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“FEELING ANXIOUS?”

A lot of people these days are struggling with staying focused. There is a lot of worry and anxiety even among Christians. Why?

I spend very little time looking or reading about the news. Even when it comes to Facebook I avoid most of those things that are of political nature or what a lot of people may think as news worthy.

I am not here to talk about politics or to take any particular side. My focus today is to look at what you can do to help the anxious feelings that come your way. But what I do want to talk about is, what is newsworthy? Where should my focus be? Is it important for me to keep up with all that is happening? And the big and foremost question is how much of it is true?

I have seen, in my lifetime, all the excitement about what is happening and how it is fulfilling prophecy but it passes by and nothing happens. I have seen a lot of people just become complacent because things don’t happen the way people keep saying. So the question comes to me, what are we doing that actually turns people away from Christ?

A lot of what goes on in the news and on Facebook has very little, to no, real truth in it. It is all bent to the persons thinking. So the question comes, who are you really following and believing? Thus anxiety rules in a lot of people’s lives today because that is the goal of the media, which is backed by a mastermind, Satan.

Here are five steps that can help you stay going in the right direction, help you to lead others to Christ and help with anxiety.

  1. Stay focused on God’s Word. Spend time each day in God’s Word. By doing so you can get to know the One that can lead you into all truth.
  2. Memorize God’s Word. Hiding God’s Word in your heart can help you through the trials of the day and keep your mind focused on truth.
  3. Spend time in prayer. Pray for yourself, family and others, giving God permission to work in each life. As this becomes a habit in your life you will find that with each trial you will automatically turn to God just as the flower turns to the sun, trusting Him with all things.
  4. Spend quality time with family. Build relationships with those that you love drawing their hearts to you. As you draw their hearts toward you they will be drawn to God. As you spend time with God they will feel, when they have been with you, that they have been with Jesus.
  5. Reach out to others. Reach out to others with the love of Jesus. You have heard the old saying; “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” The same is true of people; you can attract more people with the love of Jesus than you can with the fear of the future and what is happening in this world. Fear won’t keep them connect with God, history shows that, but true love will.

If we get rid of all the drama of this world out of our lives and replace it with what is good and wholesome, like the steps above, we will be ready when Jesus comes. And we will win more people to the truth of Christ love. The devil doesn’t care what rabbit trail he gets us going down, he just wants us focused on something other than what will prepare us for what will happen in the future.

Dear Father,

Help us to stay focused on You in this world of chaos. You are the One that is in ultimately in control and we have nothing to fear for the future unless we forget how You have led us in the past. Keep us and guide us. Thank You for Your unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

If you have been one that has been caught up in the drama of this world get refocused. Keep your focus on the Genuine, Jesus Christ, He is the only One that can guide you through life and through you win others to Himself. Jesus is coming soon and filling you life with Him is the only way you will be ready.

Love you all.

What would your life be like if you were able to get most the drama of this world out of your life and focus on what matters most?

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“MOM, THERE’S NO WATER!”

The other morning I was in the kitchen doing some last-minute things before I took my shower. As I ran the water the pressure wasn’t very good. We had been having trouble with our kitchen faucet so I didn’t think much of it. But then my son came in and said, “What is wrong with the water?” As I checked another location I realized that there was a problem.

So now instead of getting my shower I needed to turn to the problem at hand, lack of water flow. My daughter and I started with going out and digging through snow to get to our holding tanks to see if there was a problem in the tank, that was “fun”. When we finally got the lid off we discovered that everything was in proper working order.

I then headed to our basement where our pump is. I had already checked it earlier and could tell that the pump was not coming on even though the pressure was down so I knew that there had to be a lack of water. There is a switch so that you can force it on. So I held the switch on for about a minute and then it stayed on by itself. After that it worked fine. The best I could tell is there had been a little crud that had come through and probably got in the little valve and kept it from properly moving open and shut how it should. But with a little persuasion it finally started working again. I was finally able to take my shower. Water is such a blessing.

Have you ever felt that the “Water” in your Christian walk has slowed down? Your spiritual walk just doesn’t seem the same? You know something is wrong because your spiritual life is slowing down; it isn’t flowing like it once did.

You may know that you need a cleansing but the “water” is so slow that you can’t take a “shower”. You may or may not know what is “clogging” the flow but you can’t seem to do anything about it. The fact is you cannot clean yourself up.

The first thing to do is to get back connect with God. Spend time with Him in study and prayer. If you know what has “clogged” your way ask the Lord to forgive you and help you to conquer that area of your life. If you aren’t sure go to Him and with His help examine your life to see what has gotten in the way of your relationship with Him. It could even be good things. Maybe you just need to prioritize your life so that He is first.

You may be thinking, “I want something different but I just don’t really feel like doing it. It takes work.” It does take effort. Just like I had to manually hold the switch so the pump would keep running until that cleansing of the valve was done, sometimes it takes a real conscious effort to stay connected with God. But as you make a commitment to spend that time each day with Him and to meditate on His Word throughout the day it will start to become a habit in your life that will be just as automatic as the switch on the pump.

Dear Father,

Help us to remember how important the time spent with You is so that the Water of Life continues to flow through our lives, cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Thank You for Your love and patience with us and for never giving up on us. Thank You for the freedom to choose You, showing through this freedom how much You really love us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to stay connected with Jesus, letting the Water flow through you for cleansing. If you have strayed remember that He is there waiting and willing to cleanse you from all unrighteousness as you come to Him with repentance. Just like it was such a blessing for me to be able to take a shower when the water was flowing, you will find, as you allow the Lord to flow through you with His cleansing love the feeling of cleanliness is a blessing.

Love you all.

How about you? Have you experienced the cleansing power of God? Share your experience below. Our testimonies are the best way to encourage others in the way.

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“MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING, PLEASE HELP ME”

I remember at Christmas time one year when we were at a particular store in the mall. Our two older boys were out in the car waiting for us. We had the three other children with us. As we were walking along my daughter, who I believe was around 4 or 5 at the time, was fascinated with trying to skip the squares on the floor. It was multicolored as I recall and she was trying to walk on just a certain color.

The store we were in had an access door to the mall but also had access doors to the outside. We had looked at what we had come for so we headed to an outside door. When we got outside we realized that our daughter was not with us. Panic struck us.

At this point our older boys joined us in heading back into the store to search for her. It had just been seconds but she was nowhere to be seen. My heart was sinking at this point. I had already lost one daughter to death and I was imagining another daughter to kidnapping. I was definitely in a panic.

We talked to the store and they too, immediately, started looking. I don’t think it was a really long time but it seemed like eternity when one of the workers came around the corner with her in their arms. What a relief it was to see her. I can’t even explain the feeling I had at that point.

What happened is that she was following the squares on the floor and when we turned to go out the door she didn’t notice and kept going straight. When she did look up and realize we were gone she hid in some clothes, which was why we could not find her. She learned her lesson very well. For many years after that she would be so close to me in the store, hanging onto a piece of clothing, that I could hardly move to get my shopping done. Even to this day she stays very close to me.

Do you know someone who is lost spiritually? Maybe you feel in panic mode and you are not sure what to do. It may be a loved one or a friend and you know that they’re in a lost condition and it is a life or death situation. They have been kidnapped by the devil and you want to get them back.

There is One, Jesus Christ that loves them even more than you can possibly love them. He is the one that can reach their hearts. But you do have a part to play.

I believe one of the most important things for you to do is to live a Christ like life. I think one of the biggest problems that people see in Christians is their hypocrisy. Does that mean you will never make a mistake? No. But the trend of your life needs to show a Christ like love that is obedient to Him, not wavering. They need to feel your love despite their choices in life. And when the opportunity rises for you to share anything about the love of God they will believe it because they have seen Jesus in you.

Another very important factor is to pray for them. Be specific in your prayers. God does not force anyone; they do have to choose Him. But, I believe, your prayers give Him permission to work in ways that He could not. Pray for them earnestly. Pray for yourself that the Lord will give you wisdom.

You need to be a listening ear without speaking. They may say things that you want to gasp at but restrain yourself. Being a listening ear and just loving them is such a key. As you learn more from what they share it gives you more things that you can specifically pray about.

Dear Father,

Guide us as we reach out to those around us that we love. We need your guidance and wisdom. I pray that you will protect those that are lost from the evil one as we continue to love and work with them. Help us to live a life that will draw them to You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to stay close to Jesus so that you can live a life that will so fully reflect Him that all who are seeking will know that Jesus does love them because it has been demonstrated through you.

Love you all.

Share your own ideas below on what has helped you help others that are in need of spiritual guidance.

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“WHERE’S THE FIRE?”

Yesterday was full of excitement. My team and I had some classes yesterday. In between the classes a couple of us were sitting visiting when a loud explosive, kind of like a gun shot sound, happened. They got up and looked around where they thought they heard the sound then they went out of the room and look around in the other parts of the building. After visiting a while in the hallway they went back into the room to discover a really bad odor. They immediately called me, I had been away, and I headed back. As soon as I came into the room I saw a couple of fluorescent lights flickering. Immediately I shut the lights off.

We called a person that had authority and they came to check things out. After examining the situation and due to the smell it was decided to call the fire department. We were told to vacate the building so we did.

We had to laugh when two fire trucks, the fire marshal, an ambulance, and even a police car showed up.  They checked the hydrant to make sure it was working. They geared up with all the gear including oxygen tanks. They unloaded a saw, got out the axe and headed into the building. It turned out to just be a couple of ballasts that had blown. Why the big bang I am not sure. They did say normal heat for those lights are around 70 and it was up to 160. I don’t understand all of it but thankfully all was well.

Do you feel like that things just are not going so well in your life right now? Maybe you have been through some tragedy physically, emotionally, spiritually or financially?  Maybe you feel like you are about ready to explode?

There is hope. Call the “Fire Department” and the Chief (Jesus) will come with many Angels with all the forces of heaven to help you. They will use all the “gear” necessary. Reach out to those around you as well for encouragement, so they can pray with you. Don’t give up there is hope to get the “fire” put out. There will be damage but God is so powerful that He can “remodel” us. The evidence may always be there but everything will be renewed.

If you know someone who is struggling reach out to them today and don’t delay. One of the first things that the main fireman did was come and talk to us so that he could assess the problem. If you are sensing or know that someone is struggling go to them and talk to them and assess the problem. And then ask for wisdom from God on how to proceed. Be a friend, listen and listen and listen. I can’t express this enough. After going through some of my own tragedies in life, having someone listen to me was the most helpful. Pray for them and listen and say little. Love and listen.

Dear Father,

I pray for those that are struggling. You know who they are. Wrap Your arms about them. Help them to feel Your presence, Your peace, and Your courage in the midst of tragedy. You are the healer. Please heal each one.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Do you know someone who is hurting? Reach out today and don’t delay. If you are the one that is hurting, I want you to know that you are loved. Reach out to someone who can pray with you and encourage you.

Love you all.

Have you had some tragedy in your life? How has the Lord brought you through? Has God used someone to help you and how were he or she able to help you? I would love to have you share in the comments. This can give courage to someone else that is hurting.  It can also give someone, who does not know how to share with someone who’s hurting, wisdom on how to do it.

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“MAGGOTS ANYONE?”

Yesterday my daughter and I were doing her Science together. We were reading about different people who would not just accept what others had said but they would experiment to see if what was said was true or not. There were many people, at one point in history that believed that germs were produced by disease. Many people died through history just due to this misunderstanding about germs and disease. To say that diseases produces germs would be saying that nonliving things could produce living things. We know today that germs produce disease.

Another thing that was always thought is that decayed meat produced maggots but it was discovered that if a piece of meat was concealed in a container it did not produce maggots. It is actually flies that come and land on the meat and lay their eggs and then maggots are born.

This may seem like a rather gross subject but it made me get to thinking about the Christian and how our surroundings have everything to do with our Christian walk.

You may think that what you allow around you does not affect you in any way. But the opposite is true. Just like disease does not cause germs, the disease of sin does not cause the germs of bad influences. It is the germs of your surroundings that can cause the disease of sin.

You also may think that the maggots of sin are just a part of you coming from the inside and there is nothing you can do. You can’t help the way you are, it is the decay of sin and you have no control over it. Wrong, it is the flies of evil that want to lay their eggs of influence on you. You think there is no harm going to happen but the eggs start to hatch into maggots and pretty soon things are out of control.

You may have been through many things in your life but you always have the freedom to choose. Just like it is very important to keep your environment as germ free as possible by keeping things clean, keeping your body clean on the inside through proper, healthy eating, drinking good clean water, etc., you also need to keep your spiritual environment clean.

As a Christian you need to have a Christ-centered environment surrounding you and that is a choice. When you keep the environment clean from the germs of sin you will be more successful at keeping the disease of sin from your life. Will you still fail at times? Yes you will. But praise God you have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ that will forgive and cleanse you when we fail.  When you come to Him He will forgive you and you can start afresh again.

Just like the maggots don’t come out of the decaying meat, even though you have a “decaying” sinful nature the maggots don’t come without your consent. You make the choice.   You can surround yourself with Godly things; fill your mind with God’s Word, spend much time in prayer and the devils “flies” will be unable to attach themselves to you and lay their eggs that hatch into the maggots of sin.

Dear Father,

Living in this world of sin each one of us is susceptible to the flies and maggots of sin. We know that without You we are unprotected. Thank You that You will be there for us and surrounds us with Your protection,  as we allow You to do so. Continue to guide us through this journey. Thank You for Your patience and love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Let’s surround ourselves with Godly things and keep God’s Word and prayer surrounding us to protect us from the flies, maggots, and germs of this world to keep the disease of sin out of our lives so that we can live for eternity with the One that has paid so much for us.

Love you all.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments as you reflect on the thoughts I have shared.

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SHE WAS SENT HOME TO DIE!

I remember when I was a kid there was a lady that had cancer. She finally was sent home to die; there was not anything else the doctors could do for her.

At this point in her life things became a lot more important. She had not really taken care of her health, as she should, she hadn’t wanted to change her lifestyle. But suddenly it had become a life and death matter and making dietary changes along with other health principles became important. She had been sent home to die but she felt it was worth making some drastic changes in her life so that at least she could maybe add some time to her life and not suffer as severely.

She made changes in her life that she had never wanted to or even really had a desire to do but she had a really good incentive to do so, life or death. I don’t really know if she thought it would save her life or not but she felt it was worth trying, there was nothing to lose and life to gain. She made the decision to change her lifestyle along with some other things that she did and she got well. At that point it was worth every effort that she had to make. Life is worth everything when you realize you could lose it.

It made me think of the deadliest cancer there is, sin. The devil has “sent you home to die”. He thinks he has got you so he’s focusing more on someone else he’s trying to convince everyone that the things of this world are more exciting, the unhealthy food, the ungodly music, the movies, the ungodly books, etc. He is catching one person after another, “sending them home to die” with the cancer of sin.

How is it with you? Have you been enjoying your sin so much that it is hard to part with it? It taste so good, it is so entertaining and funny, it is so relaxing you don’t have to make a choice you just flow with the crowd.

You are recognizing that the cancer of sin is eating away at your life and you do realize that you are giving up life eternal. Maybe you’re not sure where to turn. Maybe you know but you’re struggling with giving up the pleasures of sin. Maybe your choices in life have actually started to affect your physical health as well. Maybe you have made some of the choices that you are to try to drowned out some difficulty you are going through or something you have gone through that has wounded you emotionally.

Wherever you are there is One that is so loving and compassionate and He wants to help you through the difficulties in life. Jesus will accept you right where you are with the hurt, pain, sin and even the rebellion. God is so big He can change you. You can come to Him with your hate and anger. You can tell Him how you even feel about Him. Maybe you have gone through some horrible things in your life and you wonder why He has allowed it and you are feeling really angry with Him. He wants to hear it all. You can just pour your heart at to Him and He will hear.

You may be thinking, “There is no way, I can’t make these changes on my own.” You are absolutely right. But your part is to choose and God will give you the power to accomplish whatever it is that you need to do. As you surrender all to Him He will guide you and strengthen you through what you need to change. It is a daily decision, a moment-by-moment decision. As you step forward in your decision He will give you the power.

I would also encourage you to reach out to someone who is spiritual that can help encourage you and pray with you through the struggles. If you don’t know anyone ask the Lord to help you and He can direct you to someone, a pastor, elder, friend.

Dear Father,

I want to pray for the one that is really struggling right now with the sin in his or her life. It is eating away at their life. You know their heart. Guide them into all truth as they surrender to Your leading. I pray that You will guide them to someone who can help encourage, lift them up, and pray for them. Put Your arms of protection about them and give them peace.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

All of us are struggling with the cancer of sin. Let’s surrender all to Him today, moment-by-moment, so that we will be ready when He comes to take us home. This is a life or death decision.

Love you all.

Have you felt the cancer of sin in your life? How has the Lord lead you? As you have surrendered to Him how has His power played out in you life?

Comment below about what God has done for you so others can be encouraged.

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THE DAY MY DAD ALMOST DIED!

I remember as a kid my dad getting very sick. In those days natural healing was not very common. But for our family it was very important to do things as natural as possible and in this case it was a blessing from God. We did have someone with some medical knowledge that did help and encourage us through the process.

My dad at the time had not been living the best of lifestyles, so his immune system was not where it needed to be. I don’t remember the details of it all but I do remember that he had his skin peeling off in large chunks, rather gross.

When he was finally doing a lot better there were still some issues, I was young enough that I don’t remember the details but he did finally end up in the hospital. (For those that have read my previous blog it was during this crisis that my brother & I received a lamb and also came to the conclusion we couldn’t keep her because she kept getting out of the fence when my dad was in the hospital.)

There are some very good and honest doctors out there and my dad had one of them, for which we are grateful. Some times when you are going through a physical crisis and it seems the only way is the conventional way it is encouraging when you hear doctors like this and it can encourage you to seek multiple advice before coming to a decision.

This doctor told my dad, because of the testing and what was going on, that if he had come to them when he was very ill, immune system really low, they would have given him one shot of ________ and it would have killed him and they would have said he died from __________(what he was sick with). Actually a very high percentage of people do die from the actual “cure”. It is always good to have a good conscientious doctors, they can be hard to find but they are out there.

This made me think of the worst sickness there is, the sickness of sin. It is deadly. And all of us are going to die from it if we don’t get the right “medicine” for it.

How is it with you? Maybe you have been very “ill” with sin. Your life was a wreck and you had no knowledge of what the cure was.   And then you had someone come along side you and show you the Way, show you the One that can cure the sickness of sin. They showed you Jesus love and you fell in love with Him. You started to grow and things started to change in your life.

Then you were introduced to “church”. You were so excited to go and meet with people who have been in the “medical field” for a long time and your feeling as if there will be an answer for you sin sick soul that your still struggling through day by day.

But then you discover something different from what you expected. You thought you were growing, you have been excited about learning more about God’s love, your life is changing every day. But those that have been “Christians” longer than you don’t seem to encourage you in your growth but are always making you feel like your not growing enough because you are not where they are in their walk.

This can be something that can discourage and actually cause you to die spiritually. And then it would be said that you died spiritually because you were not doing the “right” things.

If you are this person that I am describing let me speak to you. DO NOT TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF JESUS. He is the best “medicine” you can ever have. People will disappoint you. Continue to surrender your life to Him each day and He will lead you. You are perfect at each stage of your growth. “…First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Matthew 4:28b. If you try to become a full ear of corn before you’re a blade or an ear you will just die. All of us are at different levels of growth so don’t be discourage.

And for those that live the mentality that everyone needs to be where you are in growth, spend more time on your knees pleading with God to change your heart. You need to be examining your own life not the life of others. I don’t know where this saying came from but it is so true, “Actions speak louder than words”.

The best way to be a witness to others is to love them and live a Christ like life and they will be drawn to Jesus through you and questions may come and a transformation will occur. Pray for each struggling soul and love them. When you focus on others and how they should be growing the tendency is to quit examining our own lives because we seem better than them, a bad place to be.

Dear Father,

Help those that are struggling with their Christian walk, show them Your love by sending them a friend that will love and encourage them and not condemn.

If there is someone struggling with examining others and not themselves give them the courage to surrender all to You and to love as You loved.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember you are loved by the One that gave His life for you and He would have given His life even if you would have been the only one that needed Him to die. No matter what people do, remember they are human not God. Draw closer to Jesus today. And seek friends that will encourage and not condemn.

Love you all.

Have you experience people’s condemnation? How did God help you through that experience?

Have you been one that has had a spirit of condemnation but God has showed you differently? How did God use this in your life?

I would love to hear your testimonies, even if your still in the mist of it but growing.

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THE DAY MY SON FELL 40′!

Do you ever have your day all planned out but then something comes in that wasn’t in the plan? That’s the story of my life and probably all of you as well.

I remember one day a few years ago when this happened. I was working through my day when my son came in crying and not looking to good. I think he was around 6 or 7, I can’t remember for sure but he was young.   As the story unfolded the realization came to me that he had fallen from a tree. He had fallen around 35’-40’ so it was no small matter. He hit branches as he was coming down, getting all scraped up. At the time, with no insurance and very little money, I called our doctor friend. He gave me advice on what to do. I started with putting him in a tub of water and getting him washed up. I just remember after that him going into shock. I held him as he began to shake. We continued to watch his eye dilation as instructed by our doctor friend because we didn’t really know if he had hit his head or not.

Our son that was a couple of years older was also in the same tree and he had watched it happen and he said that he had landed on his back. The other amazing thing is he landed on years of accumulation of a soft pile of pine needles.

The neighbor told me she had heard it happen and had run down to help but my son had gotten on his bike and headed back home. He wanted the one person that he felt loved him so much to take care of him and give him comfort.

One thing I have learned is to give each day to God and no matter what the interruptions He is there to see you through.

Maybe you are really feeling like this in your Christian walk right now. You have been climbing and feeling really connected with God but now you have fallen. You have been battered and bruised and you even are in shock. You are feeling so shaken in side. And you’re not even sure if you can come to God. You are feeling like that you have really crossed the line this time.

I want to assure you that no matter what you have done wrong in your life, no matter how scraped up, bruised, or messed up you are you can come to Jesus just as you are.

If you have been with Jesus for a long time and in a moment of weakness you have failed big time Jesus is there just waiting for you to come to Him. He can wash you in His blood, wrap and hold you in His arms of love and forgive you.

There is no one else that can do for you what God can do but you can reach out to people who can lead you to the Great Physician that does have all the answers and healing.

Dear Father,

Thank You for being such a loving God Who is always there to forgive and renew us. Thank You that there is no problem to big that You cannot solve it. Thank You for all Your patience and continued love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember you are loved by Jesus beyond what you can comprehend. He forgives and is waiting with open arms to receive you. It is not too late come to Him today for cleansing. Give your day to God and if you fail you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.

Love you all.

Have you ever had your day interrupted with the unexpected? How did God work out the details and what did you learn from it?

Has there been times you have fallen spiritually but God picked you up again?

I’d love to hear you commits below.

 

 

 

 

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SHEEP ATTACK!

I remember when I was a kid somebody, being so kind to us by giving my brother and I a lamb. There was a crisis going on in our family at the time and they thought this would be a blessing for us. I don’t remember our ages for sure but I believe I was around 5 or 6 years old. It was new and wonderful. The lamb was so cute and fun. But then she grew up. She was big and would often knock me to the ground. We had her fenced in and she was constantly breaking out. We no longer had control of her. We finally ask the people who gave her to take her back, which they did, and they even paid us some money.

It makes me think about the Christian. Have you ever had someone share some idea with you or actually give you something that seemed fun and harmless? But as time has gone by it has taken control of your life? You have tried to break free but it keeps knocking you down. It started out small, cute fun, and seemingly harmless but now you are so steeped in it, you feel  hopeless.

I have had these experiences as well. It may be in what you are eating, drinking, watching, listening to, looking at, or a multitude of different things. But suddenly you are trapped. You may think, “I can just contain this inside the fence of my life so it does not affect others”, but it keeps getting out. You need to let it go.

It can be difficult to start a new habit. It starts with making a committed with God and taking the first step and He will give you the power. The first step may be getting rid of some stuff that is in your home.

Another step could be to not enter onto Satan’s territory. I remember when we gave the sheep back that when we would go out to see her she would come running from the flock to meet us. She especially was attracted to my dad because of the kind of clothing he wore for work, it was white and it helped her to recognize us. This is why it is very important to be careful where we go. The devil knows your weaknesses and he recognizes you when you walk onto his territory and he comes running to meet you and tries to reattached to you.

Habits are hard to change and when we want to change a bad habit into a good one we need to replace the bad with something good. This is very important otherwise the bad will easily come back in.

The most important part of changing is to stay connected with God, listen to His promptings, making steps forward to obey and He will provide you with the power to do it.

Dear Father,

Without You we can do nothing. Thank You that as we come to You with a broken and contrite heart asking for forgiveness, You do forgive. Thank You that as we step forward in faith to obey, that You give us the power to accomplish it.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Get connected to God today, don’t delay; He will give you the strength to conquer.

Love you all.

What habits have you had that the Lord has helped you overcome? Share how the Lord has helped you with your bad habit.

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WHO WINS THE GAME?

My son is on a basketball team this year (8th grade). I never have really been into any kind of sports other than what I may play with my kids at home. We enjoy playing baseball and soccer but it is nothing like the real games because I don’t want it to be about winning but about helping the other guy to succeed.

Last night we went to one of his games, it was the second game of the season and he has never played a real sport before. I really hesitated to even allow him to play because I know what the competitive spirit can be like and how it can be revealed.

Last night revealed to me both sides of the picture. I really appreciated my son’s coach; he definitely revealed a Christlike character. He was not yelling although he would give advice. He never got angry with his team even though they made some mistakes. My son accidentally made a score at the wrong end (they had switched which side was their side so he had gotten confused) but his coach was so gracious.

On the other hand the opposing teams coach was yelling through the whole game. He was unkind to his players that made mistakes or didn’t do what he thought they should do. He was yelling at the referees on the decisions they made. My son was feeling for some of the players on that team because of how they were being treated. The referee at one point even told him to sit down and had to finally get in his face about it. The sad part is that both schools claim to be Christian schools but just because they call themselves Christian’s doesn’t make them like Christ.

Then it made me think about myself. I am playing the game of life how am I responding to the players on my team, am I being Christ like. My husband and my children are my team players. How do I respond to them when they make mistakes? Am I “yelling” all the time? Or do I approach it with a Christ like spirit?

How about other “teams” (families), how do I approach them in their mistakes or what I think is a mistake? You know what might be a mistake for one family may not be a mistake for another family. The Lord leads all of us on different paths. He “sets the game up” for every person differently because He knows the “players” and knows what is going to help them win.

How do we get beyond looking at other “players” and approaching them in a wrong way or what about our “team players” (our family)? The one thing about the game of life is that everyone can win but the Referee (Jesus) calls the shots. How grateful I am for that.

The best way for us to overcome this difficulty is to immerse ourselves in Jesus. Immerse ourselves in His Word and in prayer. We are told to meditate upon God’s Word day and night. I think we fail to realize how important that is.

Our real opposing team should be the devil and we should not listen to him or his coaching. He wants us to think that our Referee has called the wrong shot. We need to forget about others and what they are doing or how God is working in their lives. Keep focused on growing in Christ yourself and our opinions of others and those close to us will change. We need to remember as Christians we are all on the same team, striving for heaven.

Dear Father,                                                                                          Thank You for Your patience and Your willingness to never give up on us. Help us to realize our need to stay closer to You. Help us to allow You to work in our lives as well as the lives of others as You see fit. Use us in the lives of others to draw them closer to You as we become fit to be Your servant.                                         In Jesus Name,                                                                        Amen

Let’s immerse ourselves in Jesus today and continue to do so until He comes.

Love you all.

Have you seen God work in your life as you immerse your life in Him? Share you experience.

Have you struggled at times and not feeling like a team player? Share your struggles and how the Lord brought you through. Maybe your still in the struggle and need encouragement share in the comments to receive some words of encouragement and giving others the opportunity to pray for you.