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“THERE’S MICE IN THE BOX!!”

Have you ever been so afraid of something that you went to great lengths to get away from it?  This is the story of my mom with mice.  She hates anything rodent, like rats and mice.  My dad, in every house we have lived, has had to make it mouse proof.

I remember one particular time, when I was a kid, where my mom went crazy.  Anybody watching her would have thought she was out of her mind.  And, as far as her family goes, we were laughing.

My dad had gotten into one of our sheds.  He pulled out a fairly large box, as I remember it.  The box was properly about 3 to 4 feet tall.  In the bottom of this box were a mother mouse and her babies.  They were so cute.  The box was empty except for them.  The box must have been lying on its side in the shed because there were no holes chewed in the box to get in it.  With the box standing upright they were contained inside.

When my mom realized there were mice in there, I don’t remember her even looking in at them, she began to scream and run away.  When we looked up she had run probably 60’ away and was up on a step that probably stood around 1’ high.  Of course we were laughing.

We kept watching the cute little mice and saying she should come and look at them.  When we looked up again she was no longer on the step so we looked around to see where she was.  And there she was perched at the top of the ladder that went to our slide.  I don’t know how many feet up it was but definitely several times higher than the step.

We may hear this story and laugh and think that she is absolutely crazy. But what would life be like if we had the exact attitude toward sin?  What if we were so afraid or repulsed by sin that we would flee to the highest level to get a way from it?  Will people laugh and think that we are crazy?  Will they make fun of us?

Gradually sin has become more and more acceptable, even to Christians.  Who would have ever thought that, as a Christian, we would watch the things that we watch, read the things that we read, or listen to the things that we listen to today.

We did not have a television when I was growing up but when I went to my grandparents they had the television on all the time they were home, even if they had company.  I remember being so frightened by what I seen and heard.  When you are innocent it seems really bad.  But then as an adult I started to watch the “good things.”  At least I thought they were.  But as time passed the “good” line started moving.

Then the Holy Spirit convicted me.  Has it been easy? No.  But doing right is never easy because it goes against our grain and against the majority, which often brings laughter and ridicule.

Often people wonder, “how do I know if it is good or bad?”  This is the first and foremost question.  And God’s Word has the answer.  Does it fall into the commands of Christ?

There can be many factors but I am just going to address one of them with a question.  In the TV shows or movies you watch how many things go on that should only be going on between married couples?  It may be a true story but the actors are just actors they are not married to each other.  You may think that I am being picky but for me I have to be.  I want to be ready when Jesus comes and I have found that as I do these things the bad starts to not look so bad anymore.

I believe reading can come into the same category.  What am I reading?  Is it drawing me to Jesus or does it have things that would be condemned by God’s Word.

What about our music?  Is it the same kind of music that is used to call the evil spirits to the worship of the devil, with Christian words?  It is easy to start with something pretty mild but eventually the line moves because things don’t seem as bad as they use to, with time.

I am not here to condemn your choices I am just here to share my own experience.  What I do want you to do is to pray and study God’s Word for your own conclusion.  God will lead you.

Here are three steps to help you in your journey:

  1. Study God’s Word.  I know that I keep emphasizing these points but they are the answer to all things.
  2. Spend time in prayer.  As we pray the Lord will guide us in His Word to those things that will help us make the right decisions.
  3. Memorize, meditating on God’s Word day and night.  Having God’s Word hidden in our heart is the only way we can conquer the temptations.

These things are like the box around the mice of sin.  It is what protects us.  When we are going through our day what needs to be coming to our mind is these three things.  A lot of times we are having ungodly scenes, from a book we read, a movie we seen, or music we’ve listened to, coming to our mind, instead.

Dear Father,

Help us to realize our need of you.  Help us to realize how dirty and filthy “mice” (sin) is.  We need sin out of our lives.  Continue to show us and guide us.  Thank You for Your unfailing love for us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I want you to know that I love you all.  I am just sharing what the Lord has convicted me to share.  I just ask that you consider what I have shared here and study it for yourself.  Whatever your decision is, I am not pointing fingers.  We are all on a different journey.  We are living so close to the end of time.  We need to be sure to protect ourselves from the enemy.

Also remember not to let a hole get chewed in your box. Those holes can be so tricky and get larger with time.

Love you all!

What journey is the Lord leading you on?  Please share!

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“ICE CREAM, PLEASE!”

There are those days through life that come to us that seem very special. I remember such a day when I was a kid. It was my birthday and I remember my dad asking me if I would like to go to work with him.

My dad was running his own painting business at the time. I thought of it as a privilege to be able to go with him for the day and help him. Even though I had to work, just being able to be with him made it worth it.

At the end of the day I came home to a special supper. I actually don’t remember what we ate. What I do remember is the ice cream that my mom and brother made for me. That was back in the day where you had to crank it by hand. There was definite work to having ice cream.

This memory makes me think about our relationship with our Father in Heaven. We need to so desire to be with Him that it doesn’t matter that we need to work, it is worth it all because we get to be with Him.

I also was thinking about the ice cream. If you left out one of the components for making a good soft but firm ice cream, it would never firm up. You have to have the ice and salt. But that isn’t all, if you just let it sit there with the ice and salt you would not get the results that you want. You have to crank the hand, by hand, it doesn’t automatically happen. If you crank the handle and you have no salt or ice you will crank for a long time and you will feel like you are just spinning your wheels, never accomplishing what you’re wanting.

The same is true of being a Christian, it does not happen automatically. If you just keep “cranking” (reading your Bible) you will not grow without “salt” (prayer) and “ice” (meditating on Scripture day & night). It does take work, but as you continue to work, your character will become soft and firm in the truth. Only then will your character be so reflecting Christ that when people have been with you they will feel like they have tasted a wonderful “ice cream” (the presence of Jesus).

Dear Father,

Help us to realize, as we work in cooperation with You, the outcome is beautiful. Continue to prompt our hearts to know that without prayer we cannot understand the Scriptures and without memorization we cannot have Your Word hidden in our hearts so that we may not sin against thee.

Thank You for Your unfailing love and patience with us as we learn and grow.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

It may seem like work at first to do these things, Prayer, Study God’s Word, and Memorize. But I have found that as I consistently do these things, it no longer seems like work. I long each day for my time with God and if something happens I miss it, I can feel my “ice cream” melting. Keep steadfast and it will change your life.

Love you all.

What things do you do that you find meaningful in spending time with God? What things have you found that draw you closer to Him?

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“I’M BEING HELD IN INDIA”

Have you ever felt helpless, feeling like your hands are tied? You want to be able to do something, to help make things better, but it seems that there is nothing you can do.

I experienced this yesterday when I got a message from my son, who has been in India for the last couple of months. His message was, “Hey, not to freak you out but I’m being held in the country.”

He had applied for two 30-day visas. But apparently the second visa was not acceptable. He did not know this until he arrived at the airport to get on the airplane to come home. They would not allow him to board the airplane home. At that point his ticket was no longer valid. He was in a hard place at this point because now he has not ticket and no money. It turned out that they considered him being in the country illegally for 30 days, which a lot of people were amazed that he was able to do that.

He had to wait until the next morning to go to the Embassy to work things out. He filled out the appropriate paperwork but they would not issue him an exit visa until he got a ticket.

It amazes me every time how God works. A few months ago my son went with a friend to an event in another state. This friend gave him an emergency credit card to use if he ever ran into any difficulties. He hasn’t had a need for it until last night. He needed to get the ticket and he had no money but he was able to get it because he had the card with him.

It made me think about the verse that says, “…Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24 He is always there to answer even before we ask.

My son still doesn’t have his exit visa at this writing. I do know that God has not brought him this far, to let him down, He has a plan. His goal is to teach each one of us that no matter what is happening in our lives we need to trust Him.

How can we learn to trust Him? It seems so hard and scary at the same time. I can tell you from experience that it is easier to talk about than to actually do. But I am going to share a few ideas that can help in bringing about this trust.

  1. Get to know God. This seems almost elementary but this is profound. We need to be in His Word and reading how he has led. See His ways. We tend to put God in this box of our own earthly experiences of trusting other people. God is way bigger and loves you way more than any human is even capable of doing.
  2. Claim His promises. We need to claim His promises. We can’t see His purposes for what comes into our lives but we can claim the promise of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
  3. Spend time in prayer. We need to agonize with God at times. I don’t believe agonizing is for Him but for us. It is hard to give up our control and let Him have control. We want things to go the way we think is best. God knows things that we do not know.
  4. Reach out to others to pray for you. There is power in prayer. And the more people who pray the more power. This gives others the opportunity to share in the blessing of answered prayer.
  5. Let go and let God. After we have done all that we can do we need to let go and let God. As I said before it is easier said than done. This is the only way we can have peace through the storms of life.

Dear Father,

We all struggle with trusting You. Give us courage and strength. Thank You for Your patience and unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

It can be a struggle but remember you can pour out your heart to God and He understands all. He is a big God and He can even handle you being angry with Him. The peace that comes in trusting is worth it all.

Love you all.

Have you had a hard time trusting God? Has there been a time when you did trust God and it was worth it all?

Please share your experiences no matter how big or small. This helps all of us build trust in God.

 

 

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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.