The gift of purity

                                             MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
    "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus" Matthew 1:18-25


The other day I was reading this marvolus story with my 10 yr old son. He is at that age where he is starting to learn about the "birds and the bees." So he asked me what a virgin was. I told him the truth. He was sitting next to me with a look of amazment on his face. Then he says, "Mom, that is very special that Jesus was born to a virgin. He is the only one to every be born to one. Thats is awesome!" I was totaly amazed that he picked up on that. He is so right, how very special it truly is that our God bacame man and was the only one to ever have and ever will be born to a virgin.


In todays world, viginity is looked at as a shameful thing. People are teased or called gay because they choose the right choice to save them selves for their spouse. Our world is not taught that when they loose their virignity they are giving a piece of themself that doesn't belong to them away. A piece of themselves that belongs to their future spouse. A special piece of themself that their spouse will never have. And far to often they loose self respect.


I am so greatful that the birth of our God was so very special. He was born in purity and wholeness. How untrusting our God would be if He was born anyother way. Thank You Father for the gift of purity.


I pray that the youth of today will learn and see the importantace of living a pure life. A life of self respect and respect for their furture spouces. I pray that the parents of today will step up and take a stand to raise a pure generation, and teach their children what is right.
With God's Love,
Christian

Just another stepping stone in the path to His return.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Does God heal everyone who asks Him? No, we know that He doesn't. However we also know that He can and does heal physical illnesses. The truth is that only He knows who to heal and when to heal. If His will is not to heal then He always gives peace to those who ask for it.

I have heard it said that " God didn't heal you because your faith isn't strong enough." I don't believe that. Matthew 17:20 tells us all we need is to have faith the size of a mustard seed. Have you seen a mustard seed? They are VERY small.

We tend to ask our selves "what's wrong with me that God won't heal me?" Nothing is wrong with you. God knows, sees, hears and is very concerned about you. He is going to use your illnesses in someway to help others. In a way that you may not ever know. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Your illness will work for the good of God.
I think that sometimes He choices to heal some because He knows that they are going to carry out a bigger part of His plan that will require them to be well. Either way it is all of His glory, just another stepping stone in the path to His return.

God has not forgotten you and never will. He doesn't love you any less than someone He has healed. He doesn't work that way. He doesn't play favorites. If He doesn't heal you, I promise you that He has a good reason. I also promise that He will always give you peace when you seek His will. His will is always just!

Father, I pray for those who have an illness. For those who have asked You for healing. Father I pray Your will over them. I pray that You will grant them the gift of peace in their lives. Remind them Lord, that You are God and nothing is to big for You.
In Jesus name. I pray Your will, Amen
With God's Love,
Christian

We seek to please our Father.

    "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy" Psalm 147:11

When we behave the way that God wants us to, when we obey Him and follow His guidance, He is pleased. It brings glory to Him. He is beside us every where we go and through everything we do, and when we fear Him, we respect, love, honor, and obey Him. All of which brings Him pleasure.

Like a child seeks to please his parents, As Christians we seek to please our Father. That is the wonderful part of being a Christian, Living our lives to please our God. We understand that He has only the best for us in mind. That He is good and wants good for us. Those who aren't Christians fail to understand this and therefore don't seek to please Him.

What a wonderful feeling it is to know that we can bring pleasure to our God.

Father I pray that those who are reading this are doing so for Your purpose. I pray that they will seek to bring pleasure to You. I pray Father that they will Fear You wholeheartedly and know that they can bring glory to Your name. Father bless them with Your love and grace.
In Jesus name, Amen.
With God's Love,
Christian

Our actions truly do speak louder than our words.

"But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him."
1 John 3:17-19

Its amazing how our deeds and actions can say so much about our hearts. When we are willing to help others, extend a hand, or simply show love to others, God's love shine through us and shows the world who He is. This is the best way to minister to others.

On the other hand, when our deeds are not pure. When we have an altered motive in mind. When our hearts are clouded with greed or hate and we do not help others or love them, then God is not able to shine through us. Even if we know the bible by heart and proclaim to believe it.

Our actions truly do speak louder than our words. What do your actions say?

Father I pray that You will change our hearts. Remind us to always allow You to shine through us. To extend Your love to everyone we meet no matter how we are treated in return. Help us to keep pure motives and to love all as You love us.
In Jesus name, Amen
With God's Love,
Christian

  

Fear God.

Question: "What does it mean to have the fear of God?" (gotquestions.org)
Answer: For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe.


Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 records, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.


Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.


Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.

I pray that you will fear God righteously and whole heartedly.
With God's Love,
Christian

The unseen Guest at every meal, The silent listener to every conversation!

"For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If  I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?  I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;  And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139 1:24 NKJ  

Did you catch that? God knows you!

He knows everything about you. Luke 12:7 tells us that the very hairs of your head are all numbered. He has counted the hairs on your head.

There is nothing that we do that He doesn't see. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:3 There is nowhere we can go that He isn't there. He hears every word that we say. He sees every action that we perform. He knows our every thought, Psalm 94:11 . He knows the secrets of our hearts, says Psalm 44:21. "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."Hebrews 4:13

We will have to stand before Him one day and answer for our lives. The good and the bad. The good news is that Psalm 51:1-4 tells us that we can seek God's Mercy as David did. "Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me." He will gives us His mercy. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.  He is always faithful and true!

Not only does He know our faults and the secrets of our hearts, He also knows our good qualities, Our gifts and He see all the work of our hands. He sees when you secretly do something to help someone out. No one else may every see it, but God does. "so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:4 NIV.

We need to put to practice the recognition of God's presence at all times. To make sure that our attitude and behavior mimic that recognition. We need to mind our P's & Q's at all time and be aware of our actions. To often we worry about what others will say or think about our actions. How often do we worry about what God would say or think about our actions?

As the saying goes "Jesus is the unseen Guest at every meal, The silent listener to every conversation"

Father, I pray that those who are reading this will feel Your presence in their life. Father, help us all to be aware of You at all times. Help us to behave in a fashion that is worthy of You. We thank You that You are aware of us. That You do see us and love us. Guide us Father, as we go about our daily lives. Help us to make righteous decisions.
In Jesus name, Amen.
With God's Love,
Christian

Why can't Christians agree?

I have often heard this question asked. I myself have asked this questions. Below is an article taken from gotquestions.com Hope it is helpful to you.

Question: "Why are there so many different Christian interpretations? If all Christians have the same Bible, and the same Holy Spirit, should not Christians be able to agree?"

Answer: Scripture says there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). This passage emphasizes the unity that should exist in the body of Christ as we are indwelt by “one Spirit” (verse 4). In verse 3, Paul makes an appeal to humility, meekness, patience, and love—all of which are necessary to preserve unity. According to 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God (verse 11), which He reveals (verse 10) and teaches (verse 13) to those whom He indwells. This activity of the Holy Spirit is called illumination.


In a perfect world, every believer would dutifully study the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) in prayerful dependence upon the Holy Spirit’s illumination. As can be clearly seen, this is not a perfect world. Not everyone who possesses the Holy Spirit actually listens to the Holy Spirit. There are Christians who grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). Ask any educator—even the best classroom teacher has his share of wayward students who seem to resist learning, no matter what the teacher does. So, one reason different people have different interpretations of the Bible is simply that some do not listen to the Teacher—the Holy Spirit. Following are some other reasons for the wide divergence of beliefs among those who teach the Bible.


1. Unbelief. The fact is that many who claim to be Christians have never been born again. They wear the label of “Christian,” but there has been no true change of heart. Many who do not even believe the Bible to be true presume to teach it. They claim to speak for God yet live in a state of unbelief. Most false interpretations of Scripture come from such sources.


It is impossible for an unbeliever to correctly interpret Scripture. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). An unsaved man cannot understand the truth of the Bible. He has no illumination. Further, even being a pastor or theologian does not guarantee one’s salvation.


An example of the chaos created by unbelief is found in John 12:28-29. Jesus prays to the Father, saying, “Father, glorify your name.” The Father responds with an audible voice from heaven, which everyone nearby hears. Notice, however, the difference in interpretation: “The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.” Everyone heard the same thing—an intelligible statement from heaven—yet everyone heard what he wanted to hear.


2. Lack of training. The apostle Peter warns against those who misinterpret the Scriptures. He attributes their spurious teachings in part to the fact that they are “ignorant” (2 Peter 3:16). Timothy is told to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). There is no shortcut to proper biblical interpretation; we are constrained to study.


3. Poor hermeneutics. Much error has been promoted because of a simple failure to apply good hermeneutics (the science of interpreting Scripture). Taking a verse out of its immediate context can do great damage to the intent of the verse. Ignoring the wider context of the chapter and book, or failing to understand the historical/cultural context will also lead to problems.


4. Ignorance of the whole Word of God. Apollos was a powerful and eloquent preacher, but he only knew the baptism of John. He was ignorant of Jesus and His provision of salvation, so his message was incomplete. Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and “explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:24-28). After that, Apollos preached Jesus Christ. Some groups and individuals today have an incomplete message because they concentrate on certain passages to the exclusion of others. They fail to compare Scripture with Scripture.


5. Selfishness and pride. Sad to say, many interpretations of the Bible are based on an individual’s own personal biases and pet doctrines. Some people see an opportunity for personal advancement by promoting a “new perspective” on Scripture. (See the description of false teachers in Jude’s epistle.)


6. Failure to mature. When Christians are not maturing as they should, their handling of the Word of God is affected. “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly” (1 Corinthians 3:2-3). An immature Christian is not ready for the “meat” of God’s Word. Note that the proof of the Corinthians’ carnality is a division in their church (verse 4).


7. Undue emphasis on tradition. Some churches claim to believe the Bible, but their interpretation is always filtered through the established traditions of their church. Where tradition and the teaching of the Bible are in conflict, tradition is given precedence. This effectively negates the authority of the Word and grants supremacy to the church leadership.


On the essentials, the Bible is abundantly clear. There is nothing ambiguous about the deity of Christ, the reality of heaven and hell, and salvation by grace through faith. On some issues of less importance, however, the teaching of Scripture is less clear, and this naturally leads to different interpretations. For example, we have no direct biblical command governing the frequency of communion or the style of music to use. Honest, sincere Christians can have differing interpretations of the passages concerning these peripheral issues.


The important thing is to be dogmatic where Scripture is and to avoid being dogmatic where Scripture is not. Churches should strive to follow the model of the early church in Jerusalem: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). There was unity in the early church because they were steadfast in the apostles’ doctrine. There will be unity in the church again when we get back to the apostles’ doctrine and forego the other doctrines, fads, and gimmicks that have crept into the church.

I hope this helps answer some of your questions. I pray that God will speak to your heart. That you will have the desire to seek Him despite what others have told you.
With God's Love,
Christian

IT WAS ALL GOD!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

   Sometimes we feel like we are stumbling aimlessly around in a mess of a world. No matter where we look we see chaos, trouble, and sin.  Our lives can seem like there is no plan. No meaning. No blueprint, if you will. But when we take a step back and look deeply at our lives, we can see God. We see things that happened in our past that has got us to where we are today. Things that we can say God did that. Not I, Not them, Not my job, but God did that.

I was thinking about this yesterday. How different my life has been in the last year. I even questioned myself. How did I end up here today? So I started thinking back, all the things that led me here...

    Christmas about 8 years ago, We had spent it with My husbands family in Wyoming. We lived in Strasburg at the time and traveled through a little town called Hudson on our way  home. As we drove through we both said at the same time, "this is a cute little town, wouldn't mind living here some day" LOL.
    We started looking to buy a house shortly after that. We looked all over our area. We simply couldn't afford anything close to us. I searched the internet for the cute little town we once drove through. BOOM we bought a house. We couldn't believe how fast it went. We had been looked for a house for 3 years. Every house that we tried to buy didn't go through. God led us to that cute little town.
    We started searching for a church. We became the "church hoppers" that so many people become. We jumped from church to church to church. Every single one of them we found a problem with. "The building is to old" "I don't like the parking lot here" some pretty lame excuses. Then one day we saw a billboard on I-76 that read something like this. "Boycott the Orchard Church.-Satan" We thought it was funny. A few days latter our local news aired the same billboard. We decided to try that church. We where running out of places to try. LOL. So we went a few times. We didn't really apply ourselves. Sleeping in on Sunday morning just seemed so much more important. I had signed up for Discipleship through the Orchard. Two years went by and I was never connected to anyone at the church. We quit going all together. ( I might add that our lives where messed up. I faced depression pretty bad)
    One day out of the blue, I received an email from a lady I didn't even know, telling me that she has been assigned to Disciple me through the Orchard church. I had completely forgotten all about it. It took me a few minutes to even remember the church. So I called her and we set up a date to meet for dinner and get to know each other. I so almost called it all off, but I went.
     I came home in tears. I told my husband that I didn't expect him to lead us spiritualy (he wasn't a Christian) But I did expect support in raising our kids in God's word. We went to church that very next Sunday and have been going every Sunday since. Our lives have changed dramatically in the last year. Both my oldest son and my husband are now saved. Both my oldest son and I are now baptized. Every area of our lives is so different, so new. It is like a whirlwind of God came through and completely removed our old lives. Turned us inside out and upside down, and washed us clean. I no long suffer from depression. Praise God! My marriage is back on track and I found my best friend again. He was never lost, but I was, Through my depression we drifted apart a bit. I can't express enough how wonderful our lives have been since we put God first.
    So I guess my whole reason for telling you all this, is that God has a plan for us. We couldn't buy the house where we wanted to. It wasn't by accident. We didn't move here by accident. We didn't find the church by accident. We didn't plan the timing or places. IT WAS ALL GOD!
 He has plans for each of us. Even through our struggles. He doesn't plan to hurt us, He plans to make us better for His glory, for His kingdom. He has plans for our future.
Stop and think, what has He done in your life that no one other than Him can take the credit for? I bet you will be amazed.
Father, I  am so very grateful for the plans that You have for my life. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for You. You are so amazing, so loving, so wonderful. I am always in complete awe of You. I pray Father, that You will show those who are reading this, that You have a plan in their life. A plan to prosper them and not harm them. A plan to build them and not bring them down. A plan to use them to perfect Your kingdom. A plan to bring glory to Your name. I pray Father, that they will open their heart to You so that Your plan will be accomplished in them.
I pray Your will Father, In Jesus name, Amen
With God's Love,
Christian

All things are new under the SON!

"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after."    Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

"The key word in Ecclesiastes is vanity, the futile emptiness of trying to be happy apart from God. The book of Ecclesiastes is written by King Solomon. He was the wisest, richest, most influential King in all of Israel's history. He looks at life under the sun and from the human perspective, declares it all to be empty. Power, popularity, prestige, and pleasure all of which can not fill the God- Shaped void in man's life. Solomon then sees life from God's perspective and life takes on a whole new meaning and purpose. Skepticism and despair melt away when life is viewed as a daily gift from God."
(NKJ notes)

King Solomon had everything. He kept nothing from himself. He denied himself nothing. He had all the money a person could ever imagine. He had anything his heart desired. And yet through it all, he was still empty. He quickly found out that all was pointless without God. He claims it to be like "chasing after the wind." Have you ever tried to catch the wind? If so, how is that working for you?
Solomon also noticed that "there is nothing new under the sun." What is has already been done in one form or another. But when Solomon turned his eyes on God, he found a totally different view. He saw that nothing is done in vain. Everything has a purpose. He no longer had the emptiness and longed for nothing. He also noticed that all things are new under the SON! The son of God. When Jesus is the main focus in our lives everything becomes new. You become new!

This is one of my most favorite books in the bible. It is so easy to identify with. I encourage you to read it even if you already have. God always speaks to us through His word and may reveal something different to you. I pray that when you read it, your heart will be open to God. That you will embrace any conviction that God may place on your heart and focus on changing to His glory. I pray that you will no longer chase the wind but chase Jesus Christ where all things are new under the SON.
With God's Love,
Christian

"No pain, No gain"

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrew 4:15-16

Jesus, fully man, fully God. The man part of Him faced temptations from Satan (Matthew 4) just as we do. The God part of Him kept Him from sin. The man part of Him suffered beyond anyone can ever imagine. The God part of Him did so willingly with love for us.

How comforting to know that there is nothing that we could face that Jesus doesn't understand or sympathize with. He understands completely what we are going through. He is our High Priest, our only intercessor before God the Father. The bible says "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Tim 2:5-6) He goes before God the Father on our behalf. He knows our hearts and our struggles and He has sympathy on us. 

When we struggle or suffer the bible tells us to rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:13
We are to count our suffering as joy, look at it as though we are sharing Jesus' suffering for us. This doesn't mean that God is happy when we suffer. It means that He is honored when we see our suffering as Christ saw His. Our suffering seasons our spirits and grows us closer to God. When we suffer righteously we bring glory to God and He blesses us for it. Then His glory is revealed to us and we will see that we are better for it. "No pain, No gain."  Praise God that He completely understands what we are going through. He is always there to lift us up and carry us through.
What a mighty God we serve!!!!!!

Father, I pray that you will comfort those who maybe suffering. I pray that they will count it as joy to partake in Your sacrifice for us. If its Your will Father, reveal to them Your glory so that they will see that their suffering is not in vain. Speak peace over them Father and remind them that You sympathize completely with them. Bless them with Your mercy. In Jesus name, Amen
With God's Love,
Christian

No matter what we do, we do it for the glory of God!

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1Corinthians 15:58

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1Corinthians 10:31

Unlike so many people these days, My husband has an abundance of work, in which we are so very grateful. But like any other thing, there can be too much of a good thing. He is highly overworked at times. Night before last He left our home at 1:00 am and didn't get home until 5:30 am. Then left again at 6:00 am and worked until 2:00pm. All of this after putting in 12 hours the day before. I am not stating all of this to complain or seek sympathy. We are so very grateful for the work and the gift of me being able to stay home with our children. We realize that so many families are struggling to make ends meet and that mothers struggle emotionally because they are unable to raise their families in a way that they have always dreamed of. My heart goes out to those families.
 My point here is that He is getting burned out very quickly. I'm sure some of you can relate to him. We have two young boys and he feels like he is missing their lives.  This schedule is not at all uncommon on a weekly basis for him. He is struggling right now trying to find the righteous thing to do.

These two scriptures come in very handy for this situation. We as Christians have to remember that the jobs that we have are a gift from God. We are to remember that God is in control of everything. He has placed us all in these positions for a reason that we may not see. It is very easy for us to get frustrated and burned out, Very easy for us to cut corners just to get the job done. I wonder, through all the long nights, the frustration, the temptation to cut corners instead of doing the job right, if God is testing us to see how we will handle the situation? I believe that God uses these situations to prepare us for something bigger. I have no idea what that would be and I'm not even going to try and guess. But I will put my trust in Him and remember that there is a time for every season. Yes this season too. There is a reason for this and God is always faithful to complete what He has started. I Trust Him that what ever the reason maybe, that we are right where He wants us to be. We just have to make sure that no matter what we do, we do it for the glory of God!

Father, I pray for the families who are reading this that struggle to make ends meet. I pray for those that seem like they can never do enough to support their family. Father I pray that you will bless each of them with your grace and mercy. I pray that they will seek You and trust You and know that You are in control. That they are in Your hands. Father, give them the peace that passes all understanding. Give them the courage to continue on, day in and day out in their fight to provide. Bless them greatly Father, In Jesus name I pray Your will. Amen
With God's Love,
Christian

Things somehow don't seem as important as they once were

"As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" Psalm 42:1-2

This last year has been a year of awesomeness for me and my family. In Jan last year, my husband and I made a decision that has changed us forever. We decided to make God a priority in our lives. To remove Him from the back burner and place Him first in everything. I have been a Christian since I was about 8 years old, But until this last year I never knew what it meant to have a personal relationship with God. WOW! It is the most amazing thing. The closer I grow to God, the more I learn about who He truly is the more my Soul yearns and craves Him. I have experienced a joy inside my soul that I never knew was possible.
God made us to crave Him. He made us to have a thirst, a need, a want, that only He can quench and fulfill. He made us to want Him and need Him. I have found that when we finally realize that and give into our need for Him, the want and need for worldly things tends to fade away. Those things somehow don't seem as important as they once were. I look at my home. The things that my family and I have possessed over the years, and I have to say that I am a bit ashamed that we have so much stuff. We don't need it. And most of it just sits there looking pretty anyway, LOL, collecting dust. We had been trying to fill the need in our souls with worldly things. When all we really needed in our hearts was God. I'm not saying that now we don't struggle or have hard times. As Christians, we will always suffer and struggle as Jesus did for us. But somehow those struggles seem so distant from our minds and hearts. They don't have the same effect on us as they use to.
To some, struggles may seem so harsh and difficult to over come. You maybe thinking, is it really that easy? Find God and life will be different? My answer to you is, YES!! Find God and have a personal relationship with Him and life will be different. I didn't say it would be easy, I said it would be different. The key is though that you need to have a relationship with Him. Take it from someone who found Him years ago, But never really knew Him. I think about all those years with out investing myself into Him and man, how different I might have handled so many things. If I could do it all over again, I sure would, while holding His hand.
We will always crave God. No matter how close a person gets. Until we are standing next to Him in heaven our souls will always pant for Him. I wonder though, even in heaven if we will long to be next to Him always. I sure hope so.
I pray that you will realize how bad your soul is panting for God. That you will open your heart to Him and build a strong relationship with Him. I pray that you will see how amazing He truly is. He loves you so very much and wants nothing more than for you to invite Him in to your life. I pray that you will do just that.
With God's Love,
Christian

Our greatest weapon!

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with the truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-." Ephesians 6:10-18

Friends, we are at war. Each and everyone of us are fighting a huge battle everyday. Satan's weapons of choice are anything that he can use against us, our weaknesses. Not saying that is his only weapon but the easy weapon. However we have to be very careful not to blame every sin, every conflict, and every problem on him or his demons. There is a difference between the war against the sin in ourselves (Romans 6) and the war against the evil one described in Ephesians. We have to fight the war of our flesh as well. Fight our sinful nature. (Galatians 5:17) I do believe that either war can be fought in the same manner. Through Jesus Christ and the word of God.
Our greatest weapon against both Satan and our flesh, is the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." When we put on the full armor of God, there is nothing that can stand against us. We have God on our side. The bible tells us that when God stands for us, nothing can stand against us. (Romans 8:31) The war in which we are fighting is a righteous war for God. Stand firm in His word.

"We are to stand firm with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and by praying in the Spirit. What do these pieces of spiritual armor represent in spiritual warfare? We are to speak the truth against Satan’s lies. We are to rest in the fact that we are declared righteous because of Christ’s sacrifice for us. We are to proclaim the gospel no matter how much resistance we receive. We are not to waver in our faith, no matter how strongly we are attacked. Our ultimate defense is the assurance we have of our salvation, an assurance that no spiritual force can take away. Our offensive weapon is the Word of God, not our own opinions and feelings. We are to follow Jesus’ example in recognizing that some spiritual victories are only possible through prayer.
Jesus is our ultimate example for spiritual warfare. Observe how Jesus handled direct attacks from Satan when He was tempted by him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Each temptation was answered the same way—with the words “It is written.” Jesus knew the Word of the living God is the most powerful weapon against the temptations of the devil. If Jesus Himself used the Word to counter the devil, do we dare to use anything less?" (gotquestions.org)

God's word is more than just a book. It is live and active and will always conquer the devil. He can not stand against it. Friends, I encourage you to read God's word daily and apply it to your life. Use it in time of struggle and warfare. Remember that God is always with you and will fight for you if you trust in Him. I pray that God will minister to you through His word today and always!
With God's Love,
Christian