No matter who wins the election-the challenge is still the same!
There are Hearts without God
There are Souls without Christ
Too many are lacking the presence of the Holy Spirit
It matters less who is President; than it matters that we continue Christ’s command.
“Love God with our whole heart and soul, and love each other as we love ourselve”?
It matters less who is President, than it matters that we reach as many as we can for Christ and bring them to Heaven with us!
It matters that we ask the Holy Spirit to allow us to see the truth that exists in our world-as only the Holy Spirit can.
Tomorrow is the election, but it will not change our main mission. Be The Light 🙂
Do Not Be Afraid Of Anything On This Earth:)
Fear God Alone
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[a] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[b] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” – (Matthew 10:26–31)
One day a woman had a vision. A centipede crawled across the rising sun. It frightened the woman, and yet, as scary as it was, and it was very scary, it was still such a small thing compared to the rise of the sun. And such she knew were the coming days.
Evil is frightening. And it should be. But it is nothing compared to the great power of God. As the centipede simply disappeared in the light of the sunrise, so it is with the light of God. God barely lifts a finger and all evil is defeated -forever.
Whatever happens in the coming days, our place in Heaven is still assured. Do Not Fear, God’s Got This 🙂
The Blessing: The Netherlands!
Renewed & Refreshed!
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”-Psalm 51:10
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”- Pslam 51:12
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”-Isaiah 40:31
“he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit”-Titus 3:5
Renewal and Refreshment is what comes after Confession & Repentance ?
The joy and peace that our Lord offers is indescribable. It fills the heart and the soul. There is no force on this earth that can diminish it. For it grows at God’s command.
It lifts us up. It’s kind of like giving birth. They tell you as you prepare for the birth of your child, that is will be such a joyful experience that the pain of childbirth will simply be forgotten. And it is 🙂
And that is exactly what feeling Renewed and Refreshed feel like. The pain of our sins and confession recedes rapidly and completely, leaving only the true joy of being Renewed and Refreshed.
So don’t wait to Confess & Repent, because being Renewed & Refreshed comes immediately after ?
Sin, Confession & Repentance
In Revelations 2:6, Jesus talks of how He “hates” the Nicolaitans. It’s not often we hear from Jesus that He hates anyone! So therefore, it must be important.
Who were the Nicolaitans? They were a people who initially followed Jesus. But then they turned to an incredibly sinful life. One source says they led, “lives of unrestrained indulgence”, which sadly sounds a lot like some parts of America today! Still another source says, “many worshipped other gods, ate food sacrificed to idols, indulged in sexually immortal behaviors”…
But personally I think that their greatest sin, was they never repented. They took advantage of God’s Great Mercy and Christ’s Great sacrifice. The thought they could reap the benefits of both and continue to live anyway they wanted. Do anything they wanted. And that’s just not true.
At times, we all struggle with sin. Sometimes we even commit the same sins again. And that’s alright, because God always forgives a person who sincerely seeks forgiveness through Jesus Christ. But each person needs to seek Christ while on this earth.
And confession and repentance, besides saving us ?, are good for us. They free us! Jesus never meant for us to be weighed down by the guilt of yesterday. He loves us ?
So for our own sake, we need to confess and repent every day. And be Free 🙂
Sin & Prayer
“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”-Isaiah 59:1-2
Iniquities are defined as “grossly immoral or unfair behavior”. Sometimes these sins are ones we commit; sometimes they are sins of omission. Sometimes we don’t even recognize that we have sinned, but that doesn’t mean we have not.
This is truly a difficult subject to understand. And sometimes a subject we don’t want to understand. But “God is not a God of confusion”.
The above verse is pretty self-explanatory on its face. Our sin does separate us from God. There’s no getting around that. When we choose to lead a sinful life; we choose to separate ourselves from God. After all, it’s not like we don’t have access to Bibles in this country ?. So knowing what behavior is sinful and what behavior is not – is a pretty easy task, if we choose to read the Bible. And that’s the thing-God gives us that choice, for God gave us that freedom!
But there are a few things this verse does not refer to. It does not refer to the person who has previously sinned and is calling out to our Lord both for forgiveness and help in Jesus’ Name. He is so happy to hear from you and He loves you! To learn more read the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.
And it does not refer to the person who commits a sin and asks for forgiveness in Jesus’ Name. That sin is already forgiven! God hears you and God loves you!
In the coming days, regardless as to who wins the election, we will face much evil. In fact, we already do; we are surrounded by it. “War may be at the door, but Jesus already won!”
Which is exactly why we need to walk closely with God-every day! For Our Hope & Our Help Comes From The Lord. Pray. Be The Light. ?
Indonesia: The Blessing :)
The Practice of Prayer :)
One might ask, “Don’t we just pray? Why do we to need practice?”.
I don’t know about you, but my mind sometimes tends to wander when I pray, which is why I need to practice, lol. Real prayer should be concentrated, intense. You are talking with the Lord of Lords, and that requires respect. And one way we can show our respect is to concentrate on our Father and our Prayers to Him.
One great way I have found of practicing is to say the Rosary. If forces me to contentrate for an extended time period. It has the Our Father, which Jesus taught us, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be To God… It helps me work on my concentration and focus while praying. But more than that, it occupies my mind while I lie in bed. Instead of worrying or thinking negative thoughts, I focus on my prayers :). Trust me, it’s a great help! And I am grateful for it!
When I was young, we referred to many of these types of prayers as “rote” prayers. In some ways these types of prayers were actually discouraged. Talking to God in a “normal” way was encouraged instead. But as I have grown older, I have found I need both! I need to talk with my Lord, but I also need these “rote” prayers as well. Because, believe it or not lol, sometimes I run out of things to say to God, and these prayers help me.
They help me in another way as well. There are times when I just don’t feel like praying. Times where perhaps I feel guilty for something I did, or something I didn’t do. But that is when I need to pray most of all!
So find your special prayer. There are many. The Our Father, the Rosary, the Apostle’s Creed, the Sinner’s Prayer, Psalm 31, Psalm 93…The list is endless 🙂
I know when my mind wanders during my prayers I feel so sorry, because God is so good and deserves better from me. That’s why some type of practice helps 🙂
Be The Light, Pray Today 🙂
“No Man Can Serve Two Masters!”
“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”-Luke 16:13 KJV
First of all, what is “mammon”? Some say it is the pursuit of great wealth. Still others say it is evil. Either way, this Bible verse simply says you can not serve both.
Does that mean you can not pursue material comfort for your family. No. But it does mean that serving God must come first! And we have to be very careful that we actually see the truth of what we are doing:
“He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”-Luke 16:15
Because we are human, it is so easy for us to fool ourselves. To convince ourselves, for example, that our pursuit of wealth is for the sake of another (often our families). Or that we deserve it, lol. But the truth is all good gifts come from God, and that is something we need to recognize and honor.
If you struggle with putting other things first, whether it is your family, money, a bad habit, a particular sin… I do too 🙂
But together, we need to put God first, for He put us first 🙂
And remember what it says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”