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“The Love/Hate Relationship With Technology!!”

How are your technology skills?

Is it something you love to do?  Do you find that you love the results, once it is figured out, but getting there is a pain?  I love the results but many times getting there is so hard.

I have had trouble most recently.  It actually has to do with posting my blogs.  I have been posting them for a while; it may have been a year now.  But trouble erupted.  I have been trying on my own to figure it out.  I have contacted my hosting service and they can’t help me.  They say it is a Facebook problem.  They gave me the idea of debugging with Facebook, which I did, but all I got was some “Greek” and I have no idea how to fix it.  I am not a programmer.  I haven’t wanted to call WordPress because even though I have a free version it cost to ask questions.  And then there is the question, will they really know the answer or will they just tell me it is a Facebook problem.  How do you contact Facebook anyway?  That seems like an impossible option.

As I have been going through this process I discovered something very significant.  I can’t do it myself.  Oh, I can keep busy trying, which I did for hours, but I just kept failing.  I discovered the only way I could succeed was to go to the experts.  In order to go to the experts, WordPress, it cost me money.  Because it would cost money I kept trying and trying myself but when I realized I am just failing over and over again I finally gave up and made the call.

It made me think of my Christian walk.

I find many times trying to fix myself.  But then I discover that the harder I try to figure out the “technology” of my heart all I have is a heart deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked and I don’t even know my heart.

When I get desperate enough I go to the “Expert Technical Support” (Jesus).  He is the only one that knows the technology of my heart.  Why do I keep trying on my own instead of going to the Expert? For the same reason, I didn’t want to go to WordPress.  It costs!  You might be saying,  “What do you mean it cost?”  It is a free gift!”  Yes and no.  Forgiveness is a free gift but I have to ask for it.  Salvation is a free gift but there are conditions, so technically it is not free, it cost.  What does it cost me?  Everything!   It cost me full surrender.  It cost me all my rights. I have to allow the Technician access to my heart.

Look at Calvary and tell me that there is no cost.

It cost Christ suffering, indescribable beyond words.  The physical pain was not the most difficult, it was the mental anguish, the separation from His Father that was brought on by all our sins.  It cost the life of the Son of God.

Everything that we do needs to be done through the eyes of seeing Jesus dying on the cross for us.  Are the next words I’m going to say going to be Christlike?  Is the next thing I am going to watch, listen to, or do going to reflect Christlikeness or is it reflecting the things of this world?

My link to my WordPress Blog was not speaking to Facebook because there were some pathways that were not right.  There was some programming that had to be fixed and I was unable to do it.  Reality is that as humans we have some “programming” that needs fixing.  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:8, 9.

We can try to reprogram our ways and our thoughts to God’s ways but we will fail over and over.

The truth is, we are not capable of reprogramming ourselves.  We need the expert Technician to do the reprogramming for us.  Salvation is free, just like my free version of WordPress but the reprogramming is not.  Just like WordPress did all the work after I paid the price, Jesus, the Technician will do all the work after I have paid the price.  What is the price? The price is a full surrender of my life.  Allowing Him to come in and for me to submit all to Jesus.

The WordPress technician could not go into my program until I “surrendered” my blog to him and allowed him full access to go in and do the fixing.  If I had kept trying to go in and change or take back what he was trying to do it would have never gotten fixed.  So with Christ, He wants full access to our lives.  And we have to keep allowing full access to our lives and continue to follow His instructions or we will not be prepared for Him when He comes to take us home.

Dear Father,

We want to be ready when You come.  The hardest thing to do is to let You have full control.  We feel out of control when we give up.  Help us realize the freedom and peace that comes when we give it all to You. “Lord, take our hearts; for we cannot give it.  It is Thy property.  Keep it pure, for we cannot keep it for Thee.  Save us in spite of ourselves, our weak, unchristlike self.  Mold us, fashion us, raise us into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through our souls.”

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Give your whole life to Jesus today and let Him have full control.  It will cost the death of self but it is worth every cent.  And when it is all said and done He will have the technology of our hearts programmed so that we will be ready to go home with Him.

Love you all.

Have you had a technology issue?  What spiritual application can you apply to it? Please share your ideas

 

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“I Made a Commitment, Now What?!!!”

Have you ever made a commitment to do something?  Maybe you committed to meet with a friend.  Or maybe you committed to doing something with your son or daughter.  Or maybe you have committed to giving money to someone or even God.  How well do you keep your commitments?

We need to be cautious about making commitments.  I think it is important to really think through the commitments that we plan to make because what we commit to we should follow through with.  The other thing is that when we make a commitment we need to leave self out of it.  Are we committing to this for us or for them, or for some advantage or maybe even a blessing?

It makes me think about tithe paying.  I have a conviction to pay tithe and offerings through my local church.  It helps to pay my pastor, help missionaries, pay for Christian teachers, etc.  But why do I do it?  Do I do it because I want the Lord to bless me?  Or do I do it because I love the Lord and I want to support His cause to save souls?  The motive is so important.  I want to be motivated by love for God.

The reason I do pay is that God has asked me to.  Yes, I want to be blessed as well but I realize that His blessing may not be monetary, which I am perfectly happy with.  I also realize that obeying the Lord does not always bring “peace”.  I want to clarify.  We can have peace in obeying God but we may not have “peace”.  When we obey God, Satan does not like it and he is going to bring trials and storms our way.  But the blessing is that, as we trust God we can have peace knowing that we are in harmony with God and His Word as we go through the storms.

We have been struggling financially for quite a few years.  During that time we got ourselves into a lot of credit card debt.  Last year we went to a Dave Ramsey Seminar for the second time.  This time my husband really got on board.  We have been doing the Snowball Method for our debt, which has been working very slowly.  There are also those bills that end up “falling below the line”; if you have been through Dave Ramsey’s Seminar you know what I am talking about.

We also owed a lot of taxes this year.  When you get into a lot of credit card debt the government doesn’t take that into account.  So you work hard to make more money in order to pay off the credit cards and the government considers you making more so they charge you more taxes and the vicious cycle goes on.  So this year we owed more taxes and had to put in an extension.  We finally filed Oct. 15 and paid what we could toward the taxes.  We had to step out in faith because we really did not have the money to pay and still pay our bills.

We have recently started another business.  It is a water loss business.  The basics are, you get a leak that floods your house or business, we come in and extract and dry it out.  Right after we stepped out in faith to pay the majority of our taxes we got a big water job call.  Praise the Lord!  We are still praying in Faith that we will get paid right away for the job.  These insurance jobs can take up to 4 months to be paid but we know God can make it quicker.  We have seen Him do it.

There is another thing that I stepped out in faith and did a couple of weeks ago.  I received my check from where I work.  I work part-time and I have mostly been using that money for anything you would buy at a store, food and such, whatever the household needs are.  As I shared above I have a commitment to paying tithe and offering.  I also decided to commit the same percentage that I give to the Lord to put toward my smallest credit card to get it paid off, the Snowball Method.  So I figured it all out and submitted the payment to my church for the Lord and paid an extra amount toward my lowest credit card.  A few days later my boss called me in to talk to me and let me know he was giving me a dollar raise.  Wow!  The blessings of the Lord are so wonderful.

It can be hard to step out in faith not knowing the outcome.  And we still don’t know how we will make it for the next day, week, or month.  Is it scary? Yes!  But as I continue to give it to the Lord and let Him work out the details, is so much better than trying to make it happen myself.  As long as we are doing our part we have to let God do the rest or it will destroy us physically, emotionally, spiritually, and maybe even financially.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your blessings.   To be honest it is really a struggle to trust You.  Thank You for Your patience with us.  Continue to guide and lead us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Do your part today and give the rest to God.  He will see you through.

Do you have a story to share?  How has God blessed you when you stepped out in faith?  I would love to hear your story.  It is always encouraging to hear others faith stories.

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“Dog Attack!!!”

Have you ever experienced a dog attack?  I don’t know about you but I love dogs.  I am an animal lover in general but dogs are probably my favorite.  But dogs, like any creature, including the human creature, become how they are treated.  There are dogs that are great family dogs for their gentleness but when placed in a home where they are treated mean they become mean.  They are yelled at all the time.  They can’t do anything right.  They are tied up all the time or shoved in a small place to exist.  Puppies can be so cute but how they are raised and treated can make them either mean or loving.

I remember one time when I was in town, pulling up to a store, and parking.  I got out of my car and headed for the store not thinking any danger was at hand.  As I walked passed this truck a dog fiercely poked his head out of the truck and came within a short distance of biting me in the head.  I could feel his breath.  I was afraid to even go by to get back into my vehicle; I was parked right next to it.  I stayed in the store a while waiting for the truck to leave.  I also wanted to talk to the person of the truck.  I don’t really remember the end of the story.  If I am remembering correctly I didn’t end up talking to the person I just crawled in from the other side of the vehicle and left.  The part I will never forget is almost being bit.

How animals are treated has a lot to do with how they turn out, loving or mean.  The same is true with children.  Children always have the freedom to choose what direction they will go.  But a child that is raised in an environment that is full of unconditional love has a way better chance of becoming a loving person.  Than a person who is raised in an environment where they can never do anything right, in the eye of the parent, no matter what they do.  They are demeaned, yelled at, hit, etc., how can they survive.

The question is if you have been an unloving parent is there hope?  There is always hope in love.  But it can be a very difficult road.  It takes time to heal.  Have you ever seen a dog that has been abused change after being in a loving home?  Absolutely!  But it takes time.  And there are dogs where they have not been able to rehabilitate; they have been through so much abuse.  The same holds true with children as well.  It all depends on how long it has been going on and how severe the abuse.  But I do believe there is hope.  If you are willing to make changes in your choices and you allow God to be a part of helping you, He can bring healing.

We live in a generation where a lot of us did not learn to love growing up.  Some of us have no idea what love is.  You may have grown up in a home where, basically, no love was shown to you.  With each generation that goes by where no one demonstrates love because they never saw love demonstrated, it gets worse.  In this generation what love is, seems very messed up. Everything that is watched listened to, or demonstrated is full of so much self that true love is not revealed.  How can we learn to truly love?  God will help us when we ask Him to give us His love.  Reality is we can not truly have an unselfish love without God-loving through us.  But what can we do to change mistakes we have made with our children or anyone and show them, love?  Here are a few tips that I would encourage you to look at.  I have been reading “The Five Love Languages of Teenagers” by Gary Chapman so some of what I will be sharing will be from this book.

  1. Ask your child to forgive you. Start by going to your child or whoever it may be and ask for their forgiveness.  Now it may be hard for them to readily forgive you because of their past experiences with you.  You may have said, “I am sorry” off the cuff many times but your behavior continued.  Gaining their trust will take time and healing will take a long time.  Ask God for His blessing.
  2. Figure out what their love language is. You need to love them in a way that they can accept the love.  Gary Chapman shares 5 love languages.
    1. Words of Affirmation. This is something that is really good for everyone.  In a world that is so negative, these words can change a person’s life.  But there are ones where this is their primary love language and they just thrive when they hear words that affirm them.  You may think there is nothing good in your child to affirm.  But if you look closely you will find it.  We can be so negative as parents that we tend to look over the good things our kids do because we just expect the good.  Listen to what others say about your kids, a lot of times that can give you a clue.  And as you affirm them in the good you will actually start seeing more good.  You will see more good for two reasons, one they will start doing more good things because they are getting positive reinforcement and two you will change your attitude so you can see more good.  And if this is your child’s primary love language he/she will thrive.
    2. Physical Touch. I would start by saying appropriate physical touch.  I am not going to get into the right and wrongs here, read Gary’s book for that.  But for some children, this is very important.  With my own children, I can see who it is important to and who it is not.  If your teen is willing to put his/her arm around you in public, to me, that is one big sign that physical touch is important to them.    There are many statistics that show how babies thrive or die depending on physical touch.  Physical touch no matter what age can make a difference.  But for some, it is their primary love language and they will thrive if they are receiving that physical touch.
    3. Quality Time. Quality time with our children is very important no matter what their primary love language is.  But I think defining what quality time is, is important.  In the society in which we live there seems to be less and less time spent in actually sitting around the table and having a meal together.  Everyone is going in all different directions.  Some may be watching something, others are looking at their smartphone, it may be work and school schedules that don’t match or some may be just plain zoned out.  Having at least one meal together a day if possible is important for communication time.  Planning is important.  If plans are not made and scheduled in, it won’t happen.  Those that have this as their primary love language will find someone to spend quality time with if it is not you, as a parent.  So make this a priority.  Really take a look at what quality time is.  It requires communication.  Some may say, “I watch something with my child at least 2 to 3 times a week.”  I don’t want to burst your bubble but that is not quality time.  It may be the easy way out but it is not quality time.  If you want to see your child where quality time is their love language thrive, spend time with them.
    4. Acts of Service. We should be teaching our children to serve others and how we do that is by the way that we live.  We should start by doing acts of service for our children.  You may find it easy to do acts of service for others outside of your home but doing it for your children may be more difficult.  It is easier outside our home because we get a pat on the back from others.  The truth is that if we can’t do it for our children but do it for others self is in control.  You may be saying, “I will make my child selfish if I do things for them.”  I am not talking about doing everything for them.  And it doesn’t need to be the same thing all the time.  Be creative.  Maybe you know that your child has a big test coming up you could say, “I know you have a big test tomorrow, I will wash the dishes tonight for you so you can get right to it.”  You aren’t washing the dishes for them every night but once in a while.  Maybe they have been back late from school because of some sports event and you fed the pets already for them.  Make a list and be creative.  If this is your Child’s love language they will beam with joy.  Most likely if this is their primary love language they already do the same for others.
    5. There are children that just are overjoyed and feel very loved if they receive gifts.  It doesn’t have to be big.  It could just be a little note on their pillow at night that says your thinking of them and love them.  It could be an extra treat that you give them wrap as a gift.  Be creative and I know that you can come up with some great ideas.  And their need for feeling loved will be met.
  3. In all these things prayer is the key to help you in knowing which love language your child has and how to connect with them through it.  Pray for your children daily and for yourself that you won’t blow it again.  We all have made mistakes as parents and we need to go forward asking God and our children to forgive us.  And then rely on God, surrendering each day to Him.

Even if your children are older reconnect with them by following these steps as well.  God is amazing at bringing healing if we surrender and allow Him to work.

Dear Father,

Forgive us for not always being the parents we should be.  Help us as we surrender all to You and move forward in a better direction.  Give us wisdom and creative ideas on how to love our children.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to God today and reconnect with your children.

Love you all.

Have any of you used the 5 Love Language rules with your children & teen?  What were the results?  I would love to hear your success stories.

 

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“Are You Complaining Again?!!!”

Do you ever find yourself complaining?  It seems that your natural nature just wants to complain no matter what.  When blessings come you seem to act like this is the way things are supposed to be so you don’t even really acknowledge them.  Then when bad things happen you start complaining and totally miss the blessings you could have.

Don’t worry you are not alone.  I am right there along with you.  It is so easy to look at others and wonder why they are complaining but then we turn around and do the same thing.

Recently I have been “trying” for the umpteenth time to read my Bible through.  I have tried many times and have always got bogged down somewhere around Deuteronomy.  In the last year, I heard of this idea of reading four chapters a day, one chapter in the Old Testament starting with Genesis, one chapter from Psalms, one chapter from Proverbs, and one chapter in the New Testament.  I have appreciated the idea because it helps break up some of those harder to read areas.  I was already in Numbers when I started the idea.  So I have been reading a lot about the Children of Israel.

As I have been reading I keep thinking how stupid can they be.  I mean God just brought them out of the land of Egypt, where they had been slaves for many a year.  The miracles that God performed for them were amazing.  But then the next trial came and all they could do is complain.  “Why did you bring us out of slavery, to just kill us off?”  What?!  You have got to be kidding me.  If God could bring them out of slavery couldn’t He feed them or provide water for them?  I shake my head as I read but then I realize I am not any different.  What is wrong with us?  We keep going back to default, our natural sinful nature.

There was the time where some of the Children of Israel were complaining about the leadership.  They felt they could do better.  God had the earth open up and swallow up the rebellious group and the Children of Israel fled.  But then the next day they came complaining that Moses had killed the people of the Lord.  What?!  As if Moses could open up the earth.  What were they thinking?!  God sent a plague and a big number died.

Then a few chapters later they are complaining again to Moses for bringing them out of Egypt because of lack of water and bread.  The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people.  When someone was bit they would die.  A lot of people died.  Then the people confessed that they had sinned and were begging to have the snakes taken away.  God instructed Moses to make a fiery serpent and place it on a pole and if a person was bitten and they would look they would live.  They had confessed their wrongs now they needed to look and live.  It was simple but not all of them even looked to live.  Did their complaining end there, no.

But are we really any different?  Where has God brought us from?  What slavery has He brought us out of?  He has brought us “out of the house of bondage”(sin) but we complain.  We want to go back to the place of “bondage” because we can do what we want.  We have all the music, movies, games, clothes, entertainment, food, etc., that we want.  There are no “restrictions”.  But is that really true?  We can do whatever we want but we are slaves to alcohol, drugs (legal or non-legal), depression, anger, overweight, etc.  It does not really sound like happiness.

What we forget is what God has done for us.  He brought us out of the bondage of sin but we keep looking back at the “fun” of sin.  We keep forgetting about the “food” He has provided, His Word, to sustain us through the difficult times.  We forget about the “water” that He has given so that we will not thirst again.  We forget what the slavery was really like.

And the most amazing thing is that He came to this earth and was lifted up on a “pole”, the cross so that we can look and live.  He took on the sins of the whole world and died so that we may live if we so choose.  Why is it so hard to choose life over death?  There is a devil that shows us “all the glories of this world” and we think we need to have them.  But the reality is the things of this world only bring misery.  I can speak from experience.  Many may think that they are happy in their life of sin but in reality, they are not.

When I look at the Children of Israel I ask myself why did they keep going down this road?  Why did they want to go back to slavery?  Here are some ideas for us to look at and learn from.

  1. They forgot their past history. If we forget our past history and what the Lord has done for us we tend to want to go back to that life of “slavery”.
  2. They focused their eyes on the problem rather than the problem solver. They took their eyes off of God.  We do that all the time as well.  When problems arise instead of focusing on it we need to go to God with it.  He can handle anything.  He can take care of all problems.  And He will do it in such a way that we will grow spiritually.
  3. They complained. They spent so much time complaining and we can do the same thing.  We are supposed to be thankful in all things.  It is hard to be thankful but if we really have faith and trust in God we can be thankful.

Yet despite all that they did God still loved them.  It is beyond comprehension.  He still wanted to save them.  And He still wants to save us.  What can we do to stay focused on the right things?

  1. Get a grateful journal. We need to write down all the things the Lord does for us.  Every time He does something for us no matter how small we should be writing them down.  When things get tough and we are having a hard time remembering, we need to get out our grateful journal and read it.
  2. Read God’s Word. We need to be reading God’s Word so that we can see how He worked in the lives of those in the Bible.  We will find encouragement and comfort there.
  3. We need to focus our eyes on the Problem Solver. We need to go to God with our problems.  Prayer is the key to open heaven’s floodgates.  I love how one author puts it,  “Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.” SC 101.
  4. When we are tempted to complain let’s be positive. We need to focus on the positive.  This can be hard at times but we can re-train ourselves.  We need to look at the cross and what Christ has done for us and we need to be grateful.  He suffered greatly to bring us out of the slavery of sin.  And no matter what we are going through we can look and live.

Dear Father,

We live in troublesome times.  We need You more than ever.  Thank You for the stories of the Bible that can help us keep all things in perspective.  You are the One that can bring us through every difficulty.  Continue to prompt our hearts to turn to You as easily as the flower turns to the sun.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I am so grateful that each day can be a new day with a new start.  Start new today.  Make a commitment to stay fully connect to Jesus and keep your eyes on Him.

Love you all.

What story in the Bible has been an inspiration to you?  What have you learned from the story?