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“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”-2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”-Proverbs 4:23

God has more than one reason for telling us this, but below are two.

One reason is that he knows that not controlling our thoughts can lead us straight into sin.  We often find ourselves thinking sinful thoughts and THEN we take sinful actions.  In other words, we often entertain temptation before we “give in” to temptation.  We may not always be able to control the first thought, but we can definitely control the second.

A second is that God also knows that not reigning in our thoughts can make us unhappy, and even angry.  Ever find yourself imagining telling someone who has truly wronged you exactly how you feel?  We’ve all done that at some time in our lives.  The problem is that the only person we are hurting is – us.  But we do have a choice.  We don’t have to have those “imaginary” conversations.  We can simply choose to do something else. 

It’s not always possible to control our first thought, but it is possible to stop our second thought.  Get up and get doing.  Help someone.  Spend time with a family member or friend.  Read a book. In other words, occupy your mind with something else.

And most important: Pray! Pray especially for the one who has wronged you and you will find your anger gradually ebb away and in its’ place will be compassion.  It may take a little time, but it always works ?

God’s Word gives us a Roadmap for our lives.  There are some people who think it’s a rule book that they do not wish to obey.  But it is more than that.  God created us, and so He knows what will make us truly happy.  And so He tells us the paths that will lead to happiness for us, and those that won’t.  We can follow His Son Jesus to Heaven  – or not.  It’s our choice!  Given to us by God Himself!

According to some sources, gratitude is mentioned 71 times in the New Testament. Obviously, God thinks Gratitude is important!

There is a teaching in the Bible (17:11-19), about 10 Lepers being healed, but only 1 turned back to glorify God for his healing. Why is that? They were all healed, but only one gave honor and praise to Jesus for his healing!

God gave us a choice, and each one of these 10 men made one. But only 1 man made the right one! At some point, the other nine faced the consequences of their choice. We need to make the right choice 🙂

There is another reason that thanking God for our Blessings is important. In thanking our Lord, not only do we give Him the honor and praise that He deserves, we also acknowledge to God and to ourselves, that our Blessings come from God! And not just from us…

The other reason to thank God for our Blessings is that a Grateful Heart is a Happy Heart. It’s very hard to be grateful and unhappy at the same time. As we count our Blessings in order to thank God for them, we get to see first hand how Blessed we really are :). It strengthens our faith both in God and our faith in His Love for us :).

We have such a Good God and He Loves us so much! And with all that is currently happening in our world today, does it really get better than that? So thank Him on good days and on difficult ones. Because even on the difficult days, those days are easier because God is with us 🙂

Because no matter how many changes our nation, indeed our world, goes through-God does NOT change. He loved us yesterday; He loves us today and He will love us tomorrow. He never breaks His promises. And in a time where many in the government and the media seems untrustworthy, GOD CAN BE TRUSTED!

Faith can move mountains-if you let it 🙂

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”-James 6:35

During the time that I grew up, we wore Sunday dresses to church.  My Father and Brother wore suits and ties.  And so did everyone else. Sometimes, we even had special hats, lol ?  And I love those memories.  My Mom and Dad sang in the choir, and so did I when I was older.  My Dad taught Sunday school and my Mom made a wonderful roast for Sunday dinners.

Today, when we go to church there are some who are dressed up.  But there are also some who are in jeans, flip flops and t-shirts.

And people of all different colors and backgrounds.

It doesn’t matter.

God does not care what we look like and He doesn’t care what our skin color or background is. He only cares that we are following His Son Jesus. 

And Jesus doesn’t care what we look like, because He loves us so-just as we are and where we are.  He’s loved us since before our time on earth began and He will loves us after our time on earth is over.  He will be our Best Friend-if we let Him.  And He will walk with us every step of the way to Heaven-if we invite Him to do so.

There is nothing we can do that will make Him stop loving us-ever.  Because His love, unlike the world’s, is not dependent on a certain outcome or earthly success.  He just loves us-for us.  As and where we are.  And in a rapidly changing world, Jesus’ Love will never change.

“Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.  When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.  Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.”  Ezekiel 33:  17-20

“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”-Psalm 127:1

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”-Daniel 12:1

From the above passages from our Holy Bible, we can see what God is saying.  If we want to avoid the troubles that are coming, we need to turn to Jesus and do Right. We need to turn to Jesus and repent before it’s too late!

Visit The Stations of the Cross!

Mary created the Stations of the Cross to give us a way to meditate and pray not only on Jesus’s Life, but also on His Great Gift to us. She knew it was important then and it’s important now.

And especially now, with life so busy, it’s important to take time out to meditate on Jesus’ Life. To set aside time to talk with Jesus and to pray. And by “talk with”, that means we talk and listen 🙂

The Stations of the Cross is a great way to do both!

Why? Because Jesus commands us to love God and love one another as He has loved us. He didn’t say love people that look like us! He said love one another-regardless of any differences that may exist.

And that is what we need to do. And with God’s Help, we can do so, no matter what the media says! Because one day, we will all be together in Heaven 🙂

God doesn’t always “fix” things, but He is still God and He still loves us. But sometimes, it’s important for us to go through certain things.  And just because God doesn’t appear to give us what we want, doesn’t mean God won’t give us what we need. God it always merciful, but we need to learn the difference between what we need and what we want. And to have faith no matter whether He “fixes” things or not!

I know that I have struggled with this; we all struggle with it.

But during our difficult times, God’s Love will surround us and comfort us-if we let it.  For God is always merciful and full of Love for us.

But because He loves us; He will not always give us what we want, however He will ALWAYS give us what we need.  We just need to keep praying, whether we feel like it or not! ?

When I was born, I was born with a large hole in my heart.  I had open heart surgery at about age 6.  Back then they kept you in the hospital 6 weeks!  I suffered from bouts of pneumonia and bronchitis for 16 years.  I was home about 3 months every year from school because I was so sick and weak I sometimes could not get from my bed to my bathroom without fainting.

During those years I read everything from Saints Books and the Bible to the Tales of King Arthur to Socrates and all of the great philosophers.  And most of all-I talked with God.  And I prayed.

Most of those years, thanks to God, I was at peace with my circumstances.  But I remember in 8^th grade thinking there must be something wrong with me that God would not heal me.  But I was wrong, God was preparing me.  And I remember when I was 18, I so badly wanted to “be like everyone else”.    Wow, was that overrated, lol.  So sometimes we all get off-track, and that’s okay.  As long as we get back on track ?

The reason I share this with you my friends, is that we all suffer in some way.  Sometimes that suffering can be seen by others and sometimes it can’t.  But during those times, God never leaves our side.  And God will ultimately use it for good.

So never give up and never lose hope! God will help you and He loves you! Your suffering will end!