Playing God

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:47

 Who are we as arrogant humans to play God and change what His word says? That is exactly what many people are trying to do today and we could be in danger of losing religious freedom as well as free speech as a believer. The word of God is the word of God. It never changes. We are not God and we are not to act like we are. Courts are not God. Judges are not God. God is God.

Beware trying to take away or add to what the word says. It is pretty clear. When a nation founded on Christian principles starts trying to rule their own way, which has been happening, we are in trouble. But there is hope. Mere men are not ultimately in control, thank goodness. The power of prayer is there and we have a mighty God.

Whose voice are you listening to today?

PRAYER: Forgive us Lord when we pervert the word of God and try to change things because we feel it is the thing to do. Help us love one another but not give the devil a foothold in our land any more than he already has. Keep lies far from me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Yeah For Freedom

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12

This is not a happy anniversary day for many. Unless you were born before 2001 you should know this is the devastating date that terrorists took down the World Trade Center, crashed into the Pentagon, and a 4th failed attempt on the Capitol crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Similar to the attacks on Pearl Harbor no one saw this coming. Many think we are on the verge of another similar terrorist attack.

Evil forces do not like freedom. The United States has been a bastion of freedom since its' founding 237 years ago. There will always be those who try to weasel in and corrupt this land and tear it apart. Former president Abraham Lincoln said "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." In other words the enemy could be right within our own borders trying to destroy us.

We indeed have a right to speak up for freedom. "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing" was another famous quote from Sir Edmund Burke. How very true that is. Christians have a right to do what they can to preserve not only religious freedom but all freedoms. Now is the time to be in prayer more than ever for us to remain 'one nation under God'!

PRAYER: Lord we thank you for our freedom and for those men and women who served our country and paid the ultimate price with their life. Help us stand up for our freedom and speak out against tyranny. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Note: You can receive this devotion on Facebook too by 'liking' the page entitled God's Lemonade Stand.

Vacation With A Purpose

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Most parts of the country are no doubt having school vacation right about now unless making up snow days.  The typical places to go on vacation seem to be the beach, Disney properties,a cruise, or an amusement park of some sort. Why not this year take a worthy educational vacation to a place your children will come away with more than mouse ears or a sunburn? I was so proud of my husband when he spoke at church on Memorial Day weekend about the suggestion of going to Washington DC and learning about history and freedom. There are many places where you can go to learn about the Biblical foundations of this great nation.

You can learn about the faith our Founding Fathers had and the scriptures seen throughout the various monuments in our Nation's Capitol. Venture to Arlington National Cemetery for a lesson on the cost of freedom.  God truly has been behind the great blessings this unique country has experienced. Evil forces are always at work to take freedoms away. We the people need to emerge from our protective complacent cocoons and take part in preserving freedom. This can be as simple as voting. With small children at home get them out to places to learn history. Here in my area we are blessed with Early Works Museum and Constitution Village, where I worked for a while a few years ago. Write letters to the editor. Stay informed. Freedom is only one generation from extinction. 

PRAYER: I thank you Lord for the blessing of freedom. I thank you for vacation time as well. Help me educate myself on how freedom is tied to the Bible. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

HAPPY 237th BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Today is a day here in these United States we are to celebrate when our nation broke away from tyrannical rule of Great Britain and declared their independence. It has been a wonderful time up until people started misinterpreting the Constitution or Declaration of Independence. Presently there are some judges and leaders who forget that they work for us and have taken it upon themselves to make rules and laws, behind our backs at times, that are corrupt and unconstitutional. Our society is slowly leaving God out of the equation. The term separation of church and state has been misused as well. That was intended to keep the state from the church, not the other way around. Keep praying and do not give up on this great nation!

We in America who love our country love to fly the red, white and blue and listen to patriotic music. Service members love their country so much and freedom so much they are willing to die for it. We love fireworks and celebrations. For many these past few years have been hard as we watch freedoms we had, slowly being taken away by those in government authority intent to dominate us. We call, rally, and write but still we are ignored. What happened to "We The People"? Many are so endeared to a political party they are blind to what is actually happening. God is still on the throne, never forget that.

Psalm 47:8(NIV) says 'God reigns over the nations. God is seated on His holy throne.' When we ignore God and His word we are in danger of judgment. We need to each be familiar with the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. If you have never been able to go to the Nations' Capitol plan a trip there and see all the wonderful monuments to this glorious nation. Visit Arlington National Cemetery as well as the Vietnam Veterans Wall, Korean War Monument, World War II memorial and many others. When you see a former service member with a ball cap on that says World War II or something like that on it be sure to go up and say thanks for putting their lives on the line so we could be free.

Continue to pray for America. A great site to do this is www.presidentialprayerteam.com which this week has streaming broadcast about this special day we are celebrating.Check it out.

Psalm 33:11(NIV) says 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.' Freedom indeed can be lost when people become complacent and do not do their part in the democratic process to speak out for liberty. Bible teacher Joyce Meyer says 'If freedom is not protected it will be lost.'

Happy Birthday USA! Let Freedom Ring!!

PRAYER: I thank you Lord for freedom. I thank you that this nation was founded on your laws and on the Holy Bible. We pray for those who do not see dangers of tyranny on the doorstep. Father we need you and we need revival to break out from the church house to the White House. Protect those service members serving us in far off lands and here on our soil. Help us not take our freedom for granted. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Click link for an awesome song to help you celebrate.

http://youtu.be/U_5aoptI5j0

 

I'M SO HUNGRY!

 How many of you have probably uttered this phrase? If you are in America reading this(recently discovered I had some overseas readers) you probably have never really been truly 'starved'. We are blessed with an abundance of food much of which we eat way too much of and gain weight or it ends up in the dumpster. We never really are needy like some people in Third World nations. There are soup kitchens here in America though but no one eating porridge with their fingers out of a bowl that I hear of. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Those blessings really do flow and we are oh so grateful for three meals a day, snacks, expensive coffee drinks, and more.

A different kind of hunger is for the word of God. Once again in America, a Christian nation, Bibles can be found in abundance but how many people really get into the word of God on a daily basis? If you do not read it and study it you are starving yourself spiritually. What good does a bathtub and bar of soap do if you do not get in it, turn on the water, and bathe? Likewise, what good is your Bible if it is not read? Many Bibles are wonderful dust collectors.

There is a saying I heard once that 'going into a church won't make you into a Christian any more than going into a garage will make you into a car.' You have to study. Would you want a surgeon to operate on you unless he studied his medical school books and completed his five year residency?

The word is referred to as "milk" and as "meat". God is called the "bread of life" in John 6:35. Just like a human baby needs to eventually be weaned off the baby bottle or their mothers' breast, we too, need to grow up and become spiritually mature and eat "meat" and things that will help us grow and get stronger. 1 Corinthians 3:2(NIV) says 'I gave you milk, not solid food, for you weren't yet ready for it. Indeed you are still not ready.' Hebrews 5:12(NIV) also carries this theme when it says 'in fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.You need milk, or solid food!'

Do you hunger for the word of God? A time may come in this country when evil forces rise up and try to take away our Freedom of Religion. It has started to happen to a certain extent on a small scale across the United States. Don't be deceived and think I am making this up as I am not.Laws have been made that contradict the Bible, sad but true. Would you have much of God's word hidden in your heart if one day your Bibles were confiscated?

Start today to feed the inner man the word of God daily so you have strength to face the challenges life brings your way. You can indeed be strong in the Lord if you get prepared by knowing His word.

'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.' (Matthew 5:6)

PRAYER: Lord you are so wonderful,patient, and kind. I often times find myself getting caught up in life and or forgetting you till Sunday for one hour. I know I cannot stay spiritually strong unless I pick up and read my Bible. Help me not make excuses any more. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link to hear a worship song which goes along with this devotion.

http://youtu.be/2SLHWFpSlq4

Also check out this great Christian family film concerning Freedom of Religion in America.Movie is Last Ounce of Courage.

http://www.standusa.com/last-ounce-of-courage/