Show me the one, show me the way, help me to know just how to share the love You gave.

Look around you! There is probably someone who could use some love! All too often, we find ourselves surrounded by people who are going through some difficult times. Perhaps you are! Whether it's unemployment, family problems, health problems, depression, loneliness, or whatever, all of us would like some relief from what we are going through. We need to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

And there is! The Light of Lights, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is willing and more than able to lift us from our darkness, into His pure and safe haven of light. He promises His love and presence to heal and deliver, to strengthen and help, all those who call on Him.

Like the beam from the mighty lighthouse, that directs ships safely back to harbor, His Light is there to show us the way to Him, for Jesus is truly the Way, the Truth and the Life.

It is my prayer that this site encourages you to reflect His light to those around you who need to know Him. Let Him use you to share His love. And as you embark on this remarkable journey, please share your experiences so that all of us can grow together in our quest to reach all the world, lest anyone should perish.

May God richly bless you!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16


Thursday, August 22, 2013

A Little Flirtation Won't Lead To Anything... Or Will It?

I have noticed that there seems to be a relaxed attitude floating around among people, even among Christians; almost a tolerance of something, that is popping up more and more in our culture. They aren't aware that they are playing in quick sand, but feel that they can still stand on their own. They don't realize that they are being lured, being enticed, very subtly, right beneath their noses.  They see others around them doing the same thing, so it doesn't feel strange or wrong. They ignore the still, small voice that warned them not to get anywhere near this. After all, they want to check this out and see what happens. But once they sink in, they can not free themselves. Only someone who reaches out to them who isn't in the quick sand can rescue them, that is, if they take his hand. What is this quick sand that I am talking about?
The Devil. You've seen images of him carrying around a fork, with little horns on his head and a pointed tail. You've seen witches with pointed hats on brooms, with green faces. You've heard of the saying, "The devil made me do it." You may have even played on the Ougie Board. People go to fortune tellers, who convince them they know the secrets to their future. There is alot of talk of devil worshippers going on too. People take it too lightly and laugh about it, like it's a game. But it isn't! There are countless films, songs and books on violence, murder, bloodshed... you name it, it's there. And it is affecting our culture!  What is going on here?
The Bible clearly describes what is going on here, and Christians need to take it seriously.
Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,
looking for someone to devour.
- 1 Peter 5:8
He hates us! He hates God even more, and wants to lure people away from God. He knows that his time and influence on this earth is limited, as Jesus Christ is coming soon to take His believers to heaven, and to throw the Devil and his followers into the eternal lake of fire.
And the devil, who deceived them,
was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur.
They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
If anyone's name was not found written
in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire.
- Revelation 20:10, 15
Our God is a jealous God, and He created us in His image. He is Holy. Awesome in Glory. And He wants us to worship Him, and Him alone. The Bible gives us all that we need to know, in order for us to stay clear of the Devil's antics, and to live victorious lives in Jesus' Name. Our Heavenly Father is grieved when people, especially His children, yield to the Devil, and He waits patiently for us to return. He is ready to reach out His hand to rescue us from the schemes of the enemy. But we need to take His hand! This is a point I'd like to make, though, that some people disagree with.  He will give us his hand for only a while. If we refuse His offer of help, because we have allowed our hearts to harden toward Him, then He will withdraw His hand.
Furthermore, since they did not think
it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God,
He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do
what ought not to be done.
They have become filled
with every kind of wickedness...
Although they know God's righteous decree
that those who do such things deserve death,
they not only continue to do these very things but
also approve of those who practice them.
- Romans 1: 28-32

People! Please take this seriously. We are in the end times, and we need to be fully aware of what we are aligning ourselves to. We can't walk the fence. We are either following Jesus, or we are not. God sees our hearts and He is watching us intently. We can fool others, even our Christian friends, but we can't fool God. He is not to be mocked. The time is coming soon when after the rapture, that is the calling up of true believers in Jesus, it will be extremely difficult for a person to receive Christ, and if he does, he most likely will be martyred for his faith.
How can we be sure we are following Christ? The Bible advises us to put on our spiritual armor.
And do this, understanding the present time.
The hour has come for you to wake up
from your slumber,
because our salvation is nearer now
than when we first believed.
The night is nearly over;
the day is almost here.
So let us put aside the deeds of darkness
and put on the armor of light.
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,
and do not think about how to gratify
the desires of the sinful nature.
- Romans 13:11-14



 Ephesians 6:11-18 gives an excellent description of the full armor of God that all of us need to put on each morning. Please read this, and make a personal note that you will apply these principles to your life. Your destiny depends on it!
So, can a Christian have a little flirtation with the Devil? The answer is up to you.


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Can A Christian Love?

This is the fourth in my series of Can A Christian ...? It's obvious that if we call ourselves Christians, or followers of Jesus Christ, that we think we automatically have these qualities...we know we should forgive others, we know we should trust God with everything, and we know we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us, but sometimes we struggle with those things.
 
This topic here is on love. Can a Christian love? When we think of God, we think of love:
 
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life.
 
John 3:16
 
As Christ followers, we know that we are to love God first and foremost, and love others as ourselves. Jesus tells us that. My question to you is: How well are you loving others?
 
Honestly, this is a struggle of mine, and I realize that. I have asked the Lord to help me to love others the way I should. Compassionately. Patiently. Nonjudgementally. I know He loves me that way, and I so appreciate His mercy and grace, for I have fallen more times than I want to admit. No matter what I do, He loves me anyway.
 
How can we love others who are unloveable, at least in our minds? There will always be people who hurt us, offend us, gossip about us, cheat us, let us down. The reasons are endless. (But so is His love!) For me, as I meditate on this, I have come to the realization that I need to look at people differently than I have. I need to try to see them as Jesus does. Sinners in need of grace.
 
Sometimes people have no idea that they have offended others. And sometimes, because they have had terrible pasts of abuse and rejection, they are unable to show love to others. They may be hurting inside, and are just smearing that hurt on anyone who is within their space. Maybe you fall into that category. (I hope not!)
 
Because of that, when I think that others may have unknown reasons why they get on my "unloveable list", I get more tolerant. I am able to give them some slack. Another chance. After all, there have been times when I acted unloveable to another, and later on regretted it, hoping that person would give me some slack...another chance. God looks at the inside of people, where we can only look on the outside. He knows we are works in progress. Becoming a Christian doesn't immediately turn us into a saint, even though we are one. We are a work in progress indeed, and for some of us, it takes longer than for others. Sometimes it isn't easy to love everyone, but with God's help, we can get better at it. It takes deliberation, but I believe it brings alot of peace. Instead of fretting, we are forgiving. Instead of complaining, we are praying. Instead of hating, we are loving.
 
Is this possible for you? As you think about your relationships, are you able to truly love everyone? Yes, you can, with God's help. As He has loved us, so must we love others. Because Jesus is our model, we can love others the way He calls us to do.
 
Dear Lord, as we think about our ability to love others,
we realize that our efforts are limited.
We ask You to help us to love as we should.
To look at others through Your eyes,
and to treat them with compassion.
Thank You for Your love and mercy towards us.
Thank you for giving us another chance.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.




Friday, August 9, 2013

Does A Christian Have Power?

In a recent blog, I talked about Christians trusting God, and shared Ephesians 3:20-21~
 
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably
more than all we ask or imagine,
according to the power that is at work in us,
to Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations
forever and ever.
Amen.
 
Then I took my long walk, and chewed on that verse. As I thought about it, and talked aloud to God to explain it to me, I realized that there is something profound in the middle of this verse. Did you catch it?
 
'according to the power that is at work in us'
 
What is this power that is at work in us? Acts 1:8 tells us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. And Jesus tells us in John 14:12-13 ~

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me
 will do what I have been doing.
He will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in My Name,
so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
You may ask anything in My Name, and I will do it."

Jesus shed His blood on the cross for the remission of our sins, and when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we receive power through the Holy Spirit. We can plead the Name of Jesus, and all authorities will submit to Him. Philippians 2:10 tells us 'that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' Since we are inheritors of the Kingdom of God, then we too have authority over the principalities through the power in the Name of Jesus.

It occurred to me that we can limit God's power in our prayers! If there is any ounce of doubt in us, then the power that He gives to us through the Holy Spirit is significantly reduced. If we don't believe He will heal, He won't. If we don't believe He will answer our prayers, He won't. The measure of our faith has a direct relationship to the miracles that God does in our lives. Jesus wasn't able to do any miracles in His hometown due to the lack of faith of the people there. After all, to them, He was Joseph's son, just a carpenter. This was an example of incorrect labeling, which can lead to another blog topic in the future!
 
If we want miracles in our lives, we need to fully believe that God CAN 'do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine'. Without doubting. We need to surrender our wills to Him, fully trusting in His provision. Nothing is impossible with God. God is not limited by our failures. But He looks at our faith and knows whether we truly believe that He can. He has placed supernatural power in us through the Holy Spirit, and we can tap into that, if we believe. All we need is the faith of a mustard seed, which you know, is very, very tiny. In other words, the question may be "Is your faith larger than a mustard seed?" 
 
From time to time, we all need a miracle in our lives. Are you going to tap into that power?
 


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Can A Christian Trust?

Trust. What does it mean to you? When you ask someone to trust you, you want that person not to doubt that you will fulfill your promise. It's easy to trust someone who has never let you down. He is a man of his word. But if, for some reason, you break your promise and don't follow through, it can lead to someone doubting you and your word. And the next time you ask that person to trust you, it will be difficult.
 
The Bible talks about trusting God. Over 165 verses! God wants His children to trust Him with everything, and not to worry or doubt. He always keeps His promises... after all, He is God. He is in control of the universe, and nothing is impossible with Him.
 
If you are a Christian, do you trust God? Really trust Him? If you are dealing with something and take it to Him in prayer, asking Him to deliver you, are you trusting Him to take care of it? Or are you continually dwelling on it, telling God what you want Him to do about it, and secretly wanting to be in the Control Room in Heaven? We KNOW we should trust God, but sometimes we have a hard time doing it, don't we?
 
God knows us inside and out, and I believe sometimes He allows trials to come into our lives to develop our faith in His sufficiency. Sometimes we Christians can become too independent and proud in our lives, and our spiritual eyes wander from Him to ourselves, and to other things in this world. At other times, I believe He puts us through difficult circumstances to take us to a higher level in our relationship with Him. He wants to mature us. When things are going so well, how often are you on your knees before Him? And when things do go aury, and we seek Him for the answers, do we truly believe that He will give them to us?
 
I am reminded of a story where a man was walking a tightrope, back and forth. The people watching from below were hooping and hollering, cheering him on. They told him he was the best. He then took a wheelbarrow and pushed it across while walking that tightrope. They were so impressed and cheered even louder. He yelled down, "Who among you wants to take a ride in  this wheelbarrow?" No one answered. They didn't really trust him.

In the book of Matthew, two blind men came to Jesus, and said "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When He had gone indoors, the blind men came to Him, and He asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Imagine that! We don't read this in our daily papers, but I believe it still happens to people today! Jesus still heals those who have "the faith of a mustard seed".  But if He chooses not to heal, then He has a purpose that we cannot understand. We need to trust Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
 and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6
 
 Christians, do you truly trust God to take care of you? Do you have peace in your hearts, knowing that He loves you beyond measure... that He knows what you are going through, and is working on it? While you are waiting for the answers, are you resting on His promises? That He knows what is best for you, more than you do? Are you willing to accept whatever the outcome, knowing that He is God and His purpose is to draw you closer to Him? And to bring Him glory?
 
Now to Him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to the power that is at work within us,
to Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations,
forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
 
Yes, God is able to do abundantly more than we can ever imagine! Just trust Him!