Monthly Archives: October 2024

Scary Times

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I’m not referring to the current wicked celebration where death, evil, and the devil are celebrated. Next week, our country will select leadership at almost every level. This could/should be highly concerning times for those who are god-fearing and value religious freedom. Yet, praise God that He is in control. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

Most of us haven’t lived through really difficult times such as the depression or the WW’s. We have been so blessed. Every type of food is on the grocery shelves. Most aren’t concerned for their day-to-day safety. Fuel and medical care are readily available. We are crazy blessed to live in this country during this time. 

I suppose that is part of the problem. People have what they want (far beyond needs), therefore “who needs God?” But during times of need, aren’t more people likely to turn to  Him? Might hard-times be what we need most? 

Also, I wonder if our country might be edging closer to a well-deserved chastening. When a country is chastened, it’s citizens suffer. Yet, should we be scared and worry? “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). 

What do we do? Pray. Pray for God to be glorified. Pray for the outcome that will yield the most souls saved. Pray that those who are truly saved will be busy about His business not the current fun and games pursuits. Brothers, repent, plead, pray that our wonderful, awesome, God will be glorified with many many souls coming to Him. May this be the beginning of the needed revival. 

“That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:14-16).

My Brothers, be sure to vote. 

Forgotten but Not by God

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There is an attribute of God that seems to be forgotten by “Christians” today. It is also symptomatic of a low view of God, exemplified in bringing God down to our level. He is simply the “man upstairs.” “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes” (Psalms 50:21). The “awe” is lost and “worship” is more about being entertained with spiffy music and a non-biblical, non-convicting story time. 

God is holy, and He calls His children to live holy lives. “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). Is that your heart’s desire?

I’ve been rereading Jerry Bridges book The Pursuit of Holiness. He used two of my favorite verses in describing making right decisions. 

“But what about issues that are not specifically mentioned in the Scriptures—how do we determine God’s will and develop conviction in those areas? Years ago a friend gave me what he called his “Formula: How to Know Right from Wrong.” 

The formula asks four questions based on three verses in 1 Corinthians: Everything is permissible for me—but not everything is beneficial . 

Question 1: Is it helpful—physically, spiritually, and mentally?
“‘All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12). 

Question 2: Does it bring me under its power? 
“Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” (1 Corinthians 8:13). 

Question 3: Does it hurt others?
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

Question 4: Does it glorify God?”

Brothers, our world is in a downward spiral. I plead with you, don’t get pulled down with it. 

(Another great book is Holinessby J.C. Ryle)

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Posted in: General

Praise, Praise, Praise

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“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luke 10:17-18). Notice that the seventy disciples who were out sharing Christ had joy as a result of their obedience in serving. Next, Jesus affirmed them by telling that He saw Satan being cast down as a result of the seventies’ obedience. “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:17).  Next, consider the joy of those who had been ministered to by the seventy in hearing about Jesus and those healed. What a triple praise that resulted from the seventies’ obedience. 

What if the seventy, instead of being obedient to the Lord, chose activities (non-sinful of course) that would have been fun and relaxing. Maybe it would have been the historical Bible times equivalent to watching a good movie, a favorite team play, or the news. Consider the blessings and praise which would have been missed. 

Oh my brothers, any time you think of the dismal state of our nation or what we are facing these elections, consider that it might not be like this if Christians, since the founding of our nation, chose obedience like the seventy. The opiate of the masses is pleasure and fun because, of course, there is nothing wrong with it. 

“Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

(Note: did you catch the intentional contradiction above? If the 70 had chosen to do anything other than what Jesus told them to do, even if considered sinless activities, they would have been disobedient, meaning sinning. Hmmm. What about us?) 

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Posted in: General

Casting Cares

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Lately this has been my go-to verse when something troubling wants to take my thoughts in a negative direction: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7). Isn’t that verse short and simple? Even if you tell me you can’t memorize Scripture, I expect if you said that verse three times a day, within a week (and probably less – you may even know it now without having tried to memorize it), you would know it by heart. 

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance that word “casting” literally means “to throw upon.” We are not to just haphazardly cast toward or gently fling our cares on the Lord, but we are to literally throw cares on Him. Have you thrown anything lately? When you do that, it is a purposeful act. For throwing to occur, you have to let go of the item you are throwing – let it go!

What are our cares? Again according to Strong’s they are our anxieties. Do we have anxieties? I expect we sure do! How many cares do we cast on Him? We cast all of them. Again Strong’s tells us how much all really is: “all, any, every, the whole.” How wonderful is that? 

Then our verse tells us why we can do that – because He cares for us. That word cares means: to be of interest to, i.e. to concern. My dear sisters, God loves us enough to care for us and want us to throw our anxieties on Him. He can deal well with them. We can’t. 

When you face an anxiety, you can do what 1 Peter 5:7 tells you to do – throw that anxiety (and every other one you have) on Christ. Throw it! In order to throw it, you have to let it go. While you are doing that, be grateful that God cares for you and wants you to cast your cares on Him. Don’t keep carrying them around when He gives you this beautiful directive. If the anxiety comes back, throw it out again. Do that over and over using this simple verse that is only eleven words long. 

We talked last month about God’s Word and its relevance to our daily lives:  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We may take a hermeneutics (the art and science of studying God’s Word with the goal of rightly interpreting it) class at church to learn how to rightly study and divide Scripture. We could be in a doctrine or theology class. Those are great, and I encourage you to do them, if you can. But in the end, it is what I do with God’s Word, in my heart and thoughts, with the situations I face on a daily basis, that matters. 

A couple of months ago we talked about this verse: “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer (Romans 12:12).

Last month it was this one: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). 

And now: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7).

Sisters, you need at least one, and better yet a few verses, that you have memorized that you can easily and quickly put into your mind when you are troubled, anxious, feeling self pity, upset, unhappy, frustrated – all of those negative thoughts and emotions you can experience. Then prayerfully, in those situations, do just that. Think that Scripture. Say it out loud, if need be. It isn’t hard, but it does take a conscious decision. The negative is in your mind by default. Scripture is there by choice.

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Posted in: Mom's Corner

Don’t be Disappointed 

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I was on an errand to the drugstore yesterday. The item was hard to find so I asked a gal who was stocking shelves. She told me exactly were it was located. Then passing by her on my return, I thanked her and said maybe I could help her find something. With a slightly puzzled expression she questioned, “What?” I asked her if she was to die that night would she go to Heaven. She replied “Absolutely!” I then said, “May I ask why you are so confident?” 

“Sure. Because me and Him are super close. I talk to Him all the time.” I asked her a few more questions and didn’t hear answers that lined up with Scripture. She said she had a Bible but hadn’t read it in a while. I gave her a tract and encouraged her to read the tract and the Bible. I talk with so many who have what seems to be a false confidence. 

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:26-27).

I’m not aware of any place in Scripture that says by merely talking to God you are saved. However verses like this one are indicative of salvation. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

Dads, I plead with you. Make sure you don’t have a false hope. Have you repented of your sin? Have you trusted in His death on the cross for total payment for your sin? Read His Word every morning. Believe what you read. Follow Him obediently. If you do, you will grow in sanctification, more like the Son and less like the world. 

Doesn’t Make Sense

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Why would someone choose to do something that is harmful to himself? Certainly we can understand if someone like the demoniac, who had an evil spirit, was injuring himself. “And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:5). 

Self harm isn’t supposed to be normal behavior. “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it,” (Ephesians 5:29a). For us the problem is when we think we are doing something good for our flesh (meaning what the flesh wants), and it is, in actuality, not good for us. Often we do know in the back of our minds, it is harmful, but we want it anyway. 

What “self” do we love and are we listening to – the new man in Christ or the old man of the flesh? Whatever man we love the most is the one we feed the most. The one we feed the most is the one who is stronger and “wins.” Clearly the demoniac had no new man and hence only did what his demon-controlled, sinful nature led him to.  

Desires Feeding

Christ-led new man, Time in the Word, Sharing Christ, Praying, Worshipping with the brethren, Discipling your children

The old man, Watching TV, Watching the world’s movies, Watching sports, Partying/drinking, Watching children in sports

My Brothers, what “man” are you feeding and hence is the one making the decisions in your life? Be Christ-led. 

Jesus said, “….Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given” (Mark 4:24).

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24).