Aging Happens...Poof You’re 50!

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?Job 12:12

Why is it in Western society people seem to dread getting older? Somewhere after 35 and before 45 you morph into getting to be older. Seemingly great profit is made in the ‘fountain of youth’ industry as attested in numerous commercials and pop up ads.

Old age is not a thing to dread but one to embrace so why can’t we? We long for the good ole days of dark hair and no spare tire.

God has a purpose for everyone at every age. Young people should respect the wisdom of those older. Older people need to say thanks for the years God has given them and know they are here to be used by Him. By all means take care of the ‘temple’ of God eating right and exercising but don’t go overboard trying to be 30 when you are 80. Jesus loves you just the age you are.

PRAYER: Father I am thankful for the years I have been given. I do not dread death as I know I will pass into heavenly glory but I pray for those who seemingly only live for today and who don’t know you to be introduced to Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bless Those Who Curse You...Or Disagree With You..Or Try To Start Fights

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.Luke 6:28

Who is your enemy or said another way who tries to agitate you or start a battle? News media? Political figures? Family member? Friend? Telemarketer?

This age is full of many ways to get people angry at you. The enemy Satan is the real creature to be mad at yet how many can’t see the forest for the trees so to speak and are angry at a person. Instead we are to pray, love, forgive, and press into seeking harmony.

Agitation and anger are tools the devil uses to split families, divide churches, tear apart nations, and create discord in general. Spiritual warfare not human warfare yet how many think a person is their true enemy? Make an effort to live in harmony and continue to pray and demonstrate love no matter what.

PRAYER: I am thankful I am able to show kindness even when humanly they don’t deserve it. Help me keep silent when angry so I don’t regret my words or actions. Give me supernatural ability to pray for those trying to divide and destroy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Big Dance

However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived"- the things God has prepared for those who love him-1 Corinthians 2:9

My title today is not referring to the NCAA Sweet 16 of basketball but to Heaven. There indeed is ‘the biggest dance’ of all. A celebration of unimaginable proportion awaits us.

Most humans are so tied to this earthly domain like it is all there is and dread the thought of death but for the believer who knows and follows Christ it is a time of celebration. Those still on earth mourn the passing of family and friends but it indeed is a celebration when the believer gets to his or her real home.

Are you ready for the biggest dance of all? Yes there is dancing in heaven and rejoicing and singing and praising and it is not to be feared. Our life here is only a mere vapor compared to eternity. Don’t try to figure it out just live for Jesus and walk in peace and joy looking forward to what is to come when your final breath is taken.

PRAYER: I pray for those I know who may not have accepted you as Lord or really who could care less to grow deeper in their knowledge of you. I pray for those who are lost or who reject you for them to come to know you as savior. I pray for evil men and women to repent and turn form wickedness as Heaven is for those who love you and have turned from evil to good. Thank you Lord for the wonderful place that awaits believers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

NOTE: Idea for title from book The Jesus Prom by Pastor Jon Weece. 

That Funeral Verse About Living

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:1-4

This verse is often printed on little programs at funerals but in my humble opinion it has way more to do with living than dying. It is a chapter in Psalms that indeed brings great comfort and probably helps  mourners but hear me out on using it for living and being alive! 

Take time right now and get your Bible and read the entire chapter. It is not long. Sometimes it is the only thing in the Bible most people are familiar with other than John 3:16. We need to move way beyond both of those to knowing how to use the Bible to have on your armor for battle daily. The devil has done a great job making ‘church goers’ and some believers think they are fine without reading it but you are NOT.

God leads you, guides you, comforts you, takes away fear. He does that NOW while you are living on this Earth. Don’t short change yourself by missing out on all the wonderful words of life found in the Bible. Start in Psalms and Proverbs. Ask God to reveal truth in his word. The more you read it the more you become like Him in the way you think. Go beyond that ‘funeral verse’. 

PRAYER: I love your word, all of it. Even the begats are there for a purpose. Help me cast of a spirit of laziness or complacency when it comes to getting up and having a quiet time daily. I choose to resist the enemy by using and applying the truth in scripture. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Firebreak

For sin burns like a fire. It burns thistles and thorns. It sets the woods on fire, and they go up in smoke. The land is burned up by the anger of the Lord, and the people are like wood for the fire. No man shows pity on his brother. Isaiah 9:18-19

Forest fires are pretty common place this time of year in our Western States. Fire fighters often employ firebreaks to ward off the flames barreling in and taking over. These breaks allow them time to deal with the tremendous power of the fire. This is a dangerous job as can be attested by the Granite Mountain Hot Shots of Arizona depicted in the 2017 Hollywood film, “Only The Brave”.

Sin can consume us like a raging inferno if we don’t set up our own ‘firebreaks’ in the spiritual realm to deal with junk that comes our way. It is easy to allow worry, fear, grief, anger, and bitterness to control and consume us. The enemy attacks and wants to cripple believers and make them powerless to take control and rise up against the flames raging.

Do not allow the enemy to throw more fuel on the fire but stop him in his tracks. Quote scripture out loud to him. Pray. Start praising God for all his goodness as the enemy hates praise and thanksgiving. Know that this too shall pass and you do not have to allow sin to defeat you.

PRAYER: I have the power in your name to defeat the attacks of the enemy. I know most battles are waged in the mind and I ask Father that you help me keep my mind filled to overflowing with what is good. Help me to put out the fires with the word of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 Note: Idea for title from Family Research Council 

Beyond Facebook

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

It is the year 2019 and life in the Western World is saturated with social media. You can’t get away from it. If you are like my husband and a few other friends, you are smart and don’t engage in it to begin with but if you are there already you may have found it can be a source of great pain. Get a life or get a job some may say and leave it alone. 

Pain such as what Facebook can cause,  is usually reserved for bickering teenage girls having a quarrel but now adults,  who should know better,  get involved. You are unfriended, blocked, put on restriction and a host of other things. Meanness occurs when politics enter the picture and the Facebook world heads south. 

First Pray. Next limit your time and don’t stalk Facebook. Thirdly, give yourself social media vacations. Get outside, get involved in a project, study your Bible. It is crucial you learn to control your thoughts as if this is your weak area Satan can try to take advantage of it and torture you. Don’t go there and do not allow it. Pray for those who may have hurt you intentionally or unintentionally. Find ways to spread love on Facebook. Avoid divisive subjects that stir hatred. Now go and let the joy of the Lord be your strength. 

PRAYER: Father as my sister and friend Kim often say “Facebook is not real” and it is not yet it can still be cruel, hurtful and painful at times. Help anyone dealing with issues to let the Lord have first place in your life beyond the computer, cell phone, or TV. Ask God to break strongholds where hurt has entered. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bad Choices Equal Separation From God

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.Romans 12:21

Have you ever heard that you are either for God or against Him, no in between,  and if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything? Both statements are worth examining more and both are very true. 

When you have a choice to do right or wrong your spirit man knows what is right. You may justify some action you are about to do as okay or not that bad but if it borderlines on whether it is sinful or not, perhaps you better step aside and run far and fast the other way. 

Today’s world is full of sinful behavior being accepted as normal and when Christians speak up they do so not to spread hate but to share truth. Today’s millennials are being thrown a pack of lies trying to get them desensitized to right and wrong. I heard from a good Christian teen that certain things or lifestyles were not hurting anyone. That is not the point. The point is the more we accept sin as truth the more the devil wins in lying and deceiving many and some within the church sad to say. Remember brother and sister that “kindness leads to repentance”(Romans 2:4).

PRAYER: Father God many fought and died for this great land to keep us free. We were founded on the Bible yet many try to push that part of history away. Thank you that the truth will always win out. I pray for those I know who are tricked and believing the lies of the enemy that they awaken from their stupor. In Jesus’ name. Amen.