A Jealous God

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: – Exodus 34:14

When you think about the word jealous, what do you think? You probably think of a man or woman who gets upset because his or her spouse or date shows too much attention to someone of the other gender. Maybe you think about how a sibling might get frustrated over the attention that their brother or sister receives. These are correct scenarios; however, do you ever think about God being jealous?

When I looked up the word jealous in Webster’s 1828 dictionary, I found that it means “suspicious to defend the honor of; concerned of the character of.” I think about 2 Corinthians 11:2: For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

God rightfully experiences jealousy when we pay no heed to him and follow our own path. We have a tendency to replace His place in our lives with other activities and other things. Most of the time, it is pure carelessness! We don’t intentionally say, “I am going to spend less time with God today and more time watching TV.” (Well, most of us don’t). Nevertheless, our actions speak louder than our words and thoughts.

I know we want to define God as love. Most of the world likes to leave it at that. What people choose to ignore, or neglect, is that with that kind of love comes jealousy. I mean, think about it. He created us, He gave His only begotten Son for our sins (John 3:16), and He pours everything into us to bring Him honor and glory. The Lord takes care of our every need and many wants. How could He not get jealous when we spend more time on Facebook, Pinterest, and other computer networking sites? How could He not grow jealous when we would rather watch movies and run around town with friends than go to His House to hear His Word preached? Praise the Lord that I have a Father who loves me enough to be jealous!

Think it over a minute. If the Lord didn’t care what we did, wouldn’t that mean that He didn’t love us? Wouldn’t that mean He didn’t care? I think about the children in today’s world that mom and dad let them run loose unattended all hours of the day and night. The bus mom that told us nonchalantly (at 8:30 a.m.) that her kids left at 7:30 that morning, and she didn’t know where they were. She was not at all upset or worried. Do these parents truly love their kids? If they do, they need a lesson in love (which can be found in the Bible!).

My point is that we have a jealous God who wants our attention all the time, and I feel blessed by that! When we give it to Him, I guarantee He will bless. Let’s try it today! Let’s surrender our A-L-L today! 🙂

Preparing for Change

My apologies that I did not post yesterday. Things have been hectic around here as I prepare to venture off to the WalkRight Bible Institute next week. I have had to put some of my regular posts on hold, but bear with me.

God is so good!! I must say that every time I think I realize that, He does something else to take the understanding to a new level. He always outdoes himself! I cannot wait until my new journey begins.

I realize that when I go to the institute, my life will change drastically. I sense that deep in my soul. That is a good thing….a great thing! I believe God plans to take this next year to mold me and prepare me for my calling into mission work.

I have been thinking a lot about mission work and what that means. We often put such stringent titles on things whereas in reality mission work is a broad spectrum. It can be here in America, it can be overseas, it can be church planting, it can be working with those in poverty, it can be going somewhere where there is no gospel, it can be going somewhere where there is the gospel but it needs more laborers to see an increase and blessing, etc. We need to be careful how we “box” things, especially when it is our calling in life.

I say this because I have realized that I need to leave ALL doors open. I originally believed the Lord called me to work with Islam….I still do. However, I am not so sure that it will solely be with Islam. I am leaving all the other doors open too.

I used to believe that God was going to give me America as my mission field. I am doubting that. I have such an ache for foreign missions in my heart that I have a hunch I may wind up somewhere else.

Not long ago, God gave me the strong desire to learn Spanish. There was no specific reason; nevertheless, I have never had a desire to do that before this. It may mean He will be sending me to a Spanish country. I don’t know.

All of these thoughts are just thoughts. I am waiting for God to give me crystal clear clarity, but I know one thing. I am willing to go wherever and whenever the Lord sends! The idea that He can use a ole sinner like me is beyond my comprehension and a great blessing! I am so thankful beyond words!!!!

Last night in my prayers, as I was talking to the Lord about some things in my past that need to be cleared away in order for me to have the liberty to serve to the fullest, I felt an overwhelming sense of conviction. If I cannot serve the Lord full-time, there is no purpose for me here. If I cannot devote my everything to the Lord, I have no reason at all to be alive. If I cannot completely live a life with a consumed heart, my life is worth nothing!!!

I praise the Lord for His mercy and grace! I praise the Lord for chance after chance to correct our sinful errors! I praise the Lord for His patience and unconditional love!!

When God Answers Prayers

Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. – Zechariah 10:1

Have you ever prayed and prayed over something? Has there been anything that you have felt heartbroken over that you repeatedly took it to the Lord, begging for a movement of some kind? I am sure all of us can answer yes to both questions. What is an amazing feeling is when those prayers are finally answered!

Many of you know that we have been praying for a bus captain; we have been without for about two months. The number of riders has also been down since then too, with the exception of one week (I blogged about awhile ago). Today, God blessed in an amazing way!

I have to admit that lately I have felt discouraged. It truly made my heart heavy that nobody was stepping forward to help with this ministry. A thought kept creeping into my head that if something wasn’t done, this route would vanish. I knew that this negative thought was not of God, so I did my best to push it away. It kept finding its way back in. I prayed continuously for it, and I finally went to Him and admitted that I felt worn out. My soul really was struggling with this. I was hanging on to faith by a thread.

I arrived about five minutes late to the church this morning and lo and behold one of our church members with four of his seven children were there. The assistant pastor said, “Here’s your new bus captain.” Needless to say, my discouragement evolved into a cloud nine feeling!

I don’t think I have stopped smiling all day. I have not stopped praising God for this amazing gift. Not only did we receive this blessing, but our lowering numbers turned into a bus full. We had been taking the small bus, and we had to switch back to the big bus after church to take them home. All I can say to that is PRAISE THE LORD!!

It is so hard to wait on answers to prayers; however, when they come, they are amazing! It reminds me yet again who is truly in control. Our Father NEVER lets us down!

So today I want to say I am thankful for the bus ministry and how God blesses it all the time!!!!

Enjoy the rest of your Lord’s Day today! 🙂

Questions for God

Although I truly believe that in reality it will be the last thing on our minds once we reach heaven, I wonder how many of you have “stored up” questions that you would like to ask the Lord when you see Him. Over the years, I have had some pondering thoughts – some humorous, some crazy, some created in sadness, some filled with excitement, . . .  Here is  just a short list of the things that have crossed my mind (keep in mind some were when I was a child).

1. Why can’t people fly?

2. Why did you decide to give us two arms, two legs, two ears, two feet, two hands, and two eyes? Why not three or four? Hey, children are curious about these things.

3. How did you come up with idea of babies inside of someone’s belly?

4. Why did you make the sky blue?

5. Why do mosquitoes have to bite?

6. Why are there seven days in a week?

7. What is the point of big brothers?

8. Why do big sisters like to kick their little sisters out of their own room?

9. Was there life on other planets?

10. Why didn’t you intercede when Satan tempted Adam and Eve?

11. How can you love someone so much that you came down as God the Son and died for us?

12. How does the Holy Spirit live inside so many people at the same time?

13. In heaven, will I know everyone there?

14. Why did cancer become so rampant in the world? Was it merely our horrible sin or was there a deeper meaning?

15. How do you FULLY describe the trinity? Right now I trust in its truth, but in reality, it is beyond all of our true comprehension.

16. What does it mean that you always existed, there was no beginning? Again, I trust in its truth but do not fully understand.

17. Why does it seem like it is mandatory that when you live in an apartment, you must have “interesting” neighbors?

18. Why does man/woman have the “foot in mouth” syndrome so much?

19. How did Satan fall from your midst? I mean, how could anyone who was that close to you in such glory want to go their own way? It makes no sense to me. He knows what the end holds, so why bother?

20. Why does it have to hurt so much when someone passes away? Even when we can rejoice that they are with you, the pain lingers quite a while!

21. How does love truly work? It is a very complicated mechanism that when considered, makes no sense. I am not complaining, just wondering.

22. How does the Word of God truly enter a person and become a part of them? I understand that the Word of God is powerful and alive – but I don’t know that I understand HOW it works. I know it does but how?

23. How do you hear and answer everyone’s prayers at the same time?

24. How do you put conviction into effect? I know I feel it, and I know what it is used for, but how does it occur?  I guess this is linked to #12.

25. Why did you make Democrats?

Can you think of any other questions? Feel free to post if you do. Oh, and please do not attack me on #25. Try to be able to laugh once in a while! 🙂

Stay Faithful to the One Who is ALWAYS Faithful

What does it mean when you pray over something but the circumstances only worsen?
What does it mean when you trust that everything will work out but it hasn’t?
What does it mean when what you believed in your heart was supposed to happen didn’t?

Stay faithful to the the One who is ALWAYS faithful.

Sometimes, life can be a bear to handle. It can shake us up, bruise us a bit, and leave us in a weary condition. With the decaying economy, and everything costing more and more money, things become harder to manage. Even people who haven’t made many mistakes with finances are finding themselves in a tight spot. What is one to do?

Stay faithful to the the One who is ALWAYS faithful.

It really comes as a heartache when one fasts and prays over a tough situation, and does their best at serving diligently and staying where they need to be in God’s plan, but only to see things worsen instead of improve. It suddenly becomes impossible to keep up, and the world’s suction appears to be winning the battle. What is one to trust in?

Stay faithful to the the One who is ALWAYS faithful.

The thing that I am reminded is that God never promised us riches on this earth. He never promised us easy times with no trials. In fact, He promised there would be trials!

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: – 1 Peter 4:12

However, with the promise of trials, He also promised that we would not have to go through them alone.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1

Our human nature wants to quit because what we see is impossible. There is no humanly way that it can or will work out, so why bother? Did you catch that? There is no humanly way for it to work out. Sometimes, that is the best time. Why? Because when we stay faithful and it does work out, we know it is a true gift of God. It is wonderful because God will receive the glory and honor He deserves. It is also a sweet spirited event when He swoops in and does the impossible (which can affect so many more than merely you). So what do we need to do?

Stay faithful to the the One who is ALWAYS faithful.

There are times our tests of faith will take us to the edge of a cliff that drops about a million feet downward. We may get close enough to cause us to become dizzy and lightheaded. Nevertheless, the truth of the matter is that we won’t go over the edge unless WE step over. God will never push us that far. The Lord will never cause us to lose a victory and fall helplessly in chaos. As long as we remain faithful, we will never surpass the edge of the cliff.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

My heart holds one wish for you (and myself today) as many of us struggle with decisions, financial burdens, health problems, or other circumstances; it is pretty simple. This truth will keep us right where we need to be:

Stay faithful to the the One who is ALWAYS faithful.

Weekly Blog Ramblings – Lions’ Den

As I was driving to work today, I listened to a sermon on CD by my pastor. It had to do with faith. He talked about Daniel’s faith in the lions’ den, and how he truly believed that whatever happened would be God’s Will. I could go into the super spiritual side of this, or I could confess past ponderings about the story of the lions den.

Have you ever stopped to wonder what it was like being in the den? Did the lions sit there and stare at Daniel thinking, “Man, I am hungry! Why won’t my mouth open?” Did they lie down next to him like a house cat and purr away, looking to be pet? Did they sit and pout because God wouldn’t let them eat?

I know, those are probably weird thoughts. But hey, we all have strange questions even if we won’t admit them.

The Bible says that the angel was sent. Did Daniel physically see the angel? Did he speak with the angel? Did they share a laugh?

I also think further back in the Bible about Adam and Eve. Did Adam and Eve actually see God? I know by the time Moses came about it said that one would die if they saw God’s face. However, at one time, Adam and Eve were holy and perfect (before the fruit incident). Were they able to see God’s face?

Have you ever been like me and imagined the scene when God approached them after their sin? I always pictured Him like a giant. I pictured these huge, gigantic, sandaled feet walking through the garden and these little people (Adam and Eve) who were about the size of His toe running into the trees. Okay, label me crazy if you like. I know deep down you’ve pondered things too.

I think it is human nature to want to envision things. It is really hard sometimes to accept that some things are beyond our imagination. That is when faith comes in, right? Hmmm, just like Daniel had……

Avoid divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? – 2 Corinthians 6:14

“Unequally yoked” is quite an interesting little phrase. I have known people who get slightly agitated when this verse comes into conversation. Whether it brings conviction or another reason, I have no idea. Nevertheless, this Scripture is pretty straight forward.

Unequally means “in different degrees” or “not with like sentiment;” yoked means “confined or joined.” So let’s ponder this a moment.

The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them. – Proverbs 12:26

Both 2 Corinthians 6:14 and Proverbs 12:26 most definitely mean that born-again Christians should not be joined together with the lost because their beliefs are on different degrees and are not alike in sentiment. In other words, a lost person does not comprehend spiritual things and can create damage in a saved person’s spiritual walk.

It doesn’t mean that we crawl into a bubble and ignore the lost world. Not at all! We must be amongst the lost in order to win them to Christ. However, we should not be spending all of our time with the lost and partaking in their ungodly activities. Think of it this way: if the dark tried to fellowship with the light, it would cause the light to dim and eventually go out. If we decide to make the lost our best friends and hang out in worldly places, our light will dim and go out too. There is a distinct difference between trying to give people the truth in love and fellowshipping with them on a regular basis.

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. – 2 Thessalonians 3:6

This verse supports 2 Corinthians 6:14 in that we should not fellowship with Christians who have walked away from the Lord and living like a lost person. This can be even more dangerous than hanging out with a lost person. The reason I say this is that a backsliden Christian often holds bitterness and anger towards God. They can quickly spread the bad seed of a critical spirit and doubt. They usually won’t outwardly deny God, which may cause someone to think they are getting counsel from someone who has a relationship with the Lord. In reality, this person pulls them away from their doctrine, away from their church, and away from God’s Word.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. – Romans 16:17

I have been in the boat of backsliding. It is a scary place! It started with questioning the doctrinal believes that once fired me up; I used to stand on those beliefs firmly. I started to find fault in the Christian people around me. Suddenly, I started to feel like nobody did anything right anymore, I started to feel like nobody cared anymore, and I started to feel like everything I believed was legalistic and man-made. I then started justifying my thoughts. We can always find someone in the world to back us up (even if they aren’t right). Eventually, the crowd I was hanging with caused me to get out of church. It didn’t take long before my Bible began collecting dust and my views became tainted and skewed.

My intentions were never to let all the above mentioned happen, but it happened anyway. Once I fell deep enough, I couldn’t pull myself out. The devil played so many mind games with me, and I found myself trapped in a life that I would not wish upon anyone!

It is not wrong to ask questions; one should ask when something does not make sense. It is not unwise to reexamine the belief system that makes up a spiritual doctrine to insure it is Biblical and true. These things, however, should be done in the midst of God. One should seek godly counsel from a pastor or someone who has a close walk with the Lord. To dive into these pondering solo proves destructive and dangerous.

Ramblings from the blog….

First of all, I must apologize as I have not hardly had time to breathe let alone blog lately. Life has been busy, but that is good for me sometimes! 🙂

This week has been our missions conference, which has blessed me more than I can express in words. There have been a lot of ups and downs lately. I love that when I am in God’s House, it all seems to melt away!!

This particular conference really caused a stir inside me. It wasn’t merely a stir but an ache. As many of you know, The Lord called me to the mission field almost twoyears ago. To me, that seems like an eternity. This week has . . . well, changed me! I feel like God is ready to move me. Maybe it is because I am heading off to school in January. Maybe He will soon reveal the mission field He wants me on. I am really not sure. I can tell you this – I cannot wait to find out!!

I still do not get why God would use someone like me, especially when I walked away the first time He tried, but I cannot praise Him enough for second chances!! I am nothing but a vessel for His using; I wouldn’t be worth any more than the mud on the ground without Him (probably less!).

By the way, have I mentioned that I have a Wonderful Saviour and Gracious Father? I just wanted to be sure.

Anywhoo, it is 11:00 p.m., I am exhausted and rambling. Ya’all have a great night! May the Lord bless you with wonderful dreams! 🙂

Sharing Each Others’ Burdens

One thing I have noticed lately, or consciously noticed, is the difference in my friendships since I have been walking in the Lord. I am not talking about the who (though in most aspects that has changed) but the how. When you develop mature Christian friendships, the entire relationship you have with brothers and sisters in Christ becomes truly like . . . family.

I say this because I can honestly say that as much as I wanted to always be a good friend in the past, I never truly took on their burden as my own. I never truly felt heartbreak over their losses and sadness over their trials. Things are different now.

Now, before you think that I think I am anything special, I am not! I know why things have changed and his name is Jesus Christ. I wish I could say that I am the compassionate and loving one, but I can’t make that claim. It is only by the power of the Holy Ghost that I feel this way. I am sure my friends would tell you the same thing, as many of them have taken on my burdens as well.

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

I have been pondering this because a couple of dear friends of mine are going through one of the worst situations a person could – the loss of a close loved one. My heart has literally felt broken, and I have been seeking any possible way to help them. Recently going through a similar experience with my grandma, maybe that is why I feel it so intensely for them. Maybe because I know how I felt and want nothing more than to spare my friends those emotions. It was a roller coaster of ups and downs.

It is a blessing when you know the deceased is in the presence of the King; however, the Bible even tells us we will go through seasons of grief and mourning. There is no avoiding that.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; – Ecclesiastes 3:4
He understands and is with us through it. One thing I struggle with (and still do) is that it is okay to feel loss. It is okay to feel the sadness of a loved one who passes. We just need to turn it over to Him to help heal us!

I am thankful that the Lord is starting to create a much deeper sensitivity towards others through me. When I was away from the Lord, I began to actual grow quite cold inside. Sometimes, it is hard for me to handle because I don’t always have the answers to go along with the sensitivity. I can’t always fix things like I want to!

I praise the Lord for the friends that I have that have taken on my trials as their own and have shown me a true love and compassion. I am not sure if I would have made it through certain situations without them!

Anyway, it is late and I think this blog might be rambling. Basically, the Lord is so good, and I praise Him for the changes He creates in us and the people He blesses us with! I am so blessed!!!!

A Merry Heart…..

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. – Proverbs 17:22

Have you ever awoken with a merry heart and really had no specific reason why? I mean, I have many great reasons to be merry, but none that stand out out of the ordinary from any other day. I love mornings like that. My Lord is so good, I should feel like this every day!

I received little sleep last night, and I will be “stuck” at work for like 12 hours today. In the past, that would be enough to frustrate or depress me. Today, not so much! I just can’t help it. I woke up thinking about my Lord and feel great! It doesn’t make me special, just truly blessed to be alive!

Sometimes, we just don’t praise the Lord enough. I know I don’t. There’s always the “Lord, I praise you for your goodness. Please help me…. Please guide me… Please protect me….” Hardly ever is it “Good Morning Lord! I am just so happy to be in your presense!”

Last night, my friend Dave preached one of the most powerful messages about sharing our God with others. He taught from Joshua 2 about Rahab. As many times as I have read that, it never occurred to me the true glory of that event. I have learned not to try to give the entire sermon in my own words because I can’t do it justice. However, what the Lord spoke through Dave was that Rahab believed upon what she heard. She did not experience or see any of the miracles that God performed for the Israelites, but she heard through the grapevine. Because of what she heard, she developed a fear and revernce for the LORD.

Dave reflected on the idea of whether we were telling people about our God. Are people hearing about the LORD as Rahab did or are we keeping quiet? I am not talking about religion or even denomination. Have we told our co-workers about how God answered our prayers? Have we told our neighbor how God has truly blessed us? Have we told our friends how God has protected us? It isn’t always about throwing Scriptures at them (not that that’s bad) but it is also about just telling them firsthand what God has done in our lives.

The message last night truly inspired me and encouraged my heart. I will miss Dave and his family as they head off to serve the Lord in Montrose, Colorado. Their family is a great blessing to our church, and moreover, an amazing blessing to me! I praise God that I was honoured and privileged enough to be able to get to know them so well!

I think about the shifts that are happening in our church. Dave’s family is leaving for ministry in Colorado, the pastor’s son and family are on deputation leading to the mission field, I will be heading off to school in January, and who knows what else God has in store. I am so thankful that He is using us to serve Him in that way. He is a glorious God!

I praise the Lord for all that He has done and will do in my life! I could not imagine my life without the Lord . . .well, I could but would never want to!

May you all have a blessed day! 🙂