Eternity Starts Now

Have you considered this thought…The moment that you accept Jesus as your Savior, your eternal life begins. This is the message our pastor preached on Sunday.  I’ve been pondering this thought.  We are to forget what is behind us and move forward toward our ultimate goal…which is eternity with our Lord.  Paul speaks of this in Philippians. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”  Philippians 3:12-15

This morning I awoke “thinking differently”.  ALWAYS after Christmas, I start stressing about money, bills, and losing weight. I get a little depressed because Christmas is over so soon.  But VERY quickly, God made this clear to me….YOU ARE LIVING YOUR ETERNITY NOW!  None of that really matters.  If you view each moment as part of your eternal life, will you stress about money?  There is no money in Heaven!  Will you be worried about being overweight or becoming sick or having a disease?  There is no sickness in Heaven!  Will you become depressed or sad?  There are no tears in Heaven!  Our goal is to keep our eyes on the prize and don’t sweat the other stuff!   If I focus on Him, He will take care of the rest so that I can run this race and do His will.

Every time Satan attacks us with things that are of this world, we need to remember we are already living our eternity.  We need to take care of business and be as healthy as possible so that we can be our best as we do God’s work.  We will not reach perfection while on this earth, but we are to strive to be more like Christ each and every day. If we do this, everything else will fall into place. 

Jesus

Yeshua is the original Aramaic proper name for Jesus. In Hebrew Yeshua means “Salvation” or “He saves”.  In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph “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."  There are over 200 names and titles for Jesus found in the Bible…but my favorites are Jesus and Immanual which means “God with us”. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14  I am reminded of a beautiful song that was in our Christmas program at church last year…He Came Down.  Here are some of the lyrics “He came down, He came down, the holy light of Heaven, wrapped in swaddling clothes. He came down, He came down, for God so loved the world, that he wanted us to know, So HE came down.”  Jesus was God in the flesh…who came to this earth to be with us and to save us.  He knew what He would have to endure, but He came anyway.  That is how much He loves us.  As we celebrate Jesus’ birthday, may we not forget the reason he was born.  He had a divine purpose…to give His life in exchange for ours. As you open your gifts this Christmas, think about the ultimate gift that was given to you that Christmas so long ago.  Jesus, our Savior, God with us.               

Mary Did You Know? (Luke 1 and 2)

The song titled, “Mary Did You Know?” was written by Mark Lawry in 1984.  It is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  

    

“Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when your kiss your little baby, you’ve kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of The Lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the Great I Am.”

Luke chapters 1 and 2 give the account of Mary’s pregnancy and Jesus’ birth and childhood.  I have wondered many times, just like Mark Lawry’s song above, if Mary really understood everything that was happening.  The angel Gabriel had spoken to her, she had witnessed the miracle pregnancy of her relative Elizabeth, and she had met shepherds who had been visited by angels that told them about her baby…can you imagine what that would have been like?  To know that the baby you had carried in your womb and given birth to would be the Savior of the entire world?

When Gabriel first told Mary, she did not argue or have doubts.  She was afraid, but her only question was, “How is this going to happen, I am a virgin?”  Then the angel explained that the Holy Spirit would be the father. Her response was, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."  How hard must it have been for her to just be obedient and not ask a million questions! 

When the shepherds came to the stable to find Jesus, it must have amazed her that they even knew He was there.  Luke writes, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  She had so much to ponder!  

I love singing the song “Mary Did You Know.”  I think about what Mary was imagining as she held the Son of God in her arms, as she kissed His tiny face.  Everything that had been told to her by the angel Gabriel had come to pass.  But now what?  How was she going to raise this baby to be the Savior of the world?  (We do good to just get our kids through High School!)  But I imagine there was no worry there…just amazing faith.  

How awesome it must have been to watch her baby boy grow up to be a man.  He healed the sick, He taught about God, He performed miracles and then He gave His life.  As she watched her cherished son hanging there on that tree, I imagine that her amazing faith is what got her through it.  She had to have known that he would rise again on the third day.  I’m sure she had to go back in her mind to that first visit from the angel Gabriel and remember all of the things that had happened since that day and draw her strength from that.  

When we start to worry, face problems or lose a cherished loved one…we need to go back to that first visit from Gabriel and ponder all of the promises Jesus fulfilled.  “For no word from God will ever fail.”  Luke 1:37   We need to hide God’s word in our hearts and keep our eyes on Jesus, because there are promises yet to be fulfilled.  Before He left this world, He said “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”  John 14:3 

Be comforted by these words this Christmas season. 

  GLORY to GOD in the HIGHEST!!!

                                                                              

Separation Anxiety

Today is my daughter’s birthday.  It is so hard for me to believe that she is already 14.  It seems like yesterday that she was born.  She is so independent now, a far cry from when she was little.  For the first 10 years of her life, she was so attached to me she had trouble even going to school!  She was a Mama’s girl!  I used to tell people “she is sucking the life out of me!”  If I tried to focus on anything except her, she would take my face and turn it to her and MAKE me look at her.  She had to be the center of my world! One of the reasons we were so attached is because when she was about 2, I decided that I needed to stay home with her. Even when I started back to work part time, I took her with me.  She would be right up in the middle of the desk playing with the paperclips and calculator as I worked.  In third grade, she was even diagnosed with Separation Anxiety because she wouldn’t leave my side.  I prayed then that God would make her more independent, and boy did he answer that prayer!  Now she doesn’t even want to be seen with me and she could stay with her friends for days and not even miss me!  Now I’m the one with Separation Anxiety!  She only has time for me if she wants something.

Isn’t this how we are with the Lord?  At first, when we were newly saved, just babies in Christ, we wanted to spend every minute with Him. We were attached to His side, always talking to Him and seeking His face.  But as time goes on, we become more independent of Him, believing that we can handle things on our on.  We stay away from Him for days and only talk to Him when we want something.  Until I became a mother, I never really understood how He feels, but I can sure relate now.  My daughter owes me for her very life…but I never look at it that way.  On the Cosby show Bill Cosby used to say “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!”    We chose to bring our children into this world because we wanted to love them and take care of them.  We wanted their companionship and relationship.  It is the same way with our Father, He chose us.  He put us here for that relationship with Him (and He can definitely take us out)! I owe Jesus my life, but all he truly wants is to have a relationship with me.  He wants to sit and talk and share things with me.  With my daughter, I cherish those moments when she wants to sit and talk with me.  They are very rare and precious.  Now, it is me that wants to take her face and turn it to me to make her listen and focus on what I’m saying.   That is what Jesus is doing, too.  He really wishes He could take our face and turn it to Him.  He is always there, waiting for us to just talk to Him and spend time in His word.  How sad it makes us when our children can’t even acknowledge our existence until they want something or they are in trouble…..think about how Jesus feels.  How much more should I be that loving and thankful daughter towards Him like I want my daughter to be towards me!  So today I ask you to turn to Him and spend time with Him…stop giving Jesus Separation Anxiety!! 

Psalm 27:8 NLT  “My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."

Secure

How do you know that YOU KNOW?  Security in our salvation….it is a much debated belief.  As a Baptist, but an open minded person, I have studied the security of the believer many times…especially when I was 28 and still feeling unsure of my salvation and wondering how to have peace within.  I had walked the aisle at age 8 and been baptized, but continued to struggle with doubt for 20 years. As I searched for answers, I realized that I never truly had the Holy Spirit living within me.  I want to speak to all of those that are struggling like I was.  If you find yourself living a life of sin, and you are not being convicted from within, you may need to go back and examine your salvation experience.  If you have TRULY surrendered and have given your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit living within you will not let you continue to live a sinful life.  Ephesians 1:13–14 ”And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. “  If you are saved, you are God’s possession, and it’s not like Wal-Mart….he doesn’t have a return policy.  Salvation is not something you have earned, we did nothing to earn salvation (salvation is a free gift of God’s grace), so how can we ever lose salvation? Conditional security in salvation is acceptable only to those who also believe that they somehow contributed to their salvation in the first place. This is the opposite of what the bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” which clearly states that we contribute absolutely nothing to our salvation; even the faith necessary to receive the gift of grace, is itself a gift of God.

The most popular objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle. The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian.  1John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” Therefore, neither objection is valid. True Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

Here are two more scriptures to hold on to:  Romans 8:38–39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 10:28–29 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit was deposited into you, and you have security that NOTHING can take that away from you.   We all will continue to have sin in our lives- because we are still human.  But the Spirit within us will whisper to us that we need to confess and turn away from that sin.  He will search our hearts and minds and we will not rest until we are right with God.  And as we grow closer to the Lord each day,  we will find it harder and harder to do anything that would not please God. 

Written with help from "Gotquestions.org" 

Friends

Hopefully, everyone that reads this today is blessed with friends.  A friend is someone you are fond of or attached to, someone that you have bonded with and shared things with.  We have friends that we see every day and some that we never see but we know they are there for us if we ever need them.  I can’t imagine my life without my friends. Unfortunately, sometimes we may have disagreements or misunderstandings with our friends.  These disagreements can sometimes be about religious beliefs or morality issues.  Sometimes they are because we believe things that are not true or have misconceptions about things. The story of Job shows his relationship with three of his friends.  They came to Job seeming to want to help him in his time of need and comfort him.  But when they attacked him instead comforting him, he felt completely alone.  Job said in Chapter 19, verse 19 “All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me.”  What a horrible feeling that must have been!  But even though those men attacked Job, in the end he was shown that he could not carry a grudge or be upset with them.  God told Job to pray for them.  Job 42:10 “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.”  Friends are very important to our lives and a trustworthy friend is worth more that gold.  The bible tells us in Proverbs 18:24 “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  I believe that friend is Jesus.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  Even when we feel we are all alone and our friends have rejected us, HE is there.  Today, I pray that we can examine our hearts and ask the Lord to show us if we are a true and trustworthy friend.  “True friendship is seen through the heart, not through the eyes.”

Prayer

Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Finally, the last weapon in our arsenal is prayer.  This says ALL KINDS of prayers and requests.  There is preventive prayer, prayer for help in time of need, prayer of thanksgiving, prayer for healing, the prayer of salvation, all kinds of prayer.  Prayer is not just “thank you Lord for this food.”  Some people are intimidated by prayer.  As Christians, the bible tells us “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16   We should be confident with our prayers, because we know that He is there and listening.  Prayer is important in our battle with the enemy.  We must seek God’s guidance and ask for His hand of protection over ourselves, our families and other believers.  Here is a daily prayer that we can used to cover ourselves with the full Armor of God.  http://www.maurywebpages.com/armor_of_god.htm Pray it every morning and see what the Lord can do! 

The Sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:17 “…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  In the armor that we have been looking at, you will notice that all of the other pieces are defensive.  They are for protection.  But the final piece is the only offensive tool we are given…God’s word.  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.”  It is so important to know God’s word and be able to apply it to any temptation the enemy puts before us.  In Luke 4, that is exactly what Jesus did.  When in the desert with satan, Jesus used the word of God to dispel all of the temptations that were thrown at him.  Speaking the word of God is very powerful…we don’t even understand how much power it has over the enemy.  Try speaking it out loud when you are in a situation when you know that the devil is there trying to trip you up.  Sing songs that contain scripture.  (Most praise songs are just scripture.)  I am reminded of a song that we used to sing in choir “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised.  So shall I be saved from my enemies…I will call upon the Lord”.  And guess what Psalm 18:3 says? “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”  You already know scripture…you just don’t realize it!   Use your weapon to fight with, don’t just retreat and hide behind your shield.  Come out fighting and have victory over the enemy!

The Helmet of Salvation

Ephesians 6:17 “Take the helmet of salvation…” What is the purpose of a helmet?  To protect your brain, which contains your thoughts!  Satan attacks us through our thoughts.  The only way to protect your mind is to first make sure that you have SALVATION.  The Holy Spirit within us can help us have thought control.   I wrote a devotion just the other day about our thought life.  That is what I’m going to share today.  The title is "But He knew their thoughts…"  Did your boss make you mad or upset today?  Did you think of all kinds of horrible things to say to him (or her)? Or maybe you imagined some terrible thing that could happen to them?  What if the rude sales associate at the store knew what you were “saying” to her in your mind?   What about your wife or husband?  What if they knew what you were REALLY thinking?  How embarrassing and destructive it would be if people knew our true thoughts.  Fortunately for us, there’s no one with super powers that can hear your thoughts, right?  

Wrong.  The psalmist wrote in Psalm 139 “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.”   Oops!  Someone does hear our thoughts. 

In the New Testament, there are many scriptures showing that Jesus could read the thoughts of those around him… 

*Matthew  9:4 - Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you    entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

*Matthew 12:25 - Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

*Luke 9:47 - Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.

*Luke 6:8 - But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

These words should most definitely help us understand the power Jesus had when he was here on this Earth…but what about now?  God is omniscient. This means He has complete and unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding and He perceives ALL things. Omniscience is not restricted to any one person in the Godhead  - Father, Son or Holy Spirit – they are ALL by nature omniscient.  Therefore, Jesus is still hearing our thoughts as He sits at the right hand of God interceding for us. (Romans 8:34) 

Just ponder on this a moment…We have no problem believing that Jesus hears us when we pray in our minds (not using audible words)…so why would we not realize that He knows EVERY thought, not just those directed at Him?  This was an “Aha” moment for me.  I was reading Luke chapter 6 and verse 8 hit me like a ton of bricks!  “But he knew their thoughts…” 

I work so very hard to control what comes out of my mouth.  The things I speak can be heard, not only by the people around me, but by the demons that are stalking me trying to trip me up!  But my thoughts, I wanted to believe they were mine alone. This just isn’t true.  God knows my every thought. Hebrews 4:13 says “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” And those thoughts are in my heart and in my mind.  Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Out of our hearts come the thoughts, from the thoughts come the words and deeds. 

The only way to control my sinful self is to hide God’s word in my heart so that I might not sin against Him.  Controlling our thoughts is a very difficult, but not impossible thing to do.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us “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.”

God’s word is the ONLY thing that can control our thought life.  Never forget, someone does hear your thoughts!  But, PRAISE GOD, He also hears our prayers!  Ask Jesus to help you control your thoughts so that every part of your being will be pleasing to Him today! 

The Shield of Faith

Ephesians 6:16 “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  In order to understand what the Shield of Faith does, we have to understand faith.  Hebrews 11 explains all about it.  The very first verse says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  I’m a big fan of Crime shows, a closet CSI (Crime Scene Investigator).  In these shows, the most important thing is the evidence.  They cannot solve crimes without evidence. Evidence is something that furnishes proof.  Our faith in God is based on the evidence around us. When you think about the Earth and the entire Universe and how everything works together perfectly, you see the evidence of God.  When you look at the formation of the human body from an egg and sperm to what you see before you in the mirror every day, you see the evidence of God.  When you witness the miracles of healing and the transformations in lives that were once ravaged by sin, you see the evidence of God.  We may not see Him face to face, but we definitely see the evidence.  We have the proof that He is here.  So how does that faith extinguish the flaming darts of satan?  Look at those flaming darts as the lies that satan shoots at us.  Satan says “No one loves you, you are worthless.”  God says “I love you so much that I gave my son to die for you.”(John 3:16) Satan says “God created your sexual desires, there’s nothing wrong with fulfilling those desires.  There’s no way you can stay a virgin until you get married.” But God says   “There is no temptation too great that I will not provide a way out.” (1Corinthians 10:13)     Satan says “You can’t trust God to provide you with food or money, you have to work all that you can, even Sunday, and keep all your money for your pleasure.” God says “I know what you desire, and if you seek Me first, I will give you everything you need.” (Luke 12:22-31)  Use your faith and the word of God as a shield.  As those flaming arrows come at you, you WILL be able to extinguish them all.

Feet Fitted with the Gospel of Peace

Eph 6:15 “with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  Funny how God works!  Yesterday morning before getting ready for church, I sat down with my hubby to drink my coffee and watch a little church on TV.  Guess what the preacher was talking about?  The Armor of God.  I think He really wanted me to hear the message about the Gospel of Peace.  For some reason, when I had studied this before, I had gotten a completely different meaning than what I heard yesterday.  And as I look at it this morning, I see a totally different view than I ever have before!  The focus is not on the word “gospel” but on the word “peace”. One definition of the word peace is “the absence of conflict”.  Just think about how many times satan causes us to be in conflict with one another! In our homes, in our churches, at our work place, at school; everywhere we turn, there is conflict.  When we are in conflict with someone, it is very hard for us to minister or witness to anyone. Acts 10:36 tells us “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”  Peace through Jesus Christ.  Peace that passes all understanding.  That is what we should have and what we should be ready to take to a lost and troubled world. Sometimes that peace that we have in the middle of a storm (or conflict) is a bigger witness than any words that we can say.  People want to know “how can you be calm when this is happening?”  Then you tell them what Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; MY peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 Fit your feet with the good news that Jesus gives; a peace that overcomes all of the troubles and conflicts of this life.  Be ready to tell everyone where your peace comes from!  This world is not our home, we are only passing through…on our way to ultimate peace with our Lord and Savior!   

The Breastplate of Righteousness

 Ephesians 6:14 “with the breastplate of righteousness in place.”    The breastplate was the part of the armor that protected the vital organs like the heart and lungs.  Therefore, it was one of the most important things that the soldier could have on.   The Greek word for righteousness in this scripture is dikaiosune (Strong's #1343).  Crosswalk's online lexicon gives these definitions for this word: In a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God; the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God; integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting.  In a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due.   So, if we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness, what does that mean and how does it protect us from the devil?  Since this scripture is directed at those who know Christ, the righteousness here is the part of the definition which speaks of integrity, purity, rightness, correct thinking and correct acting.  As Christians, if we are putting on these things every day, then we will definitely have trouble following the ways of satan.  We can’t have integrity AND steal, we can’t have purity AND be sexually immoral, we can’t act correctly AND cuss someone out…you get the picture!   If we have truly given our lives to Christ and are seeking God’s righteousness, we will be changed.  Eph 4:22-24 says “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”  So put on the breastplate of righteousness EVERY day and guard your heart from satan’s wickedness.    

The Belt of Truth

Ephesians 6:14 “with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”  If we do not know the truth of God, how can we ever fight against the devil and his schemes?  Satan doesn’t tempt us with things that we wouldn’t like.  Think of Eve in the garden…he used lies and deception to make that apple sound like the most amazing thing that she could ever eat. Ultimately, it led to death and destruction….for the entire world!  Satan will tempt us in the same way…it will look good, feel good, taste good, or give you (false) power!  In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."   Jesus’ teaching is found in His word.  Every situation that you can come across will have a solution in God’s word…but you must read it!  There are some amazing websites that I use. Gotquestions.org is a website that I have found to be very sound and a great help when you need biblical answers.  Also, blueletterbible.com is a great site to look up scripture.  It has a wonderful search feature that can be used to look up any word or phrase.  Use every tool that God gives you to seek out HIS truth.  I challenge you to buckle it around your waist EVERY DAY!  Get in God’s word and KNOW the truth!  You must have it to fight in this battle! 

Armor of God

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”  Eph 6:11-13  Sometimes I don’t think we fully understand that we are in a battle.  Every day we must battle the god of this world…satan.  2 Corinthians 4:4 says “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  Our battle is against an unseen presence, but he is here.  Satan causes sickness, he causes conflict, he gives us shame and worry, he gives us evil thoughts, he tries to steal our children, he tries to steal our joy…anything that is evil comes from satan…not from God.  God is a healer; he gives peace, joy, comfort, hope, protection and LOVE.  The next few days we are going to look at each piece of the armor.  Evil forces will ALWAYS come against us because satan wants to ruin our witness and keep us from bringing others to Jesus.  When we learn how to protect ourselves with His armor, then we are to STAND…never run from the battle.  Stand and fight.  Satan is the god of this world, but we serve GOD ALMIGHTY and He has the power to crush the enemy.  That same power that resurrected Jesus from the dead lives in each of us who know Him as our Savior and that gives us authority over the enemy IN JESUS NAME!  Praise God! 

But He Knew Their Thougnts

Did your boss make you mad or upset today?  Did you think of all kinds of horrible things to say to him (or her)? Or maybe you imagined some terrible thing that could happen to them?  What if the rude sales associate at the store knew what you were “saying” to her in your mind?   What about your wife or husband?  What if they knew what you were REALLY thinking?  How embarrassing and destructive it would be if people knew our true thoughts.  Fortunately for us, there’s no one with super powers that can hear your thoughts, right?  

Wrong.  The psalmist wrote in Psalm 139 “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.”   Oops!  Someone does hear our thoughts. 

In the New Testament, there are many scriptures showing that Jesus could read the thoughts of those around him… 

*Matthew  9:4 - Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

*Matthew 12:25 - Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

*Luke 9:47 - Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.

*Luke 6:8 - But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

These words should most definitely help us understand the power Jesus had when he was here on this Earth…but what about now?  God is omniscient. This means He has complete and unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding and He perceives ALL things. Omniscience is not restricted to any one person in the Godhead  - Father, Son or Holy Spirit – they are ALL by nature omniscient.  Therefore, Jesus is still hearing our thoughts as He sits at the right hand of God interceding for us. (Romans 8:34) 

Just ponder on this a moment…We have no problem believing that Jesus hears us when we pray in our minds (not using audible words)…so why would we not realize that He knows EVERY thought, not just those directed at Him?  This was an “Aha” moment for me.  I was reading Luke chapter 6 and verse 8 hit me like a ton of bricks!  “But he knew their thoughts…” 

I work so very hard to control what comes out of my mouth.  The things I speak can be heard, not only by the people around me, but by the demons that are stalking me trying to trip me up!  But my thoughts, I wanted to believe they were mine alone. This just isn’t true.  God knows my every thought. Hebrews 4:13 says “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” And those thoughts are in my heart and in my mind.  Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Out of our hearts come the thoughts, from the thoughts come the words and deeds. 

The only way to control my sinful self is to hide God’s word in my heart so that I might not sin against Him.  Controlling our thoughts is a very difficult, but not impossible thing to do.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us “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.”

God’s word is the ONLY thing that can control our thought life.  Never forget, someone does hear your thoughts!  But, PRAISE GOD, He also hears our prayers!  Ask Jesus to help you control your thoughts so that every part of your being will be pleasing to Him today! 

#7 Thing God Hates (Proverbs 6:19)

#7 Thing God Hates: a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.  In the KJV the word used is discord.  The definition of discord according to Merriam-Webster is a lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things, or ideas) : active quarreling or conflict resulting from discord among persons or factions : strife.  This one is very hard for us to understand.  My problem has always been this: where do you draw the line between telling the truth and stirring up dissension?  As I was listening to John Courson do a commentary on this the other day, he made me realize…the problem is not the  person who is causing the conflict or strife, it is the person or people that go around and tell everyone else about it that is the problem!  Just imagine this…you are making cookies.  You have everything mixed together and you think you are done and then you realize that you forgot the vanilla flavoring.  As you measure and start to pour the flavoring over the cookie dough, you realize that you have measured out Tobassco sauce instead (I know crazy example…but we Mom’s have been so preoccupied that we could to this!).  You have put about half the teaspoon in, so what are your options?  You can stir it all up and ruin the whole batch or you can take a clean spoon and dip the hot sauce out.  This is a picture of what this scripture is talking about.  God can take his “clean spoon” and dip out the problem or person causing the problem before it gets stirred into the whole batch.  Yes, there are times in our Christian walk (especially at church) that the truth should be unveiled.  The bible has all of the answers on how to handle every situation…Matt 18:15-17 NIV – “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”  1 Corinthians 5 tells us how to deal with other sin in the church.  But a scripture that will help us not go around wagging our tongues and “stirring” is Eph 4:29-31 NIV “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  So put away those spoons and quit stirring! 

#6 Thing God Hates

#6 Thing God Hates: A false witness who pours out lies.  Again, I believe that these things that God hates are speaking to Christians.  Many churches have been damaged by people who do this.  A witness is someone who has seen something first hand.  Therefore, a false witness would be telling about something that they had not seen for themselves…only what they have heard and did not check to see if it was true.  Brother James Ross once preached a sermon on “How to Kill a Church”.  He said that “I heard” and “they said” were two of the biggest murderers of a church body.  This is something we are all guilty of.  No matter what someone tells us, even if they are reputable, we need to check it out for ourselves.  This could also be talking about someone who teaches and preaches false information.  Satan can use them to deceive others.  We should all be well versed in God's word so that we can recognize when someone is providing us with false information.  NEVER go to church without your bible.  You must test everything that is said to make sure that person is telling the truth.  Proverbs 14:5 says “A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” Someone that is not seeking the truth in everything is being led by the devil…John 8:44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  We must be very careful to seek the truth in all things. God hates liars because they damage His people and His church. 

#5 Thing God Hates

#5 Thing God Hates:  Feet that are quick to rush into evil. After studying these 7 things that God hates, I really feel that it is us, his children, which this is directed at.  You expect those that are living for satan to act this way, because they don’t belong to God or know His ways.  But we who proclaim to love God and be guided by the Spirit are still doing these detestable things every day.  Today we are focusing on “feet that are quick to rush into evil”.  You may say “I don’t embrace evil and I sure don’t rush into it.”  But we do.  What is the first thing that comes out of your mouth when your kids make you mad or someone pulls out in front of you?  What do you turn the TV to or look at on the computer after everyone else has gone to bed?  What do you do when someone comes to you with the latest gossip?  Do you check all sides of a story before taking a side in an argument?  What about when you are hunting or fishing, do you catch or kill more than you are allowed to?  Evil comes in many forms.  For Christians, it is subtle and seems harmless at the time.  That is how satan works.  He knows we are not going to jump into the obvious sins…but he lures us in with ways we don’t even recognize.  Read 1 John 1:5-10.   Verse 9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  We need to search our lives and hearts and see if we have been quick to rush into evil.  We need to confess and move forward, always being aware that satan is laying in wait, trying to trip us up.  Evil comes with consequences…Romans 2:8-11 NIV – “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.”  If we really approached every situation with the question “What would Jesus do” our feet would only be rushing into good! 

#4 Thing God Hates

#4 thing that God hates: a heart that devises wicked schemes.   This doesn’t say that “carries out wicked schemes”. It says “devises”. That means to plan. God hates just the plotting and planning of something wicked…you don’t even have to actually follow through with it. In Matthew 15 Jesus is trying to explain to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law that it is not what is going into the mouth that causes them to be unclean…it is what comes out of the mouth (which comes from the heart). Matt 15:8-11 NIV - " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' " Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' " 18-19 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." We think that as long as we are not actively sinning than we are ok…but God knows our hearts. He hates the wicked, evil things that we plan in our minds. We must let the Holy Spirit control our minds and help us to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5)

#3 Thing God Hates

#3 thing that God hates: hands that shed innocent blood.  I'm going to talk about something that is on my heart and is a VERY touchy subject...but it is so important.  When I read #3 today, that is the first thing that came to my mind. Those babies are innocent blood. Just like my life is not my own to take in suicide, their lives are NOT OURS to take away. They belong to God. Psalm 139:13-16 says: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." On the twenty-second day after fertilization, a simple tubelike heart begins to beat within the baby.( http://www.biologyreference.com/La-Ma/Life-Cycle-Human.html) This means that before you miss your first peroid, the baby has a heart-beat! It is not a "product of conception" -IT IS A CHILD. There is good news for anyone who has had an abortion or encouraged someone else to have one...God offers forgiveness to anyone who asks for it. Romans 3:22 says, "We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done." The Bible also tells us there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), and so when we ask Him for forgiveness, He freely offers it. This is not because we deserve it, but because this is the loving nature of our Lord. For all of you young girls that may be reading this post...abortion is never the answer. There are many other solutions that will not bring the guilt, shame and heartbreak that comes with abortion. Seek God's face and do not live in fear. God works ALL things together for good (Romans 8:28).

#2 Thing God Hates

#2 thing that God hates: A lying tongue. We all know the horrible effects of telling untruths or even half-truths. We are ALL guilty of this. No matter how hard we try, it is just so easy to spread that "I heard" or "she said" without going to the source and trying to find the TRUTH! Even the most righteous among us will take a bit of information that was told to them and tell another without thinking to check the truth. We all get those email forwards warning us of scams, giant snakes that eat people, roach eggs in your envelopes...you know the ones. It struck me one day, "is this really true? Am I spreading a lie by sending this on without checking it out?" From that point on, I try to examine all of those things before forwarding to determine if they are true. We don't want our name attached to a lie, right? So in our everyday lives, how much more should we examine the truth before "forwarding" it on to another. Proverbs 26:28 says "A lying tongue hates those it hurts..." Wow, that is hard to ponder....because the bible also says "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him." 1 John 3:15 WHOAAAA! If I tell a lie that means I hate the person I hurt and if I hate them I'm a murderer? When you think about it like that, it is pretty easy to see why God hates a lying tongue. Most of the time, telling a lie is easier than telling the truth....why? Because of satan. He is the father of lies. God is the Father of the Truth. Nobody said that living righteously would be easy...so let's bite that tongue before telling anything that may not be true. GOD HATES A LYING TONGUE!

#1 Thing God Hates

Good Morning! My next journey in the bible is going to take us to some scriptures that keep coming up everywhere lately! Proverbs 6:16-19 When you read that God HATES something...you take notice! I don't want to do anything that God would hate. So the #1 one thing is: Haughty eyes.   Haughty = Proud. What is the definition of pride? Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness; an excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit. Proverbs 16:18-19 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before ...a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” Pride will always get in the way of your ministry. Satan’s downfall was pride…therefore he knows the power of it and he uses it to try to cause Christians to fall. I pray the Lord will help us examine our hearts and remove any pride that lives there. The opposite of pride is humility, which is the quality of being modest, reverential, even politely submissive, and never being arrogant, contemptuous, or rude. James 4:6 “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."” Oh Lord, please make us humble before you!

Waiting

How many hours of our lives have we spent waiting in line for something that we needed or that we really, really wanted? 

I have waited in line at the grocery store and the pharmacy.  I have waited in line at the gas pump and at restaurants.  I have waited in line for hours and hours for concert tickets and amusement park rides.  I have even waited in line for over two hours to get a good seat at a movie that I already had tickets for! 

Why do we spend all of this time waiting in line?  Because, at the end of that line, there is something that is so important or beneficial to us that we feel it is worth the wait.  But, are we happy waiting?   Of course not!  Do we grow tired and weary as we wait?  Sure we do.  In a society where we are spoiled to having everything in an instant…from cash to oatmeal…we have been programmed for impatience!

  Waiting is just not in our vocabulary.

This is even true when it comes to seeking God.  When we ask for something, we expect Him to answer immediately.  We want “Same Day Service”.  We want in the

"Express Request Lane”. We want to call the “Instant Access Line”.

We want to shop at the “Quick-Stop of God”.  

 

 

 We refuse to have to wait on Him to answer us. One night, as I prayed, desperately seeking His face about a situation in my life (and getting a little impatient), I asked God to please show me the answer. He showed me, alright!  He gave me a dream about waiting in lines.  He showed me that waiting on Him is like waiting in that line for something you REALLY want…something you are willing to spend an entire day waiting outside in the elements (in a line as long as the eye can see for…let's say...  Garth Brooks tickets...yes, I did that, too) for.  God re-emphasized with me that something worth having is always worth waiting for!

 

The scripture I woke up with the next morning was Isaiah 40:31…

 

 

“But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength.

They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” 

 

I asked for an answer and He sure gave me one…"WAIT"!  So as I waited for His perfect answer, I had peace about things because I know he heard my prayers…and I knew that He was going to answer in HIS TIME!!! 

“Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT