Archives

Changing Seasons and new things…

Dec30
Autumn
Winter
Summer
Spring

Be choosy about what you allow to enter your mind. Something like the following would be an excellent choice for the coming New Year.

Seasons of life come and go. And here we are with Winter season well underway and at the end of another year. As the year ends, most of us anticipate an opportunity to begin anew. If we’ve made some mistakes in 2025 that we would like to correct, here’s our chance.

Here’s some suggestions that hopefully will promote corrections. Identify what happened in our heads that set the course for some of those mistakes we made. Let’s start with how often do we spend time with God in prayer and His word? How balanced are those two disciplines? Remember, if we are going to thwart the enemy’s plans, we must know how he is going to attack. The Bible reveals Satan’s strategy. Is it any surprise that one of the foremost tricks up Satan’s sleeve is to keep us ignorant of what the Bible says about him? (Remember, he comes to steal, kill, and destroy)

Ignoring God’s word, leaves us wide open for Satan’s initial assault. And guess where that is. Yes, the family. Has bitterness and misunderstanding replaced the love that once reigned? Do we find ourselves blaming others for the emotional pain we endure? Does condemnation and finding fault with those who have hurt us rule our thoughts? I think we all know the source of such emotional fiery darts.

What can we do differently to break the cycle of division in our family? First, asking ourselves the following question would be a good start. Whose voice do I listen to and follow? Satan has orchestrated such deception in this area. What’s the deception? Placing Self in the position of authority in our lives. Direct opposition to the way revealed in the Bible. But we won’t know that, if we aren’t allowing God’s word to guide our steps. What then is our mode of correction?

From this point forward, go back to a balanced effort of reading the Bible and spending time with God in prayer. Ask God for the strength to forgive where we have been wronged and to ask for forgiveness where we have wronged others. Peace and harmony will happen as a result. Swallow that pride or you will be headed for a fall. God has better plans for you.

Next year, let’s make the switch. Submit to God’s authority and see if we don’t notice some healing and correction of past mistakes. See if we don’t experience some new things, some reconciliation in this New Year!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

My Discovery? …Choosing My Weapons

Dec16
Ephesians 6:16

I mentioned in my previous post that I discovered in mid-life something transformational regarding prayer. This discovery involves connecting the point of our petition with something concerning that prayer from God’s word, the Bible.

Please allow me to give you a personal example. I’m 77 years of age. My husband and I have been empty nesters for some years. Our children now live in distance places. And as life progresses and the grans get older, coming home for Christmas isn’t as doable as it once was. Honestly readers, as a result, Christmas has lost some of its glitter for me. Not in the message, of course, but in accumulation of family memories.

As the scenes have changed, I have learned to draw upon God’s comforting words to dispel the fiery dart of loneliness. There’s a verse I learned as a child, This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 NKJV. This verse came to my mind as a weapon in combating the enemy’s attacks. I pondered this verse and it shaped my prayer. “Dear LORD, This day, this time, although not what I would choose for myself, is the day you have made for me. And since You have made it, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Framing my Christmas with this truth helped me maintain a more positive perspective. Therefore, EVERY TIME the sadness approaches I head it off with this verse. And the fiery dart is extinguished. The enemy’s weapon does not prevail. Instead, I defeat the temptation to think self-centered thoughts and began a nose dive into depression. I am at peace with what God planned for me. I am open to enjoying the Christmas God has prepared for me.

And the benefits or blessings by praying this prayer, is that my heart is open to the blessings available to me. Time not crowded with preparations for a big family gathering opens up new possibilities. Thus I am reading an Advent devotional which is powerful in fixing my focus on the true meaning of Christmas. As I focus more on the Christ child and less on myself, the sadness that stands in the wings is depleted.

So by lifting my shield of faith, God supplies me with just the right weapon to defeat the enemy’s attacks. Just when I need them, I’m reminded of Truths such as Psalm 118:24 & Ephesians 6:16. These words are the weapons that will undo and thwart the enemy’s plans. By spending time with God daily and His word, I am informed as to the particular weapon I need to choose.

Is giving God a portion of each day, by spending it with Him in prayer and His word, lacking? If so, imagine a warrior going into the battle without their weapons! Defeat is certain isn’t it! Which will be the outcome for anyone entering the battle fray without the proper weapons.

Casual Christianity?

Nov5

Ever since World War II, there has been a steady decline in Christianity. In the 1960’s there was social upheaval, the sexual revolution, and a questioning of institutions. That fueled a greater withdrawal. And the steady decline continued.

In the meantime, our claim of being a Christian nation slowly faded. Sadly, it was accepted that we just weren’t what we use to be. We settled for a casual attitude in displaying our faith. It became much more acceptable to lower our aim. Living a committed Christian life wasn’t necessary anymore. Gradually, attending church or reading our Bibles grew less important. Life just got in the way and left little room to include a sincere faith walk with God. But have we stopped to consider the repercussions of such a choice?

A whole list of Pandora’s box lifestyles have emerged: same sex marriage, abortion, transgenderism, hyper individualism, rebellious and disrespectful behavior towards parents or any authority figure, cohabitation as opposed to marriage, and so much more.(btw, Ever read 2 Timothy 3:2-4?)

So I would ask, is the price we paid to have the freedom (or should I say license) to do what we wanted to do without the inconvenience of having someone speak against it given us the happiness we were seeking? Apparently not! For Psychology Today reports that Americans are not a very happy group of people.

But someone was happy about all of this. The enemy’s gloating laughter echoes throughout the country, in homes, in churches, in our schools, our places of business, the halls of government. Yet take heart my dear readers, for his seemingly incessant attacks can be thwarted. His glee can be diminished. How? By the power of God within us! Read on!

When we return to the realization that we need God. That we need to spend time with Him in prayer and His word. That’s the core weapon that we have access to. The mighty weapon that can tear down the strongholds of human reasoning and destroy false assumptions of the enemy’s fiery darts. And leaning into the Truth that God within us is greater than the enemy in the world. By remembering that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a strong mind. And by fearlessly planting our feet of faith into whatever situation we find ourselves. By unashamedly proclaiming who we are in Christ. (Like I’m thrilled to be witnessing in the public arena these recent days.) By focusing on the mighty works of God in creation and in history, proving He can do anything. Starting by bringing individuals back to their senses.

Now is the time to draw upon the power of His might as is referred to in Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might.” Only God’s strength can successfully stand against the spiritual forces that entice and manipulate us to be casual about our faith.

Truth stands on its own; lies require constant upkeep…

Oct22

I did some online research on the topic of what Evil (and those in league with evil, though they may not realize it) resorts to when it begins to loose ground against Truth. Then I compared my research with the actions displayed in social, political, spiritual, or personal settings. Many of the strategies my research exposed are showing up in these settings.

When God is rejected, Truth is rejected. For God is Truth. Therefore, when an entity or a person promotes narratives that aren’t based on God’s Truth, they must resort to lies and dishonesty to maintain their cause.

Allow me to list some of the common strategies my research revealed. We need to ask ourselves, “Does any of this sound familiar?”

  • Distraction & Misdirection — Instead of addressing the real issue, they shift the topic, create chaos, or invent new controversies to muddy the waters.
  • Character Assassination — When they can’t discredit the argument, they attack the person. Smears, rumors, and accusations become their weapons.
  • Victimhood Reversal — They present themselves as the oppressed to gain sympathy, even if they’ve been the aggressor all along.
  • Mockery & Ridicule — Rather than offering reason, they turn to sarcasm and scorn to socially pressure others away from truth.
  • Fear & Intimidation — Threats (social, financial, or physical) are used to silence opposition. If they can’t win, they try to shut you up.
  • Divide & Isolate — They attempt to turn allies against each other, encouraging infighting so that the movement for truth loses unity.
  • Redefining Words & Reality — They manipulate language, changing definitions so that truth itself becomes fuzzy or relative.
  • Projection — They accuse their opponents of the very wrongdoing they themselves are guilty of. This confuses the battlefield.
  • Buying Time — Endless debates, procedural delays, or “studies” — anything to stall truth long enough to maintain control.
  • Corrupting Institutions — If truth is gaining ground through fair systems, they rewrite rules, censor voices, or replace gatekeepers. (like universities for example)

What we have here are some very cleverly disguised fiery darts. Lies cleverly framed to make them unrecognizable to anyone who is not familiar with God’s Truth. Therefore, it behooves us to equip ourselves with the armor mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-18. By doing so, we can avoid being deceived & manipulated, in other words being victimized by the enemy.

Do we recognize these tactics? While this is disheartening, take heart. Instead turn to God’s word. For there we will find the resources we need to stand against the lies. We will know these tactics, based on human reasoning and false assumptions are no match for the mighty weapons of God. The louder the promoters of this deception become, the more confident we can be that Truth is already winning.

Charlie Kirk is now in heaven! Why is that?

Oct15

Yesterday, President Trump awarded posthumously the Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk. I turned to You Tube so I could listen to Erika and President Trump make their speeches. I remember thinking: I wish Erika and her children still had the physical presence of Charlie to hug them. I wish Turning Point still had Charlie’s physical presence to lead them. I wish America’s youth still had Charlie to lead them in finding truth or should I say TRUTH. I wish our country still had the presence of Charlie Kirk to help us in identifying evil. I wish we all still had the presence of Charlie Kirk to guide us toward faith and family and purpose.

But though he was taken from us by an assassin’s bullet, his influence and leadership remains. Satan and whoever was in cahoots with his plans, knowingly or unknowingly, have unleashed a force more powerful than they could have imagined. Satan never learns. He has tried the same tactic over and over to destroy God’s work. And turns out, he only upends his own evil plans.

Case in point: before Charlie’s death, there were about 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters of the Turning Point organization. Since Charlie’s death, requests for new chapters has increased to 62,000. And that number continues to rise.

Additionally, at Charlie’s memorial service the seeds of revival that he had been sowing throughout his career, burst forth. As a result, many of our political leaders, newscasters, and people of influence are now boldly proclaiming Jesus Christ. As I heard Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, say in an interview the other day, “We aren’t the bad guys anymore!” speaking of the new found freedom to speak of Jesus Christ within the halls of our government.

May this momentum continue to build. And to answer the question in the title of this post. It wasn’t Charlie’s good works that took him to heaven when he died! As abundant as they were! No! It was his acceptance of Jesus Christ when Charlie was in the 5th grade that assured his place in heaven. And that is true of anyone and everyone who realizes who Jesus Christ is. God’s Son who came to earth and satisfied God’s wrath against sin by dying in our place. Thereby, assuring Believers of a permanent, everlasting, home in heaven!

Fighting against the unseen…

Oct6
God’s word reveals deception, if God’s word becomes your filter!

 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 KJV

Let’s ask ourselves this question: ‘How much time do we spend in God’s word and in prayer.’ Unfortunately, there are some of us, though we call ourselves Christians, rarely open our Bibles. Additionally, we aren’t quite sure of even how to pray! Why is that?

If our vision is limited to only see the physical aspects of our social, political, or personal struggles, then we can fall prey to Satan’s manipulation and deception. Therefore, we won’t grasp that the real struggle or battle is on the supernatural level. And to wage war on that level, we need to be familiar with our Bibles.

For it is within the pages of Scripture where the enemy gets exposed. (Not surprising then is it that he would desire to keep us from opening such) Therefore, being able to identify the enemy and his tactics, we then search the Scriptures for the mighty weapons God has for us to use to defeat the enemy. Satan knows the 6th chapter of Ephesians, if applied, will upend his battle plan.

Becoming informed through the Truths laid out in Scripture, we will become equipped to weather the storms life will most certainly hurl at us. As we grow in this wisdom and knowledge, the curtain of deception is pulled back. We will conform to God’s Truth and be set free. The enemy’s fiery darts, sent to steal, kill, and destroy us will not only be exposed but extinguished.

Pray for discernment to see what is unseen!

Church? Does God have your attention now?

Sep14

It wasn’t the gun that killed Charlie Kirk, it was the guy who pulled the trigger and planned the deed. He had a heart problem. For you see, the Church has compromised God’s truths. The Church has failed to stand for Truth. For generations now, the lies of the enemy have been subtly digested by our students in the public school system. It’s been a slow, methodical digestion. And the source of this deception has manipulated and deceived us.

We have arrived at a time in history where good has been redefined as evil. Our hearts have succumbed to the constant and repetitive lies of the enemy. So much so that now we are unable to discern what is really evil or good. These types of lies (fiery darts), dressed up to appear as truth, have been absorbed into our minds. And look at the aftermath of such deception!

Then along comes a man, Charlie Kirk, willing to boldly and publicly proclaim Jesus as God’s son! A proclamation that one rarely hears these days except in a church (and sometimes so watered down we don’t recognize it). And certainly not in the public square! And of all things, ties the truths of Scripture to the solutions we should be seeking for the problems we face in our society.

The Bible tells us that we reap what we sow. And 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLV describes what it is that we will be reaping. Read it. Does it sound familiar?

This is the very thing Charlie Kirk was trying to warn us about. But we have been ignoring him, and others like him, and we are now reaping the whirlwind. So what needs to happen?

The Church, that’s you and me have been a sleeping giant for too long. Charlie’s death, a martyr’s death, I believe, will be our wake up call.

Remember:

2 Timothy 2:25, NIV, “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,..”

Doing right in your own eyes – isn’t a new idea!

Jul10
God’s way is always lit up!

Prevalent in society today is a philosophy that some feel is a modern day idea. It’s referred to as Self-Autonomy or Self-Rule. Meaning that the control of an individual’s actions and decisions stems from within the individual. And is based on personal desires, feelings, or societal influences. When they feel it’s necessary, they will put up boundaries to protect those freedoms. Such as cutting off communication with those they are in conflict with.

But guess what, it isn’t new at all. It wasn’t referred to as self-autonomy though. In Judges:17, 18, and 21 , we have the description of the Jewish people during the time of the Judges. Before their first king was chosen, the Jewish people were ruled by several judges. It was a period of moral confusion and disharmony due to the fact that everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Sound familiar?

Anyone searching for words to describe society today would certainly admit that we are in a state of moral confusion and disharmony. For you see, the same source that fueled human reasoning and false assumptions in the day of the Judges, hasn’t changed his game plan. And as long as people look within themselves to determine right from wrong confusion and disharmony will continue to build.

I think that those who are most affected by this ancient philosophy are today’s emerging adults. Considered adults only by their age they lack the wisdom that comes with time and experience. Some don’t feel the necessity of being accountable to God, their parents, or older and wiser adults. What they fail to realize is that relying on human wisdom alone without divine revelation leads to no good end. We are warned of this in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is the way of death.”

Therefore, I encourage young adults to examine the end result of such self-rule decisions. What are the consequences of neglecting God’s rule over self-rule? Can you really define right and wrong apart from God? Research societies that have replaced God’s rule with self-rule. What happened to them? Why do they desire to rule themselves? Whose voice are they listening to? What are the end results of your present choices?

When you arrive at the age of an adult, don’t make assumptions that alone qualifies you as ‘being’ an adult. Recognize this for the lie, fiery dart, that it is. The enemy will beguile you with all sorts of lies. And he will dress them up to make them enticing and believable. He will convince you to achieve your freedom at any cost. Even if you have to lie to or dishonor the older adults in your life.

Those who avail themselves of God’s truth can avoid the enemy’s deception. Remember that and be forewarned.

Worldly weapons vs God’s mighty weapons; Light vs Darkness

Nov3

2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

I have said this before but it bears repeating. When it comes to voting, in particular for our next President, we should be courageous enough to vote our values. And as far as Christians are concerned there should be no doubt as to what those values are.

Human reasoning and false arguments have been allowed to poison a portion of the Church’s thinking. It’s time to for the Light of God’s Truth to shine down upon our darkness and expose the lies we have embraced. And may God grant us repentance that we may come to a knowledge of the Truth, come to our senses, and escape the devil’s snare (fiery darts) having been captured by him to do his will. (based on 2 Timothy 2:24-26)

Are we using the wrong weapons?

Jun30

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, NLT)

Instead of the belt of truth, they fight with manipulation.
Instead of the breastplate of righteousness, they fight with the image of success.
Instead of the shoes of the gospel, they fight with smooth words.
Instead of the shield of faith, they fight with the perception of power.
Instead of the helmet of salvation, they fight with lording over authority.
Instead of the sword of the Spirit, they fight with human schemes and programs.https://enduringword.com/weapons-of-our-warfare/

It troubles me deeply as I watch people, especially Christians, suffering (without realizing they are suffering) from the effects of Satan’s manipulation. They don’t recognize their lack of desire to spend time with God in prayer and His word, is nothing more than a subtle attack of the enemy. An attack to keep them ignorant of the true weapons with which we can find the answers to the suffering and problems we all endure.

When problems arise, we will grab the weapons with which we are most familiar. If we are only familiar with the weapons of the world (like the ones mentioned above) lasting solutions or victory, or peace, or freedom, etc. will always evade us. .

Worldly weapons are fueled by human reasoning and false assumptions. Take a look at the church as a whole. Consider the human reasoning and false assumptions infilterating too many of them today. No real victory is achieved, only continual deterioration. Just what the enemy has in mind.

ONLY by becoming familiar with the weapons God has given us (again through spending time with God in prayer and His word) will we be wise to the enemy’s deception and manipulation. ONLY there can we find the answers to solve our problems.

So let’s examine ourselves. When problems, and suffering, enter upon the battlefield of our lives what weapons do we grab first? Do we turn to a verse in Scripture that will expose the true problem and solution? Do the weapons we choose actually resolve the situation or only prolong it?

Let’s be real here. Daily we are being attacked by the enemy. Therefore, daily we need to learn which weapons we should be choosing, and therefore have the wrong weapons exposed.