Keep Watch

I never expected to use this site for anything other than devotionals that inspire. However, this month there is another slice of information about books and now a movie that needs to be identified and pointed to as not honoring for Christians to support and not healthy for children to watch.

The movies: The Golden Compass
Actress: Nicole Kidman.
The Origin: A book trilogy about children Killing God
Delivery Date: December 2007

The enemy is out to destroy, kill and steal. This is just another method to accomplish the goal. I am thankful this world is not our home, that we are just passing through. But while we are here, let's be diligent, let's keep watch.

We Win

Ecc 3: 11; Romans 8 28-39

Have you ever felt defeated, guilty or condemned, like a total failure? Often those of us in the faith feel this way. We missed the mark, again. We try to do our best and it just isn't good enough. We get discouraged in life. We become shamed, guilty or hopeless. Ever experienced this? Of course you have, we all have. Just know this. These thoughts are not from God.

Romans and Ecclesiastes has the truth that sets us free from these devil devised thoughts. Let me list them for you.

• God makes all things beautiful in His time.
• Christ died to cleanse us and give us life
• He called us to this salvation
• He justified us
• He glorified us
• He is for us
• He graciously gives us all things
• He works all things together for our good.
• He intercedes for us
• He helps us in our weakness
• He forgives us
• He fills us with himself.
• He loves us as His children.
• He prepares a home for us.

What else is there. Why should we be discouraged? Why should we look to, listen to or respond to the lies of the devil? If God be for us who can be against us? Who can bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? Nothing can separate us from this love. So why do we?

Scripture

Psalm 119: 105-112

Sometimes it is good just to read scripture.

Sometimes there is nothing left to say.

Sometimes the power in it hits the spot.

Today is one of those sometimes.

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Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Lord according to your word. Accept, O Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked have sat a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.

Have Faith

Jesus answered him and said, "Have faith." Mark 11:22

• Faith is dead to doubt
• Faith is dumb to discouragements
• Faith is blind to impossibilities
• Faith knows nothing but success

Faith makes the uplook good, the outlook bright, the inlook favorable and the future glorious.

by Living Positive in a Negative World.

Be Ready

Psm.13:5-6; Prov13:5-6; 1Peter 5:8-9

The enemy prowls, looks, listens and waits to devour us. He is well aware of our weakness and is ready to pounce and destroy. Are we ready? Do we look at the thoughts, actions and words of our life? Do we check the origin, the motivation?

Jesus defeated the enemy of our soul at the cross. He brought us to repentance, came into our life upon invitation by us, and lives His life through us. He has supplied us with all we need for life and godliness. To be ready means to believe and apply this knowledge. Know the enemy is there to tempt us. He fakes meeting any need we may have BUT with a price. The price is our soul. He wants to kill us, steal life from us and destroy us. Be ready... say NO.

Remember the story in Scripture about the one son who sold his birth right to the other son for food? This bible story is lived every day in peoples lives, sometime in our lives.

Temptation Examples... the lies:

Working for or supporting an immoral situation.
Staying in an abusive relationship to receive a few crumbs called love.
Reaching for a quick fix that compromises what is right.
Taking matters into our own hands and not trusting God's best.
Life is boring and we need a thrill.
The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
There is only one go around. Did we experience, get or have it all.

These things happen because we have not decided ahead of time to do what is right when the temptation comes. These things also bring pain and destruction into our lives. (A result never advertised.) To be ready means to know that the enemy will tempt us to the easy road, a quick fix, a better way, when God has already prepared the way and outlined it in His word. When we know right from wrong ahead of time and decide to do what is right, we will identify the temptation and turn it down.

Be ready. Say NO ahead of time.

The Gift

The free gift of God is eternal life through His son Jesus Christ. A free Gift given to whosoever will come to Him in repentance, a repentance which is a call directly from God Himself. He not only provided the salvation gift through His death on the cross when He died in our place for a debt we could not pay. He made us aware of our sinful nature in such a way that we experienced the repentance necessary to ask forgiveness, turn away from the sins, surrender and invite Him into our lives. He does it all for us. When we responded to this the gift we received new Life, Life eternal.

The Christian walk comes in the same package. In Romans it tells us to live by faith just as we were saved by faith. In other words. We trust God to live His life through us just as we trusted in him to save us.

For it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life I now live I live by faith in the one who gave himself for me.

For it is God who is at work in me to not only will me but to do the work.

What is our part in this whole picture? Trust, belief and surrender through a heart that says, "Here is my life, Lord. It is yours."

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If the verse below is true for you, personalizing it by putting you name in the blank.

Romans 5:9 Since___________has been justified by His blood how much more shall_______be saved from God's wrath through Him.

WHAT A GIFT!

Truth Prevails

I happened upon the Oprah show this week. An author named Elizabeth Gilbert talked about her book Eat Pray Love. I have not read the book and probably will not as it seems a little new age in nature. (New Age is all about us becoming our own god). Now I do not know of this woman or her spiritual state. My comments are a result of a 30 min. observation from what she said on the show. Her relationship with God is between her and Him.

She talked about being depressed before and after her divorce. As a result she went in search of God and the meaning of her life. She took a spiritual type journey that involved travel to distant lands. She believed God directed her through this journey and led her into the joy, peace and love she now lives. Looks good and sounds good.

But one thing bothered me about the journey, no mention of Christ. She never referred to our savior as the answer to her life's quest nor as the result of her spiritual journey. As Christians we know that Christ is the way the truth and the life. We know that no one comes to the Father except by way of Christ and that He is to be glorified.

She has had great success with this book. I believe the success is due to the deep hunger people have for the supernatural touch of God, a touch that makes us all whole. Connection to Christ, a connection through repentance and acceptance of His work on the cross comes as a result of complete surrender to Him at some point. This type of salvation experience involves personally inviting Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior. This type of devotion to Christ was not mentioned during the interview.

I also noticed that her relationship with God took a lot of work. Meditation, deep searching, much travel and a hope that she would experience Him. Scripture tells us a relationship with God comes as a result of Him reaching down to us not us reaching up to Him. He orchestrates communication, presence, salvation and all the fruits of His Spirit are imparted to us. He is continually reaching out to us and talking to us. He does the work, we respond. This journey looked like a work done totally by her.

The thing I did appreciate about her talk is that Truth prevails. It was as if she stumbled upon bits of truth the Bible freely delivers and has delivered for centuries. Even though these truths were shared, I noticed glory was misplaced. She did not acknowledge Christ as Lord. It was more about her personal happiness, about self. Surrender to a Lord that supplies all our needs did not happen. Maybe that is another reason the world loves this book so much. They get a few treasures from truth but never have to bow down before the One who is Truth.

Listed below are the truths that were talked about on the program:

• Meditation: Her method referred to being still and smiling from the inside out. I would add "Lord, speak to me." Getting still and closing out the world. Placing our heart and mind on Scripture and then on God as we listen to His heart. The Bible says: be still and know I am God
• Ask yourself what do you really, really really want to do. I would say this: ask yourself what you treasure. Matt 6:21 Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.
• Write down your happiest moment of each day. I liked this point the best. Phil 4:8 think on that which is pure, lovely, true, of good report....
• Change and refine what you say about yourself. I would say: Make sure what you think about yourself agrees with what God says about you. The Bible says: What a man thinks of himself that is who he becomes. As Christians we are Children of God, we are His treasure.

Elizabeth Gilbert was delightful to listen to and watch. She is young and beautiful and full of life. Though I have not read any of her books, I believe from the way she talks she must be zestful, humorous and sincere.

One thing I know. If ever in doubt or in confusion about where the truth lies, look to Christ. Every knee must bow to Christ and every tongue must confess that He is Lord. Anything else is a lie and not from Him.

Babylon Skit

Today I have something very special to send to you. A powerful skit.

My husband sent this to me and when I opened and watched the skit tears filled my eyes. You see, this little skit, which is performed in less that five minutes, says everything I tried to say in my book Faded Purple. A book that took me over ten years and 200 pages to write. This wonderful group of teenagers said the same thing on stage. As a result, they have communicated the message of Christ's power, grace and love to millions. Enjoy

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

Good/Evil

Psalms 64:1-11; Psalms 91; John16:5-16,33; Romans 8:28

I don't think I will ever reconcile with in my heart and soul the horrible things that happen to the innocent. Children that suffer at the hands of unprincipled people or diseases that steal their life. Eventually, in our own adult life, we have to accept the results of mistakes, consequences. We also learn, along the way, that God gets to be God and we either believe He knows what He is doing and that He is a loving person or we do not. Everyone suffers and experience troubles and everyone is called to forgive those who wrong and harm them. In the lives of The Martyrs we hear of today, forgiveness comes even for those who rejoice in the horrid torture of adults and children. When I think of them, the sufferings of the life I live in our society seems minuscule.

Each time I see or hear of a child being hurt I have to run to scripture and try to make sense of it all. Of course, I do not, because my goal is to eliminate suffering from these innocents. Somehow I believe they need more protection and My question to God is where is your protection. Especially to those who are in our own families. Children our hearts intertwine with that we pray for so diligently.

The answers are in the verses above. The one that spoke to me the most today was this. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world.
Take heart? That means be brave, believe the best, expect a future that overcomes this present dilemma because there is a future, a future that lasts for all eternity.
Then there is the story of Joseph. Joseph, the one who's own brothers beat up and sold into slavery. Now that could cause a bit of unforgiveness for years. When he saw his brothers he repented and said to them... you meant this for evil but God meant it for good.

I think we need to cling to the cross and seek mercy and help from our Lord as we sit tight through sufferings and troubles. He holds our future. When the end of the story comes, when the stories about all the sufferings of those who trusted in Him are told, everyone will see the why. We will also at that time experience this ...nothing we suffer down here can compare to what waits for us there. And then there is always Romans 8:28 to encourage us everyday.

I do believe we all need to change what we can change, accept what can not be changed and ask God for the wisdom and guidance needed to live our lives here. In the meantime we need to comfort each other, encourage each other and lift each other in prayer as we believe in His plan.