:3

     I know we walk in our Father's love and we are given a great access to Him through that venue, but that does not remove His holiness or the respect that we should approach Him with.

     There is so much involved in encountering our Heavenly Father, way more than I can bring in a blog entry without turning it into a book! The main purpose of this article is to encourage each of us to approach our walk with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit with an attitude of stepping into  a Holy realm, a realm we may not fully understand, so let's do it with respect and caution. Let's not be  casual "you was" or a casualty like Uzzah! Our Heavenly Father is a loving Father, but He is still Holy.

     (While writing this I was shown that there are properties that exist in our world that have to be respected....like don't use electricity in a bathtub full of water, and don't touch an open flame...it's  not that the electricity or flames desire to hurt us, it's the nature of their existence that brings the shock or the burn. God does not desire to hurt us but it is the nature of Holiness that it requires we deal with it with caution and respect.)

Do You Have An Adversary?

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8


     We read this scripture and at first we're alarmed, then we go to work, to the store, to school, etc and we don't encounter any lions, so we think maybe this is an exaggeration? Maybe in those there was an enemy and a lion, but these days there are too many people for him to bother with me! 

     Do you take this scripture seriously? Are you sober spirited, on the alert? My purpose here is not to teach how to be "sober minded" or on the "alert", my purpose is simply to point out the need to be!  

     As Followers of Christ we have been instructed to be aware that we do have an adversary, an enemy! 

     Do we understand the word "Adversary"? The definition is "someone or something that struggles with, opposes, or resists", they are our enemy! Please let these definitions soak in. This is not a video game where you start the game over with more hearts when you die, this is life and your choices can bring repercussions to not only you, but your family and friends. Now the definition for enemy, "One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes another; a foe".

     Please wake up to the idea that you do have a very real enemy that opposes you, hates you and desires to destroy you and all that you love. 

     You probably won't see a lion walking into your life, but maybe your adversary will have a more desirable appearance? Maybe it's a friend, a hobby, a habit, a neighbor and maybe those are just things that hold the door open for the enemy of your soul to enter your life.

     Consider your life, be on guard that you are not devoured by your enemy!