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“Believe what you do believe, or else you will never persuade any one else to believe it”-Charles Spurgeon

So often we say we that believe, but do we? Or does the way that we live our lives show others that we believe?

A great speaker once posed this question. “Why is it we say we believe in Jesus, but we don’t believe what He says?”

She made a great point.

Perhaps it’s because we want God’s Blessings, without any obligations. We want Christ to save us, but we also want to do whatever we feel like.

But it doesn’t work like that…God left us the Roadmap that we need to live our lives in His Holy Bible.

We need to Believe it and Live it, so others can believe it too 🙂

On FB the other day, there was a picture of a girl laying by a pool with sunglasses and a drink with the caption “Me praying to the Holy Spirit over little things…”. And it made me stop and think for a moment…

Many people think that they should only pray when it’s something “big” or “serious”. Some think they should pray over everything. Where is the Love for God on our side if we only seek God when we need something?

Praying really needs to become like breathing. Trust is not built in a day. Waiting for something “big” to happen in order to pray leaves the person praying at great risk. Not because God won’t answer their prayer, but because God’s Peace comes from Trusting Him. Praying over little things more often is better, but what about conversations with God about our day? What about Thanking God for all that He has Blessed us with?

How do we become more like Jesus if we only pray when solutions are needed?

As Christians, our goal needs to be Praying Like Other People Breathe. Become A Friend Of God. Talk with Him every day! Through out the day.

And when tough times do come, and they will, we will be filled with God’s Peace, Peace which is beyond all understanding 🙂

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^” Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch^[a] with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”-Matthew 26:36-39

We see in Matthew that when Jesus Prayed in Gethsemane, He was really sad. “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death”.

There are a lot of bad things happening in our country and many Americans are very sad, and worried. In the Garden, Jesus even asked His Father, “if it be possible, let his cup pass…nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Personally, I think it is good to pray that our country will turn back to God. Just as I think it is okay to pray for any difficult situation in our life, whether it be our families or our health. But we do have to remember, as Jesus prayed, it’s God’s Will that matters – not our own.

And it’s also okay to be sad if our nation does not turn back to God, or our family situation or health does not improve. God understands. Putting God’s Will first is a decision we make, Trusting that God knows best. But we are allowed to have feelings about it.

And God understands our feelings because He made us. Our Trust in Him is our Gift to God, and it is not diminished because of our feelings.

^“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”-Matthew 22:36-39

^“This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”

Every commandment, all Ten Commandments, fit into Christ’s Great Commandments ?

They are that simple and that hard.  Jesus didn’t say, Love God if you like what He says and lets you do what you want.  He said Love God with your whole heart, soul and mind.

And Jesus didn’t say, love those you agree with.  The truth is-any one can do that!  Jesus said, “Love thy Neighbor”-no matter what ?

These days, that can be more difficult than it seems. The government and media are doing their best to get people to dislike one another, even hate one another.  But we do NOT have to listen to them.

Instead, we can focus on God. And we can spend our lives loving God and loving one another!

It’s not that loving our neighbor is not sometimes a struggle.  I struggle sometimes too.  The news is so terrible these days, and the actions of many seem so unjust.  But this is not Heaven.  It’s a fallen world and it is going to be filled with suffering and actions that are unjust.

But Heaven IS coming and God does love us more than we can even imagine?.  And that is exactly what I hang onto when the day is a difficult one.  No one on this earth can take God or Heaven from me.  No hardship,  no war, no government…For God is more powerful than all of them.

And that is exactly what they are afraid of.  They may deny it, but they know that God Created this world and that we are going Home. And they know that they can not stop us from Loving God and our Neighbors, just as they can not stop us from returning to our Home in Heaven.

Their power is limited and temporary, but God’s Power is forever ?

Following Christ is a journey.  And we will not all be in the same place at the same time on that journey.  The important thing is that we are on the journey -Following Jesus together-and we need to stay on that journey ?.

There can be no doubt that some of us interpret God’s Word differently.  And that’s okay.  Because eventually, if we ask the Holy Spirit’s Help, we will all interpret God’s Word the same.  After all-there is only One Truth.  God’s Truth.

So, we need to ask God for His guidance.  We need to choose our actions wisely and try to follow God’s Will.  But we also need to remember that what we thought was God’s Will at age 20 is not the same as what we think it is at age 50.  And so we need to be patient with one another.

And in the meantime while we wait to agree on what God’s Word means,  we can all follow Christ’s Command to love one other. For if we truly wish to honor God, we need to love those we disagree with, for loving those we agree with is way too easy!

CRT taught in public schools, statues taken down, history re-written, reparations… All of these steps are being taken in the name of ending Racism, but sadly, none of these steps will work.  These types of actions will only worsen racism, not improve it.

Racism will only end when people of all colors meet beneath the Cross and love one another more than they fear one another.

What we really need is to Pray together at the Foot of the Cross and love one another as Christ commanded.  And then, Racism will end.

Matthew 6:32-33 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

“When Elianna was two years old, we wrote this devotional fifteen years ago that I believe is relevant especially as we celebrated Father’s day around the world.

We have a cord-free, battery-free alarm clock — we call her Elianna. Like clockwork, at 6:45 each morning our 2-year old daughter, Elianna wakes up and begins calling for us to come and greet her good morning. At this point, my wife and I have come to the conclusion that those 8-hour sleep nights we used to enjoy just aren’t going to happen again –at least for a long, long time.

What’s interesting to me though, is that when Elianna wakes up, she doesn’t wonder if we’ll come to her. She waits eagerly and expectantly to see us walk in, sleepy-eyed and morning-haired as we may be. Elianna doesn’t wake up worrying about what she’ll wear today and if she’ll be warm enough. She expects that she’ll be changed and dressed up nice and warm when it’s cold. She doesn’t worry about if or what she’s going to eat. She expects that we’ll know she’s hungry and will serve her a yummy nutritious breakfast. When Elianna falls down, she immediately looks toward us, holding out her hands to receive our hugs and kisses so it will be “all better”. She doesn’t question whether or not we love her. She’s sure of it! Elianna has no worries. She expects that we will take care of her every need.

Don’t you wish you were a baby sometimes? No worries — getting pampered and hugged and kissed. Well, I have good news for you — you are a baby! You are the Lord’s baby! We are His children and He loves us with an everlasting and perfect love. He cares for us just like we care for our little Elianna — in fact, much, much more than that!

My Friends, from this morning on, let’s start coming to the Lord as we are — His children! We needn’t worry about anything. Our Father awaits the time when we will totally put our trust in Him. He loves us and He knows every one of our needs before even a word is on our lips! Let’s practice putting our worries aside and determine to expect our Heavenly father to meet our every need. And don’t forget to take some time out today and say — Abba, thank you for loving me!”

This devotional came this morning from Worthy Devotionals. I’ve been starting my day with them for over 15 years! They are wonderful, you can sign up here: Worthy Briefs

Bible Believing Parents Need To Pull Their Children Out Of Public Schools

Today, some girls are forced into showers with boys who say they “feel” like girls.  Feelings can lie.  If God made them a boy; they are a boy.  And we, as parents, are allowing this! That this world is a fallen world is true.  That the public schools who are doing this are as evil as they come is also true.  But that we, as Christian parents, are allowing them to do so – makes us even worse than they are! Because we, who are filled with the Holy Spirit know better! 

And we do have other choices.  Private schools are one.  Homeschooling is another.  We don’t need to allow our children to be exposed to such evil at such a young age, before they have even had a chance to build a strong faith!

“It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble”-Luke 17:2

This verse includes us too!

As Bible-Believing, Christian Moms, we KNOW that it is wrong to allow our girls to be forced into a shower or bathrooms with boys, and our boys to be forced into showers or bathrooms with girls!  We need to stand up and protect our children!

If we allow the “state” to force our children into showers with the opposite sex, if we allow the “state” to indoctrinate our children against the faith and values we are working so hard to teach them at home, how long before our children become wards of the “state”.  And how long till the “state” starts claiming them at an even younger age?

If we don’t want that to happen, then we need to stand up now!  We as Christians need to find an alternative to public schools and pull our children out while we can.

And Christian schools need to find a way to make themselves more affordable or the next generation won’t be attending church.  The very best way that Christian Churches can invest in their future, is to invest in the lives of our children now!  While they still can.

God did not give us a “Spirit of Fear”. We need to find our courage now, while protecting our children is still possible!

Sometimes I think that those who live a harder life or live a poverty-stricken life are in some ways more fortunate than many people in America.

They know they need a Savior!  Their life is hard and they look forward to the day they get to Heaven!  They love Jesus so, in part, because they know Jesus loves them!  And that love is a shining light in what can be a very dark place.

In America, we really have it quite easy (at least comparatively so), but we often forget that this life on earth is quite short compared to our life in eternity.  We put so much into making our earthly life great, but not nearly enough into ensuring our Heavenly life. In most cases, the only thing we must do in order to follow God’s Word is stand up to “peer pressure”. And so often, we don’t.

Others have to risk their lives and their family’s life. Many risk their jobs and their homes. But for the most part, the only thing we risk, is someone may not like us.

And yet we often fail to take a stand!  As Christians, we need to think about why that is and pray for the love and strength to do better.

Christ died for us; it seems the least we can do is stand for Him!

Ever go to church and talk with someone who seemed so nice, so filled with faith and then when you were driving out of the parking lot, that same person honked their horn and cut you off? Or how about going to the grocery after church and seeing the same Mom you saw praying so devoutly just a few minutes ago screaming at her child?

We’ve all seen it and we’ve all probably all done something similar. We are human and we just mess up sometimes.

It’s easy in church to be devout and loving; it’s harder to do so out in the “real” world, but that is the goal. To bring Christ to the “real” world. To live as Christ in the “real” world 🙂

Loving God and loving others was Jesus’ Greatest Commandment; it’s that simple and that hard. But Jesus promises us that He will help us do both 🙂