Walking in Truth

Proverbs 26
27 Malice backfires;
spite boomerangs.
28 Liars hate their victims;
flatterers sabotage trust.

from The Message

Lies come so easily, and yet, when we're caught in them we look so foolish, and our witness for Christ is totally destroyed. When we live our life in Him there is no room for deceit or hidden motives. Truth stands on its own, and everything to do with Christ is Truth. Walk in Truth.

Blessings in Obedience

I made the trip one more time.  How many times I had walked down this aisle to the altar I don't know, but I knew that I had to do something different this time or all would be for nothing, again.  So many times I asked Him for help.  And I just didn't see any results.

Things at home were in shambles.  I was in a terrible marriage with a man who was determined to make my life and the lives of my children miserable.  I woke up every morning wondering what he would do that day, and what could I do to protect my children and myself.  Why didn't I leave him?  Why couldn't I get out of this marriage?  Every time I asked those questions God would say, "I want you to stay."  

So, I would go to the altar again to ask God to take this burden from me.  And each time I would get up from the altar to return home and try to manipulate my husband to make things easier, better. 

But his time it was different.  As I walked I was discretely clutching my fists, as if holding something firmly in my palms.  And I knelt.  "Father, help me!"  I prayed.  "I am completely worn out with all this fighting and misery.  Yet I know how I am.  I know that I will ask you to take this burden from me, and then I will go back to living in the same way, trying to change things by myself.  Lord, I am completely useless without You!  With all my heart I ask you to take it!  And don't let me keep it!"

As I spoke I turned my fists over and opened my hands as if to drop something on the altar.

"Take this from me, Lord, because I don't want to leave from this place with it.  I don't want to deal with this anymore.  Father, take it, and I will know that it is in Your hands, and I will let You handle everything.  Only You can change him, I can do nothing.  Thank You, I trust You with this."

That morning I put my problems in God's able hands, and I left them there.  Life was still hard, but little by little I began to see little improvements, small changes in his behavior.  Moment by moment my God was working to create a marriage that I had never dreamed it could be.

Today my husband is a godly man who serves Christ and loves Him.  I think of myself as the happiest woman on earth married to a loving man who treats me like I'm a queen.  It took us years of work, years of prayer and forgiveness, years of me changing as well as my husband, but when God instructed me to stay I obeyed, and He has blessed me for my obedience.  I shudder to think where I would be today if I had not obeyed.  God knew best in this situation as He does in all our lives, and it is a wise person who listens and obeys Him.

Life Is A Rose

Edith Piaf ~ La Vie en Rose / La Vida en Rosa 1955 (Original)

Garrison Keillor, creator of "The Prairie Home Companion", has quoted his imaginary mother from Lake Wobegon as saying, "Life is what you make it". Life can dish out all kinds of blessings and plights, and it's up to us to "Make the best of it."

Has life dealt you a hand of jokers and dueces? Then consider the jokers to be wild, and use them to create a winning hand. Is your life a series of happy days and calm, lovely nights? Be thankful, and share your blessed life with someone who needs a lift.

There are thorns and brambles in every life. I have a garden full of thorny weeds and unwanted creepers. Pulling them out requires a fine pair of leather gloves for my protection, and then it's a lot of hard, back-breaking work. Sometimes I get scratched up pretty badly. When I sit back and do nothing they take over the garden. Even my roses have prickly thorns that attack me when I am careless.

But if I work hard at a steady pace I can overpower the ugliness that tries to hide my pretty flowers. I have the same opportunity in life. I have the Power of a living God, Jesus Christ, to work the miracles in my life that weed out the unwanted. What I cannot weed out, I can endure because I have His love and wisdom and strength that empowers me.

Life is definitely a rose, or as the song says "Life is Pink", when I allow Christ in it. Some may see it as looking at life through rose-colored glasses, but I see the thorns, and I choose not to touch them. I can endure the presence of the thorns when I am guided through them with the Holy Spirit Who protects me.

Positive Prayer for the Enemy

Our church has been studying Saul of Tarsus in chapter 9 of Acts, and Luke says in the Greek language that Saul was "panting" to remove all the Christians from the face of the earth. I interpret that in my vernacular as "foaming at the mouth". Does this sound familiar? ISIS is saying that very thing today, and we are fearful and worried for those Christians and even for our own safety here.

But, what Jesus did for Saul He can do for all of ISIS, all who threaten our safety and lives. Christ can change, in an instant, what and who we see as impossibly lost. I keep telling myself over and over that Jesus can "arrest" and "transform" the lives of those here in the US whom I consider to be enemies of the gospel of Christ and the thieves of my freedoms, and ISIS as well. I wonder if I would stop worrying, fussing, and even hating those enemies of Jesus Christ, and pause constantly to pray fervently for their souls, if Jesus would intervene and grab them to Himself. Of course He can! Our war is not physical. It's spiritual! Shouldn't we be "panting" as much and extraordinarily more, in fervent prayer for the salvation of these physical enemies? 

This story of Saul in Acts 9 is a great one on which we should focus in our world today, for it is one of the greatest reminders of what God can do in desperate situations, if we would just ask Him and trust that He will do it.

It's Personal

"'Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be Thou my helper.'"  Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; That my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever." Psalm 30: 10-12 NASB

This morning I discovered a major setback in my physical health, and I am pretty discouraged. As my husband Ron says, "It's always something with you." It seems like we can just get things in our life settled, and then something major happens to set us back. You all know that feeling, don't you?

But then, while doing my devotions, I was just overwhelmed with my precious Father's love for me.  A number of times it humbled me to tears.  He is reminding me that in Him there is a peace, joy and comfort that no disease, no evil power, no person can take from me.  He is mine and I am His....Blessed Be His Name!

My relationship with my Father is so very private and personal that no one can ever understand what this really feels like to me. The words He speaks to me cannot effect you in the same way it does me. He, and only He, knows what I need to hear.  The same is true in your relationship with Him. You can try to explain it to me, but the depth of it can never be experienced by me.  When you or I spend time with Him it's always private; it's always personal.  And best of all, He's always there, patiently waiting for us to come to Him.

Just as I am, broken and discouraged, I come.

My Worst Days

I have been at death's door twice, suffered terrible illness and great pain from physical wounds and surgeries gone terribly wrong. I have seen disappointments and great financial loss. I have lost family and friends to relocation or death. I have had days where I lost hope and saw little reason to continue on. But some of the worst days of my life have been those times that I have failed and disappointed the ones that I love and who love me.

Unfaithful

I spent last evening with another dog. I know. I should be ashamed, but she was such a nice and beautiful dog I just couldn't help myself.

When I got home it was late, and I was greeted at the door by 4 very suspicious dogs. They sniffed and they poked to the point I could hardly get in the door. I stopped to pet each one, but they all sniffed and looked at me with sad, accusing eyes.

"What have you done?" their eyes shouted. They wouldn't leave my side for a long time, and I finally vowed to them it would never happen again. They believed me, silly animals. But, oh. I feel like a hussy.