Success and Failure Blog

The climb at first sight seems unattainable and risky but when you include a team of experts with your calculations than you see the end in sight. This is true with anything you do from scaling that rock wall to chartering a plane to Haiti’s; you plan using others input to make your plan come together. So, you would also need others to guide you on your journey to your heart.

My experts consist of counselors, pastors, Holy Spirit, Bible, authors, and church family they know me best. Trying to make this journey on my own would take me nowhere really fast. I tried that once and it was a disastrous to think I could accomplish what others do in a day, month, a year. Silly really…

Why did I think I could do this on my own? Let me give an example that the Holy Spirit gave me:
Looking across Lake Bountiful (my name for lake) I saw Jesus Christ on the opposite shore. I thought gazing at the water it would be a short distance I can swim this. So, I set out at an easy pace and found that there was a under current and looking up at the shore I wasn’t any closer. Getting tired I turned back and found myself back at my side of the lake. Scanning the shore I notice a boat and pulled it over and got in and set the oars to start my journey again. Again, my focus was not on Jesus Christ but my ability to pull on the oars to glide across the water. Looking behind me I wasn’t going across but going down stream. “AWWW!” Turning the boat around and focusing on the horizon and rowing at the same time was hard and tiring. I was caught in whirl pool spinning me out of control and was back on my side of the shore. “Aw!” Dropping to my knees I cried “Lord, help! I can’t do this on my own. It looked so simple. I thought I could do this. I was wrong. Please, Lord Help.” Standing up I gazed across the water and I found myself staring into my Father’s eyes the bluest of blues and I reach out and I was in His arms and He held me tight.

When you experience the arms of Christ and His forgiveness it transforms you to another place and person. All of sudden you are not alone in your plans for your future you are asking for others input. You are praying for God’s will be done in your life. The Holy Spirit pricks your heart and you begin to change and forgive. Why? The Lord forgave me of my sins for He gave up His life for me. So, I can have a life with Him. A relationship that brings tears to my eyes… When I think of all He has done for me and is still doing for me; my heart wells with love.

My Jesus is real and there is nothing I can do that will send Him away. He says in his word that He will never leave me or forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5) The Lord has a plan for me for hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) The Lord fights for me. (Deuteronomy 3:21) There is hope for a tree if it be cut down it will sprout again.(Job 14:7)

Do you know that the door is always open (John 10:9) for you. When you approach this door do it with boldness (Hebrews 4:16). Focus your eyes on the prize which is Jesus Christ. God raised us up with Jesus Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 2:6) We who are sealed with Christ have everlasting life. But, you who do not know Jesus Christ and is still playing at the gate will have fire and damnation. We do not know when are time is up on this earth we can die tonight in a car crash. Do you want to take that chance?

The Lord is waiting for you to come out of this world. I lived in this world through some horrific times do I want to repeat that time? No!!! My time now is hard with unemployment but the Lord keeps blessing me with His presence and His provisions. Life is good. My hope is in the Lord. I trust Him with my life and future. I can’t imagine life without Him. He is the hand that guides my walk I do nothing without Him. Jesus is light to my darkness.

Come to the waters of Lake Bountiful and give your life to the one whom will turn your tears into hope. In His arms you will find rest from your burdens. In His arms you will find peace that passes all understanding. In His arms you find refuge and strength in times of trouble. In His arms your heart will flourish and grow in the likeness of your Father. In His arms you will have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Lord that I do not have to do this life alone. You have given me eyes to see and ears to hear. You have given me a church family that prays for me and we have life together.

I pray Lord, that you draw your people to yourself and impart your Holy Spirit to live in their lives. Give them wisdom and strength to walk this path. Put your angels around about them keeping them safe. Bless them, extend their boundaries, and keep them from evil in Jesus Christ name. Amen.

Does My “Ex” Want Me Back?

I had one of those “my ex-wants me back dreams” the other night. If you have not experienced one of these, I liken it to the dreams where I make a regrettable choice. I have one such dream where, being an ex smoker, I casually light up a cigarette. I feel at first, caught by the surprise of the feeling of satisfaction as I draw in a breath. But this is quickly disrupted by a sense of foreboding and instant remorse. All of the “ex wants me back dreams” are the same. Things seem casual and light, then my dream mind starts reeling knowing I am about to make bad choice.

That all said, this “ex-wants me back” dream was not like that at all. This dream was different. I did not have the predictable emotions: like the satisfaction “winning” my ex back or the confusion of making choices I was not given in real life. So, I woke up puzzled. I found that in the dream, I was just simply feeling kind. I had this genuine forgiving heart. Unlike the previous “ex” dreams my dream mind did not jump ahead to what my actions all might mean. My dream mind didn’t retreat into digging up the past to find ammunition, or fuel to fend off making a regrettable decision. My dream mind just observed what was happening, and I just was kind. In the dream my “ex” even questioned the change in me. My dream self told my dream “ex” that it was all because I (more…)

There was a time when I’d sooner throw away a burnt pan then try to clean it. There were however, several occasions where I did try to scour and scrub a pot or skillet with little hope of it ever sparkling again. It may have been given a hiding place of shame in the back of a cupboard, but eventually if not immediately it would end up in the trash heap.

However, lately I have spent a lot more time in the kitchen, reacquainting myself with good home cooking, and in the process finding myself attached to some beautiful stainless steel skillets and pots that my husband brought into the marriage. Tossing them, or hiding them away is not an option I would consider, so I have found through trial and error how to actually clean them up with little or no “elbow grease”. So now when I discover that my unattended food is melting into a tarry black layer of crusty gunk at the bottom of my favorite skillet I don’t go into panic mode. I realized that the same principles for treating a burn your eyes, stinky, burning pot, applies to relationships…(more click here)
RT’s Sketchbook Journal

Cleaning Burnt Pots and Restoring

Many people celebrate the New Year, and see it as a time of starting over. While anytime can bring a new beginning, the new year seems best for such resolutions because there is a logical change over to a new number.

Lots of people try to shake bad habits or start good habits during the new year. A person might wish to stop smoking or stop doing something else bad, or they may wish to pray more or draw closer to God. Or, just be kinder to one’s fellow man (though a vague resolution like that can be a bit of a copout unless one lays out some specific ways to do this.)

The Bible gives us 9 great things to cultivate – called “fruits of the Spirit” – in Galatians 5:22-23. By growing these in specific ways, instead of just saying, “I’ll be nicer,” we can have a brighter new year, follow God more closely if we know Him, or come to know Him as a loving, personal Savior and guide in life if we don’t yet know Him.

New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep because we are humans. It’s our nature to wander away from what we should do. “All we like sheep are gone astray, we have turned each one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity (sin) of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) That means we fall short of God’s standard of perfection.

Thankfully, when one simply trusts in Jesus by faith to save them – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31) – God makes them new on the inside. (2 Cor. 5:17) He begins a good work, and promises to complete it. (Philippians 1:6) However, while He keeps trying to work in us to make us more Christlike, our sin nature keeps holding us back unless we focus totally on Him. Even the great apostle Paul, near the end of Romans 7, complains that what he doesn’t want to do, he does, and what he wants to do, he doesn’t.

Thankfully, he finishes that chapter by stating that Jesus can save him from that “wretched state,” and that – to those in Christ Jesus – there is “now therefore no condemnation.” (Romans 8:1) When a person trusts in Jesus to forgive them of their sin, by faith, they can be sure that God will keep them from falling.” (Jude 24) In every situation, when we are faced with temptation to sin, He provides a way of escape so we don’t have to. (1 Cor. 10:13) he is strong enough to keep us saved (John 10:28-29) because He lives in believers through His Holy Spirit. We are sealed with it. (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30)

See, since we are sinners, we don’t have the strength to keep these things on our own. That’s why so many people fail at their resolutions. They are like small children who try to dress themselves, even though a parent is right there wanting to help. The child insists on doing it him/herself, and snaps are done wrong, heads try to go through sleeves,a nd it’s so mixed up you’d think their socks will wind up on their ears. Yes, small children need to try on their own since it’s a skill they’ll need – this isn’t a perfect illustration. But, it does show how we act when we have a loving God who wants to lovingly guide us Himself. This is why we must pray, too, though He knows our needs – He wants us to realize we can’t do it on our own and that we need His help.

This, then, is how to keep those New Year’s Resolutions – give them over to God. Let Him be the one to keep you from falling, instead of trying it on your own. And if you do fail once, simply go to Him and receive His great forgiveness. For if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrightousness. (1 John 1:9)

So, what are those really good fruits that God wants us to grow in us? Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

The word “but” at the start shows there is something before that which is different – usually the opposite. In this case, God inspired Paul to write about things which our human flesh likes to do. Our carnal nature means that we don’t always like to do what’s right. We follow our lusts and tear others down, hate, act stubborn or selfish, and so on.

You may say, “Wait, unsaved people can be kind, gentle, etc..” Yes, but not to the extent and often not in the proper manner that the Holy Spirit builds these fruits in us. Let’s look at each of these very briefly and see how we can have a great New Year trusting in God to grow these fruits in us, instead of trying to do it on our own.

Love

The world is decent here. Still, there is such confusion about what love is. Some use it when they mean lust. But, the physical never lasts. Others use it to mean that they care about someone as long as they do something for them. For the most part, an unsaved family can be a very close-knit and loving one, of course. They might be able to come close to the unconditional love God provides, because it’s built into us.

However, only through God can we truly love as Christ did. I’m reminded of an illustration of a father that I read in an e-mail. His son was allergic to bee stings – a bee sting could even kill him. So, he saw a bee buzzing around his son, grabbed it in his hand, and took the stinger himself, so it wouldn’t be a threat. Now, if you expand that, the same loving father might do this for his son’s friend, or maybe even a total stranger. Some have given their lives to save strangers they didn’t know. But, God’s love is much deeper.

God’s love means that He takes the sting of death for His enemies, those who hate him and want nothing to do with Him – He still tasted death for them. Because, all of us were once this way. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) So, that means that for the Spirit to help us love others more, we need to love our enemies. We need to care about others and be willing to pray for them. We certainly need to help others and reach out to those who are hurting even if it means we’ll get teased for it. We need to protect the bullied of our society and show them how to let the Lord help them through things.

Joy

The world has joy, but too often it is at the expense of others. Now, if someone is able to laugh at themselves – and we all need to be better at that (the next fruit gives us that) but the problem with the world’s joy is that it’s full of raunchiness and filthy language and other bad things at times. A couple boys I know were introduced via YouTbue to some classic comedians of the 1940s-1960s era by their father. They said these comedians were the funniest they’d ever heard.

Joy isn’t just laughter, though. It’s being happy even when times are bad. That’s because the Spirit helps us take our mind off of our own worries and focus on God. Many verses in the Bible show people who felt joy in knowing God would be with them even in the worst of times. The world can’t do this, and even Christians have trouble with this when they focus on themselves. Always remember, Paul wrote Philippians – a book which talks a lot about feeling joy – from a Roman prison. If he could do that, God can give us joy, too.

Peace

When we cast all our cares on Jesus, He can give us a “peace that passeth understanding.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Instead of being full of worry, God can give us peace. Even in the worst of times, we can know for sure we are going to Heaven (1 John 5:13, John 3:16, etc.), know for sure God loves us, and so on. We cultivate this fruit through faith.

Longsuffering

This word for patience hits the nil on the head when it comes to a description. Sometimes, patience means we must put up with a lot. Anyone who has ever had small children knows what this is like. Thankfully, they do eventually grow up, and if we do a good job of leading by example and explaining that example to them, they will follow.

God gives us a much greater ability, though. He can put verses or hymns in our mind when we most need them. He can give us words to say that can calm the storms of life. He wants to help us in this crazy world. The Bible warns that at the end of times, “The love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12 – 2 Timothy 3:1-3 show how these others declining, like we see today, show that the Lord is close to returning.) One reason this is true is that there is so much less patience than there used to be. Another is that we don’t take time to think of others in our busy schedules. These two are tied together. When we take time to think of others, we realize others matter and that we need to be more patient.

It’s hard for us on our own. But, God can work wonders in us if we trust Him.

Gentleness

As noted in the comment on joy about, there is so much more coarseness and vulgarity today. Gentleness isn’t just a gentle touch, it’s an attitude, one that says we’re not going to be really harsh or overly critical or anything else beyond what is needed. At times the world has always been too rough. But Godly people, following the Spirit, have always known how to approach others with the right amount of tenderness. And, that’s different for different people. For instance, Jude 22-23, where God’s Word tells us to tell others of His love in different ways, some needing compassion because of what they’ve been through, others, needing stern warnings.

How do we know which is which? Again, we need the Lord to show us. At times, the world tries to have everything gentle, but that is doing it the world’s way, to draw praise from people, not God’s way. God’s way is like Jesus with the woman caught in adultery. (John 8:1-11) He was gentle and showed He cared, but He still came out and said her sin was sin, and told her “Go, and sin no more.” If you’re like me, you can see Him saying this in a more tender manner than He spoke to the Pharisees, but he still said it.

Goodness

This is fairly easy, and brings a lot of the others into it. It requires that we know what is good, which is hard for us to do without God. Without Him, we just try to make others see us. Jesus said that we should do good to others without trying for praise ourselves; instead, we must let our lights so shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Faith

Once we trust Jesus to forgive us and save us from our sin, He helps us to have faith by giving us things to pray for or go through that help us to see our reliance on Him. The more we do, the more He’ll call us to do. People like George Muller, the great English man of faith who helped many orphans in the 19th century, was a great testimony to what one person can do when they put all their faith in God. He is the kind of person we should all strive to be this New Year.

Meekness

The world is wrong when they say it means weakness. Meekness means gently loving and having power but choosing not to use it. So, it’s got parts of gentleness, goodness, and a few others. When we are meek, we let God handle the situation instead of trying on our own strength.

Temprance

This word, meaning self-control, probably encompasses the vast majority of all New Years resolutions. It stretches from not flying off the handle at everyone to not devouring boxes of candy, and everywhere in between. It means not losing it at that person who cuts you off while driving, knowing they may have a sick relative they are rushing to see. It means so many things the world just can’t do very well, though some do better than others.

We need the Holy Spirit for this. Like Paul, we’re going to have trouble, but instead of just saying, when we do, “Oh, well, I broke my resolution, now I can go back to how I was,” we must confess and forsake that sin and ask the Lord to change us and help us not to sin.

He will do this for His children, but the first prayer He hears and says “yes” to is that of a repentant sinner coming to Him for salvation. Yes, He may answer yes to another prayer from that person, but only because someone else happened to pray the same thing, or He did it on His own to draw that person to Him.

He is always trying to draw us toward Him. He wants us to realize the things I’ve said above. He wants each of us to see as I saw years ago, that I was a sinner in need of a Saviour. That Christ died for my sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and rose again the third day. Just call on Him by faith to save you. (Romans 10:9,10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9, etc.) It’s as easy as ABC – Admit, Believe, Choose.

Once you have done that, God’s Word promises to develop the fruits of the Spirit, but He also warns us not to quench the Spirit. It is so much easier when we follow the Lord. Just always remember, we don’t do it because we have to. We follow Him because we get to. He promises to give us life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) Part of that abundant life is helping us to grow to be more Christlike by growing those fruits of the Spirit.

Because, so much of what we seek – like the things I mentioned the world seeking above – don’t last. Whenever we try to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, or the pride of life (1 John 2:16), we wind up feeling emptier later. That’s another reason why people can’t always keep their resolutions – they need something to fill themselves with instead.

This year, let us resolve to fill those empty places with the fruits of the Spirit.

God has highly exalted Jesus and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth. As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends me to go and do everything in His name.

In Jesus I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

In Jesus nothing can separate me from the love of God (Romans 8:38,39)

In Jesus I am sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2).

In Jesus I am enriched with all knowledge ( 1 Corinthians 1:5)

In Jesus I have wisdom (1 Corinithians 1:30).

In Jesus I have righteousness (1 Corinithians 1:30).

In Jesus I have sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30).

In Jesus I have redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).

In Jesus I shall be resurrected (1 Corinithians 15:20-22).

In Jesus I have victory over death (1 Corinithians 15:57).

In Jesus all the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” to me (2 Corinthians 1:20).

In Jesus I am established (2 Corinthians 1:21).

In Jesus I am anointed of God (2 Corithians 1:21)

In Jesus I always triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14).

In Jesus I am a sweet fragrance to God (2 Corinthians 2:15).

In Jesus my mind is renewed and enlightened (2 Corinthians 3:14).

In Jesus I have life and that life is the light of all men. (John 1:4)

In Jesus I have eternal life (John 3:15-16).

In Jesus I have been justified (Romans 3:24).

In Jesus I have peace with God (Romans 5:1).

In Jesus I am loved of God (Romans 5:8).

In Jesus I have an abundance of grace (Romans 5:17)

In Jesus I reign in life (Romans 5:17).

In Jesus I walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

In Jesus I am alive unto God (Romans 6:11).

In Jesus I bring forth fruits unto God (Romans 7:4).

In Jesus I have no condemnation (Romans 8:1).

In Jesus I have been made free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

In Jesus I live by the law of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2).

In Jesus I am a child of God (Romans 8:16).

In Jesus I am an heir of God (Romans 8:17).

In Jesus I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

In Jesus I freely receive all things from God (Romans 8:32).

In Jesus I am a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In Jesus I have the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

In Jesus I am an ambassador for God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

In Jesus I am made the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In Jesus I live by the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4).

In Jesus I have liberty (Galatians 2:4).

In Jesus I am redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).

In Jesus I have the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:14).

In Jesus I am a son of God (Galatians 4:7).

In Jesus I have fath which works by love (Galatians 5:6).

In Jesus I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).

In Jesus I have been chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

In Jesus I am accepted of God (Ephesians 1:6).

In Jesus I have the life of God (Ephesians 2:5).

In Jesus I now sit in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

In Jesus I have the exceeding riches of God’s grace and kindness (Ephesians 2:7).

In Jesus I am His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

In Jesus I am created for good works (Ephesians 2:10).

In Jesus I am built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).

In Jesus I have boldness and access with confidence before God (Ephesians 3:12).

In Jesus I am a shining light (Ephesians 5:8).

In Jesus I am strong in the power of God’s might (Ephesians 6:10).

In Jesus I have the high calling of God (Philippians 3:14).

In Jesus I do not worry (Philippians 4:6).

In Jesus I have the peace of God which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

In Jesus I have the peace of God which guards my heart and mind (Philippians 4:7).

In Jesus God dwells in me. (1 John 4:15).

In Jesus I have the love of God (1 John 4:16).

In Jesus I have no fear (1 John 4:18).

In Jesus I overcome the world (1 John 5:4).

In Jesus I have victory (1 John 5:4).

In Jesus I have understanding (1 John 5:20).

In Jesus I know God (1 John 5:20).

In Jesus I have strength (Philippians 4:13).

In Jesus I can do all things (Philippians 4:13).

In Jesus all my needs are met according to God’s riches in glory (Philippians 4:19)

In Jesus I have been delivered from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13).

In Jesus I have been translated into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13).

In Jesus I have redemption through His blood (Colossians 1:14).

In Jesus I have forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14).

In Jesus I am reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20).

In Jesus I have all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

In Jesus I am made complete and perfect (Colossians 2:10).

In Jesus my life is hid with Him in God (Colossians 3:3).

In Jesus I have abundant love (1 Timothy 1:14).

In Jesus I have obtained salvation with eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10).

In Jesus I am saved to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).

In Jesus I have eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).

In Jesus I have an eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:12).

In Jesus I am made perfect in every good work to do His will (Hebrews 13:21).

In Jesus I have abundant mercy from God (1 Peter 1:3).

In Jesus I have a lively hope (1 Peter 1:3).

In Jesus I have joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8).

In Jesus I am a holy priest of God (1 Peter 2:5).

In Jesus I am settled (1 Peter 5:10).

In Jesus I have fellowship with all believers (1 John 1:7).

In Jesus I have received the anointing which teaches me all things (1 John 2:27).

In Jesus I have the Spirit of God (1 John 3:24).

In Jesus I have overcome the devil, the flesh and the world (1 John 4:4).

Did you ever consider that Jesus was bullied? Oh, yes, the Pharisees and Saducees – religious leaders of His day – couldn’t stand Him. This was really tough because he was, is, and always will be God. (John 1:1, 14; 10:30; etc.)

Jesus told Peter he could call down 10,000 angels to destroy the world when he was taken away to be crucified. But, He didn’t. Why not? Well, obvioulsy, He came to die for our sins, be buried, and rise again the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, etc.) His death was a punishment for our sins – He took that for each one of us. (1 Cor. 5:21)But, there’s another, special reason.

that reason is that He loves us. The recent incident at Rutgers, along with the deaths of various high school students, show there is a terrible problem.

Excellent resources for dealing with bullying, both in stopping the bullies and heling victims, have been found, such as this handy list of ways to cope. There is one other thing to consider before things get that bad, for those who are victims of bullying.

Students bully others for different reasons, as is noted in the last link above. However, one thing that everyone needs is to hear and see unconditional love.

First, for victims, you are loved no matter what by God. However, unless you trust Him forgive you for your sins, as mentioned above, you can’t have a relationship with Him. That is because yall of us have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) The wages of sin – what we earn because of our sin – is death, separation from God’s perfect love forever in a horrible place of suffereing. But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) That gift is received by faith alone, in Christ alone and what He did for us on the cross. (Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9)

One you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, invite Him into your heart, and you will be made a new creature on the inside. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus Christ will come to live in you and work in your heart to make you mroe like Him.

Then, He will help you through everything. He promises “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) the Gospel of John is a great place to start out reading and learning more about Him.

In the meantime, He can also help you to have peace when others are mean. He has been through everything similar to what we face today. he didn’t have video games, but he had games, for instance.

You can have peace, then, that He will see you through. He can see anyone through anyone. He will also give you courage to say “I love you in Christ” to those who dislike you.

That is important, because you will then have the Lord in you, and He can help you help them to change, bit by bit, simply by showing Christ’s love for them. And, by using the power of prayer to change things.

Bullies must realize that there is unconditional love for them out there. They dont’ have to put others down to be special to God, becuase He is grieved any time someone feels hated. The bullies must break the bad habits early by learning to gather things like the Fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, etc..

See, wanting power and control over someone is wrong. it’s what the devil does. And, when we try to control others for selfish purposes, we are letting the devil control us.

Instead, we need to realize the freedom being in Christ gives us. God’s Word, the Bible, promises “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

This, by the way, is also excellent advice from someone in a relationship (marriage, boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever) where they are being bullied. God has given you the power to end that controlling nature of the devil. When the Bible speaks of Jesus “leading captivity captive,” it isn’t just talking about letting captives free who are prisoners for crimes. Many times, we imprison ourselves or allow others to imprison us. But, Jesus holds the key to escape.

The key to escape is *not* by leaving this world, though it will be when God calls us home someday. The key to escape is a spiritual one. it involves being free from being bullied or from being a bully. instead, God let’s us learn to form relationships based on mutual love adn trust.

The first key is to draw close to others, ask the Lord to help you and your family become closer to each other express your feelings more through words. If you can’t with them, find friends who are willing to listne. But first, if you are a bully, you must trust the Lord to help you do this.

It might be hard, if people have let you down so much. But, all it takes is one little smiden of faith. And, that starts by realizing that God is not a man, that He should lie. God is the one who made this world and everything, including you. He loves you.

However, thousands of years ago, sin was brought into the world through disobedience. People followed the devil and his ways of controlling, and lusting after the flesh.

God will one day punish all sin, and it will be thrown in a lake of fire to burn forever. perhaps you would like to see others there, becuase people have been mean to you. But, remember, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We’re not perfect. If we don’t form that perfect, unconditional loving relationship with God, we will die in our sins and go to that horrible place where sin will be punished.

God loved each of us, though – He doesn’t want you to go there. he is pleading with all who red to turn to Him before it is too late.All it takes is a single, sincere prayer of repentence int he Lord Jesus. Just talk to God, and: Admit you’re a sinner, that you fall short of His perfect love. Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose fromt he dead; He took your punishment becuase you can’t get to Heaven on your own. And, Choose to repent and receive Him as your Savior, inviting Him into your heart to save you from your sins and forgive you, and to make you new ont he inside.

And, please, go out and share that Godly love with others, showing them a change. Becuase, when people see changed lives, they will believe there is a difference. That will be having a positive impact,a nd taking control by letting God use you in positive way. You will be spreading true, unconditinoal love around.

And, this world needs so much mroe love. Not just shallow, physical love, but deep, intimate, personal love. he can help you have that, if you only trust Him.

Romans 13:11-12- And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Wake Up Church of the Living God! I write this exhortation tell you that it is time for the Church to arise out of its slumber. It is time for the Church to let their candle burn bright again in a lost and dying world. While the world becomes more and more inherently evil, the Church needs to realize that our redemption draweth nigh, and we as a Church need to be about doing the Lord’s business and laboring for the King so that when He does return, he will not find us lax and apathetic towards the things of God.

The Church of the Living God has been duped by the demonic doctrines of hyper Calvinism and hyper Pragmatism. What I mean by hyper Calvinism is the belief that God predestined the elect (saved people) before the foundation of the world and that since they are predestined to heaven there is no way for them to turn from irresistable grace. On the other hand, God predestines some people to go to Hell and there is nothing that they can do to change their eternal destination because God already predestined it before the foundation of the earth. This particular idea is heresy, but nevertheless it is spreading in the churches of America at a unprecedented rate. What is so appalling about this particular aspect of Hyper-Calvinism is the fact that it teaches that some people from the moment they were born are damned to Hell and there is nothing they can do to change their destination! Oh, but I have good news for you. The Bible says that God would have none perish but that all might come to everlasting life. Focus on the word ALL. That is clear that God wants all of humanity (that includes every man, woman, boy and girl that has existed or ever will exist) to be saved, and to experience everlasting life. The fact of the matter is that God created us with a free will. People have the choice of whether to accept what he did on Calvary, or people can reject what he did on Calvary. God wants us to choose to love him. If we did not have a choice or a free will then we would be no better than robots.

There is also a heretical doctrine spreading known as Hyper-Pragmatism. Pragmatism says that if it feels right then it is okay to do. The truth is that every man thinks he is right in his own eyes. Pragmatism is currently sweeping through the Churches at an astonishing rate. Many Churches are compromising their convictions in order to appease the flesh. Many Churches are using the methodologies of the world and are in effect saying it is okay to use the world and the world system in order to keep people entertained and keep people happy. Folks the truth of the matter is that this whole idea of collaborating with the world is heresy and has no place in the Church of America. Churches have become so worldly and they have bought into the idea of pragmatism and the sad truth about it is they don’t even know it. When a evangelical Church in this country is playing secular songs in the pulpit there is something wrong. Not too long ago a evangelical Church played the AC/DC song I am on a Highway to Hell. The sad truth about it is that many people in that Church is probably really on the highway to Hell. It is so sad to see the Churches in America for the most part become so apathetic and become so duped by demonic doctrines. It is obvious that they are not reading the same Bible that I read. The Bible clearly states in 1st John to love not the world neither the things that are in the world. The Bible clearly tells the Church that we are not citizens of this world. We are pilgrims and sojourners passing through.

We must never expect the Lord to bless a church that is duped by these doctrines. We must never expect God to bless a church that is full of proud and conceited people. God will only start to bless the Church of the Living God when it is humbled to the dust under a sense of its own shortcomings. When the Church does this then God will look upon the Church with mercy. God blesses his people when they begin to pray, as well as when they confess their sins. The prayer is urgent, humble, and believing; therefore, it has to speed to the throne of God. “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us”. These agonizing desires will be part of the mourning of a Church that is conscious of having lost the blessing from God when the entire Church is interceding with urgency and persistence.

Prayer is the best resort of an earnest people. I can testify to this. In my church (Second Baptist Church), we have had prayer meetings in which everyone has been stirred, much as the trees of the forest are moved in the wind, and afterward the presence of God has always been manifested by conversion of souls. Our best times of prayer have always been followed by joyful harvests of new believers. Churches everywhere must be prayerful, intensely so, or else they cannot expect that the sound of abundant rain will be heard throughout their land.

I call on the church to awake, to confess their sin, to awake to struggle in prayer for the souls of men. The the Lord God will visit us from on high. Come Holy Spirit, and rouse your slumbering people Stir up the lazy multitude of believers, for when Your power is felt, then the bright day of triumph has dawned upon us.

We tend to focus on our loved ones here on earth when Valentine’s Day comes around. What about our Heavenly Father? He should be at the top of our list of Valentines.
My Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gave His love to us before anyone did. He brought us to life, touched our hearts, and gave us the power of choice. We should choose, without having to consider, that He receive our love first. Our Valentine Lord looks upon us with the utmost of love and compassion. He shares with us when we are too selfish or greedy to put Him first. He touches us when we whine and complain, when we pray for forgiveness, and when we feel there is no love left for us from anyone. He offers a love that is everlasting.
Yes, today should be an easy day for us indeed. A day to humble ourselves and gracefully bow before our first Valentine of all. Lift up your hearts, pour out your thankfulness, and open your arms to receive the Almighty Love.
It’s all well and good to give gifts and cards to our loved ones. We should be grateful and should show them that we care. For us, seeing is believing. Everyone wants to be accepted and hugged, kissed and shown love. It’s not a bad thing to want to lift the spirits of the people in our lives. We were given these priceless gifts by God. Of course He wants us to show our appreciation to them as well as to Him. Read 1John 4:8 “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

Other scriptures that remind us of God’s love and how He wants us to love (yes, loving God also means loving the way He wants us to love others) are:
1John 4:10, 1John 4:20, Leviticus 19:18, Luke 6:27 There are more scriptures, of course, just look in your concordance in your Bible under the word “love”.
Although it is usually John 3:16 that is the focus of how God loves us, He also shows us His love in many other ways. Sometimes these ways are subtle and seem more like punishment than love. Have you ever been late to work only to realize that if you hadn’t been late you could’ve been in a wreck? Have you ever prayed for something you didn’t get only to realize later why it was better that you didn’t get it? Have you ever been hurt by someone who told you a blatant truth you didn’t want to hear only to realize later that the person was right and your life has improved because of it? Sometimes when we think God must hate us, we need to remember that we are seeing our present selfish desires, not the long-reaching wisdom and love of our Lord.
Human love can be blind. God’s love is never blind. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So, today I say, “Happy Valentine’s Day, God! Thank you for knowing me best.”

Aaaah!  It is Sunday!  A day of rest!  A day to refuel the soul!  A day to set aside just for you, Father God, to give you glory and praise your Holy Name!

For some of you this day may be Saturday, but I usually spend Sunday as my Sabbath.  This has confused me. It  makes sense  that since Father God spent 6 days creating and spent the 7th day resting that Saturday would be the Sabbath, but most of us spend our Sabbath on Sunday since that is the day we go to church.  Some weeks I have more convictions of this than others so I wind up celebrating my Sabbath on Saturday but still attending church on Sunday.   In doing this I feel I really prepare my heart for worship. But where did the Sunday Sabbath come from if the Bible is really clear on the 7th day?

I once was a member of a small group that had this discussion.  The big issue was how many people worked weekends and could not get to church on Sunday?  So is it okay for people who need to work weekends to spend their Sabbath, their day of rest, their day of isolating themselves to the Lord, the day of praise to the Lord, another day?

I guess in retrospect if you spend your 6 days of work Saturday through Thursday or Sunday-Friday, or whatever your schedule might be then your Sabbath would be the day or one of the days you actually do not have to go to work.  That would be the day you set aside for rest.

Some denominations are very set on what the Bible says about the Sabbath.  Going by our calendar, etc.  But although our calendar was derived from a former does it make it exactly the calendar that God used and did God use a calendar?  He has always existed, He is older than all the grains of sand, He has always been there and will always be, His day is a thousand years.  So what type of calendar did He or would He use?

In conclusion, I believe that each of us has our own personal relationship with our Lord.  We need to rest in Him and His Word each and every day to be drawn closer to Him and have the ability to hear His will in our lives.  But we also need to have our Sabbath, where we do no work in order to glorify His Holy Name and His Word.

Draw near to the Lord today and everyday.  Set aside your Sabbath.  Speak to the Lord of your habits, needs, desires, and the Sabbath.   Allow His Holy Spririt to guide and lead you and listen for God’s Words of Wisdom.

I would love to hear from you and what God leads you to do!

I love you, Father God!  You are my King of Kings, my rock and fortress, without you life would be impossible and with you life is amazing!  All glory and honor to you, Abba Father!  Praise be your Holy Name!