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The 4 R’s of Fighting Fiery Darts!

Jan6

As I was praying the other day, these thoughts came to my mind.  As I pondered them, I realized I had material for my next Fiery Dart blog post.

RECOGNIZE!

So how do we recognize fiery darts? Examine the effect the “suspicious thought” has on you.  Does it produce confusion, fear, doubt, anger, inferiority, indecisiveness, jealously, or selfishness, for example?  quote from p.33 FD

REJECT!

As soon as you determine that the suspicious thought is a fiery dart, then reject it.  Remember, by allowing it to remain the poison of the fiery dart begins seeping into your mind influencing the formation of negative attitudes and actions. 

REPEAT!

Wield the power found in repeating Isaiah 54:17 immediately, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper…”, so as to prevent the fiery dart thought from imbedding itself into your mind. 

 REPLACE!

Finally, replace the fiery dart thought with a verse or thought of the type mentioned in the following verse. Philippines 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I hope this little tip serves you well.  And may the fiery darts formed against you not prevail!

God bless!

Truth vs Lies!

Nov12

Lies, Truth

The lies of fiery darts are attempting to place you in bondage.

Hope

But Hope in God’s Truth will release you from its bondage,

Jeremiah 29:11

But you must acknowledge that God is Truth!

How can a country know Truth when they have rejected the source of Truth–God?  Of course, you can’t know Truth apart from God. (John 18:37)  But apparently there are many (too many) who believe that it can be done and down through the ages they have attempted to do so. The results of their efforts have given birth to a definition based on lies.  For those who have rejected God’s Truth, darkness has become a way of life for them. They have become so accustomed to the dark that they see the darkness as light and the light as darkness.  Ooh, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  (Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,…)  And the resulting man’s truth has created a climate of fear and bondage throughout our land.

Unless,

we are willing to acknowledge God as the source of Truth, then and only then will the Light of Truth shine down upon us, exposing the fiery darts that we have allowed to plunge us into darkness.  When we acknowledge the Light of Truth, then Hope, and Faith will return and we will be released from the bondage of the lies and the fear they produce.

Take heart Christians,

in the following verse:

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

I write this post because America is in serious trouble. And because so many of our leaders are blinded to the Truth, we must be careful not to be caught up in their deception. We must not allow the lies of their truth to destroy our Hope. Instead we must dig deep into God’s Word and arm ourselves with God’s Truth.  And in obeying that Truth, we will discover that God is in control and man is not. (Daniel 4:35 and Isaiah 14:27) We will discover there is nothing to fear.(Isaiah 41:10)  We will discover He has good plans that we can place solid hope in now and for our future (Jeremiah 29:11).  We will discover that no matter what may come our way God will cause it all to work out together for our good. (Roman 8:28)  I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point!

So, Keep the Faith.

And remember, that other’s lack of faith in God and their disobedience to Him, in NO way diminishes God’s Truth. 

Until next post,

What we think determines how we feel. . . or “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.”

Nov3

Ponder this quote from my book:

What we think determines how we feel and what we feel influences our actions.  p. 15, Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice

The mind is constantly thinking.  Everything we see, feel, or touch, influences the thoughts we think.  Thus, how we behave will be determined by what we think.

If there is a troublesome behavior with which you seem to struggle, as a Christian what are you going to do about it?  Do you find yourself saying,

“I just can’t seem to help myself.”

Paul talked about this very thing in the Book of Romans.  He struggled like so-o-o many of us do.  Just read this:

For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Romans 7:19

I feel his pain, don’t you? 

I want to talk to those of us, who find ourselves doing things we really don’t desire to do.  Like, caving in to negative thinking (fiery dart thinking) like the following: (list is just random thoughts that came to mind.)

feeling sorry for ourselves, (blaming others for the problems in our lives)

living an undisciplined life, lack of self-control (you know, eating too much, not having consistent quiet time, giving into temptation, stop going to church),

being unwilling to say no to ourselves, going after what we want when we want it (and always feeling guilty in the process),

believing that we are inferior to others or superior (being blind to our mistakes)

not having confidence in ourselves,

believing what the world says about us and to us, more than believing what God’s Word says on that subject.

Did you know that all of the above are examples of fiery dart thinking?

If we keep giving in to this type of thinking, our futures are in jeopardy.  We will believe things about ourselves that aren’t true. (Prov. 23:7) We will stray from the path God has planned for us and His peace, security, and success  for us becomes seriously threatened. Is that what you want?  Of course not!

Then here’s what I suggest you do!

1. Get your Bible out and open it up.  Start reading it.  Commit to reading just one verse every day.  I suggest, Jeremiah 29:11 for starters. Don’t commit to much more than that.  You don’t want to set yourself up for failure. 

2. Say a one sentence pray.  “Dear God, Guide me.”  That’s enough.  Once again, don’t set yourself up for failure.  You’ve experienced too much of that already.

Start every day, for the next week (or whatever length of time you are comfortable with) , using this verse and prayer.

If you like, let me know what happens.

By the way, when you are sitting with nothing to do, perhaps you would like to read my book.  It will be your training manual on how to overcome negative thinking (fiery dart thinking) referred to in this post. (There’s a 5-step plan on p. 79 you should find interesting.)

I will be praying for you,

Until next post–

Truth vs truth!

Oct21

Please note that this post will remain current for one more week.  Felt it was a message that needed more opportunity to sink in, so to speak!

                                                                                Who should I listen to?

Who should I listen to?

Who’s telling you the Truth?

Let me explain the above caption.  You might notice that I have capitalized the word “truth”. That is not a  typo. I did that on purpose.  For if you’ve read my book, you are familiar with the contrast between Truth and truth.  But for those of you who haven’t  yet read my book, allow me to share this excerpt from Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice 

As we become less and less familiar with the Truths of Scripture the mindset of truth that is determined by the world and our experiences with that world begin to make more and more sense.  But remember, it is corrupted truth because it fails to recognize the standard of Truth, which  is God and His Word! 3   p. 27   

Truth or truth

(You get to choose! ! ! !)

The above illustration depicts the inner conflict (with a different twist) associated with fiery darts.  In this depiction the conflict is not between good and evil but between Truth (which has its basis in Scripture) and truth (which has its basis in worldly logic).  Allow me to elucidate!

A young lady is struggling trying to fit in with her new church friends. Yet, they are not making it easy for her.  Also, she has recently entered into a relationship with a young man who is nice enough, but does not offer her the spiritual support she needs to identify the best solution to the problem.

A woman, struggling with image problems, (which includes just about the entire female population) often fights a loosing battle when it comes to resisting the negative influences of  fiery dart thinking.

In the first illustration the young lady is so wrapped up in the world of wonder of this new relationship that she is not willing to admit that her dream guy has become a distraction from hearing Truth (good angel in the picture).  The common sense truths (coming from the bad angel) make a lot of sense to her.  So as she focuses more and more upon the truth thoughts, her ability or desire to focus on Truth thoughts diminishes.

In the second illustration a woman must understand the battle being waged between Truth and truth, before she can secure a victory.

In each case a choice has to be made as to which type of thoughts will be favored.  Often this choice is influenced by how much we know of God’s Word as opposed to how much we know of the mindset of truth of the world.  If the scales tip in favor of the world’s truth and we add the weight of our own desires, then its pretty much a given that we will make choices that do not please God and will not be for our good.  Eventually, we will realize this but by then we will have become so entrenched in fiery dart thinking that we won’t be able to see or understand that there is any other solution.

THE REMEDY!

The remedy isn’t rocket science, although the fiery darts will attempt to convince you otherwise.  It’s really quite simple:

1.  Prayer (consistent & honest conversations with God)

              2.  Being familiar with the Truth’s of Scripture

These two remedies applied often to what ails us, will empower us to recognize the fiery dart thoughts that are bombarding our minds.  Once they are identified as fiery darts, then their power to rule our attitudes and actions fizzles.  The more we focus on God’s advice then the healthier we become IF we apply it, of course.

Remember this:

. . . the Enemy has a plan as well?  Scriptures are obvious in describing Satan’s plan in John 10:10a, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;…” (NIV)  So what is it that the Enemy desires to steal, kill, and destroy?  The answer is obvious – anything God has planned for us!        

            The second half of John 10:10 reveals an aspect of God’s plan for His children, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV)  FD, p. 1

You get to choose, so make choices that reflect the 2nd half of John 10:10, not the first half.  AND if you don’t already have my book, please order it asap.  Just type in the title, Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice, to place your order. 

Why I can resist the temptation to despair?

Oct14

So much of what is going on in my beloved country today, quite frankly, disturbs me. And were it not for what I read in the Bible, I would despair.  Did you notice that I said, “Were it not for what I read in the Bible. . .”  There’s a verse in Lamentations which gives me the basis for why I can resist the temptation to despair.

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. Lam. 3:22-23

What I would like to share with my readers today applies to those who acknowledge the Bible as the source of Truth and have accepted Christ as their Savior.  

As I read God’s Word, The Bible, (and I make a daily practice of it. Not because I feel obligated to so that I can call myself an obedient Christian, but because the Word’s I read there, provide me with the strength I MUST have to face my daily struggles  without giving up in despair and sinking into depression.)

The lessons that teach me how to recognize fiery darts and how to counter their attack have become even more relevant as I listen to current news and read post exposing the ugliness spreading all across our land from coast to coast.

Maybe there was a time when we could bury our heads in the sand with the hope that by the time we lifted our heads the trouble would have passed.  But not today!  We must be aggressive in prayer and become active in reclaiming the ground WE gave over. Remember as Christians we have been given a mandate from God: 

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.2 Chronicles 7:14:

And before I go any further, did you notice this verse was directed to people who are called by God’s name?  That means Christians, you know!

Why is it Christians can face what is going on in our country and not despair? Lots of reasons, actually, but here’s a few:

  1. God said in the Bible that the day would come when evil would be called good, and good would be called evil.
  •  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; Isaiah 5:20

2.  And God warned us in His Word about the perils of the last days.

  • But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived 2Timothy 3:13 

3.  We are also warned:

  • There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 

And the further we distance ourselves from God’s Word (and the less we speak to Him in prayer), the less familiar we become with the ‘right’ way.  We become victimized by the lies of fiery darts and we can no longer recognize Truth. We begin to believe lies. I mean REALLY believe! Does that describe anybody in Washington that you know of?

So when we see the evil in the headlines being reported as good and vice versa, we can go to God’s Word for an explanation.  Why is that important to know?  Because knowing this keeps us from being blind sighted and puts us on our guard.

Because we are knowledgeable of the warnings God gives to us, we are also alerted to the fact that God has prepared a way for us to be overcomes.  Here’s a few to lift your spirits and protect you from despair.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and  petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippines 4:6-7

no weapon forged against you will prevail, Isaiah 54:17

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

My personal favorite:

Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord trust in Him, and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday. Psalm 37:3-6

Yes, the fiery darts will tempt us to be fearful and fill us with despair.  But for those of us who take to heart the contrasting Truths in God’s Word we can resist this temptation with:

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.Psalm 42:5

If you desire to become more equipped to recognize fiery darts and how to successfully wield the power of God’s Word against them, then please become more informed by reading my book:

Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice

God does not want you to be unhappy or to suffer.

Sep7

The title of this post contains two powerful fiery darts that when working in tandem produce a force so powerful that few can withstand it.  Sadly even Christians, (especially those who have been desensitized to God’s Truth), fall prey to the deceptive destruction of this wicked duo!

Folks, I’m convinced, the world (and desensitized Christians), have a misconception of suffering.  I think I can figure out why the world doesn’t understand suffering but why Christians?

Here’s my explanation!

Before Satan can be successful with the use of fiery darts, he must do a little groundwork.  As I mentioned in the latter part of Chapter Two, in order for us to be desensitized toward the lies of fiery darts, we must have our understanding of the Truths of Scripture diminished.  By tempting us to spend little time in God’s Word, our ability to recognize the lies of fiery darts is equally diminished if we give in to that temptation.  In the place of God’s Truth, the world’s concept of truth begins to define our thinking. p. 23, Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice

Okay, in a nutshell!

Christians don’t read and study their Bibles enough!

And because they don’t read and study their Bibles enough, they can be more easily persuaded that their goal in life is to be happy (with as little suffering as possible).  But no one lives this life without experiencing suffering–no one.  So where did we get the idea that we aren’t suppose to suffer?

When the world’s concept of truth trumps God’s Word in people’s minds (and I’m talking about church going people) then their minds become a target for fiery dart thinking. Thinking that keeps us from understanding that it’s not the suffering that’s the problem.  It’s how we react to suffering that is the problem!

When we begin to grow unhappy in a relationship, say a marriage, then fiery dart thinking will tempt us to justifying leaving the marriage.  For instance, the following thoughts are typical of the line of reasoning your thoughts might take:

“God doesn’t want me to be miserable.  Staying in this marriage makes me miserable, and that’s not good for my children.  If I could be happier with someone else then my children would be better off.”

Our world today tells us that if you aren’t happy in your relationship then the most logical and best solution is to break it off.  And since that is what most want to hear, it’s embraced as Truth.  But you know what the Truth is here?  Read this:

There is a way that seems right to a man,But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12

I’m pretty sure that the root of our problem lies on p. 67 of Fiery Dart: Satan’s Weapon of Choice.

Because of the Adamic Curse everything in this world serves our flesh.  Therefore, relationships will exist to serve our wants and needs.  This is why the fiery dart that “marriage exists to make us happy” is so powerful.

BUT HOLD ON, THAT’S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG,

READ ON: (As Mr. Bennett says)

Something basic to living life as a Christian must be nailed down here before we can successfully move forward.  The purpose for which we exist is to be conformed into the image of Christ. Colossians 3:9-10: “Do not lie to one another, for you have taken off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.” (Good News Bible)

That means that everything and every relationship in our experience exists to serve the purpose of conforming us into God’s image in order to bring us into a full knowledge of Himself.  As we become more like Christ, we are going to grow into a fuller knowledge of God.

         So, how does the purpose for which we are to exist relate to the purpose of marriage?  In the book entitled, Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas, an intriguing question is asked, “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” pp. 67-68, Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice

READ ON:

Therefore, if marriage is designed to make us holy, then that involves conforming us into the image of Christ.  But how is that accomplished?  Scripture answers this question by pointing out that marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church.  Ephesians 5:25-26, p. 68, Fiery Darts

READ ON:

The husband, then, is to love his wife using the way in which Christ loved the church as his blueprint and the wife is to respect her husband using the church’s submission to Christ as her blueprint.  The sanctification process, that is the process of making us holy, is the motivation for the husband to love his wife and the wife to respect her husband. When you see yourself and your spouse as objects of sanctification then how you treat each other will be defined by that understanding. p. 69, Fiery Darts

There’s a lot more in my book on this subject but honestly when I read Gary Thomas’s book, I confess the concept of the purpose of marriage to make us holy was news to me! ! ! ! !  But folks, it makes sense.  A lot of sense.

Have you ever thought, “I’m not happy anymore in this marriage (relationship),” and began contemplating ending the relationship?  Perhaps, you should read the rest of my book!

When bad looks good!

Aug30

In recent days the headlines have been buzzing with the performance exploits of a certain young entertainer.  She presented herself onstage as someone who was not constrained by any sense of right or wrong, proper or improper public behavior.  And much of the nation was shocked!

And why were we shocked?

Why, because this young lady started out portraying a wholesome image, and parents (many of them Christian) put their stamp of approval on her by encouraging the idolization of their young daughters for her.  Her motivation for wholesomeness apparently wasn’t based in pleasing God, therefore did she ever get off track! Then when she went to the ‘dark side’ suddenly these same parents were horrified at the influence this young lady might now have over their daughters.

Consider this.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20 HCSB

A commentary on this verse nails it when it comes to describing what is going on in our country today:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil,…. That call evil actions good, and good actions evil; that excuse the one, and reproach the other; or that call evil men good, and good men evil; Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Let’s face it, we live in a country that is seeing the verse in Isaiah 5:20 played out in almost every level of society and in every venue.  How did we get so far off track?  A quote from my book should shed some light.

 “… allowing society to have more of an influence on our understanding … than we allowed God to have.” pp. 76-77 Fiery Darts

In chapter 7 of Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice, I make the point that loving God and pleasing Him (not the world) is the best motivation in determining how we should behave.

When we have a clearer understanding of true love then much will change in our lives depending on the extent of our level of what we have misunderstood. We will want to change things like our dress, our attitudes, our activities, our speech and the manner in which we behave towards others.  When we are motivated by a pure love for God, then we will want to please Him in all our ways as 1 Timothy 4:1a points out, “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God,…” (NIV) Therefore, when we identify things in our lives that don’t please God, we will desire to eliminate those things.

If you identify things in the lives of others that do not please God, why would you want to give them the preciousness of your focus and admiration?  When you choose your objects of admiration, make sure their ways please God.

So parents and young people alike.  Your focus and admiration is a valuable commodity and it should be directed toward those who are worthy.  Don’t throw away your admiration on someone who has fame and fortune just because they have fame and fortune, Duh!.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12, HCSB

Remember, fiery darts are designed to make something that is bad look good.  Just like it says in Proverbs, it may look good to man but it’s a dead end path.

So what must you do as parents?  Model for your children what is worthy of our admiration and what is not.  Talk about why it’s worthy or not worthy.  Be smart about what the Word says about those seeking our children’s attention and direct them towards those whose ways please God.  And most of all:

Dig deep into the Word of God so you will not be deceived by fiery dart thinking and pass what you learn there along to your children.  

Winter of Life (What do the fiery darts have to say about it?)

Aug9

There’s a lot on my mind this morning as I write this blog.  Was in the middle of my quiet time and my mind would not settle down.  So, I will attempt to release these thoughts via my blog then maybe I can get on with my day!

A couple of weeks ago I turned 65.  In this country, turning 65 is an ordeal of research and paper work.  Sifting through the outgrowth of all that can be somewhat overwhelming. (Of course, my lot is complicated because I am a year older than my husband.  He has now the benefit of learning exactly what to do a whole year in advance! What an advantage! ! ! !)  I won’t go into the details of all that but suffice it to say it involves choosing Plans (and there are multitudes of them).  It’s a burdensome and stressful process.  (Jeremiah 29:11 carried me through though.  Being a Christian and being able to rely on God for His wisdom is a very handy thing during a time like this!)

Not only does our government complicate this aging process but there are a myriad of fiery darts that are designed to cut you off at the pass, so to speak, and make this part of life’s journey as difficult and as complicated as possible. As a sort of therapy for myself (always helps me to put into writing the stuff churning around in my head), I would like to share some of those stinking fiery darts that are messing with my mind right now.  My sharing has a two-fold purpose, helping me and helping you (I hope).

I have a dear friend whose husband’s life’s journey is almost over.  As I watch her struggling with her own fiery darts (and can you just imagine what she must be dealing with?) the depressing fact of my own mortality looms always before me.

http://joneycaudill.blogspot.com (Her husband has parkinson’s and the title of her blog is “The Long Goodbye”

In comparing my life to the seasons, I find myself in the winter of my life. (Can’t color it away or hide it anymore)  I’m not very comfortable with that honestly.  Being in the winter of life in lots and lots of ways is not very appealing.  Why?  

Well, here’s the fiery darts of it!

Our bodies are wearing out and wrinkling up!

Aches and pains are a constant bother!

We are growing less useful to our families and friends!

Children are living their own lives and we don’t feel as valued by them!

We aren’t admired and respected as we once were!

Plain and simple we are dwindling in every aspect of life and are running out of time, or so it seems.

Well, you know that’s only the tip of the iceberg.  And if the fiery darts were to be given free reign, the downward spiral would take over and the winter of our lives would become cold and bitter.

I tell you (and myself), that is not God’s plan!

 His plans are for our good, remember?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Almost daily, I pray that God will give me the strength to not give in to the destructive negativity of these fiery darts, to remind me that these thoughts are not from Him but the evil one, and for the grace to cooperate with the Truths of His Word.

So my dear readers, when those fiery darts begin consuming your thoughts,

Turn your focus towards God and He will help you replace them with His thoughts, such as:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23

Finally, brothers and sisters whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever  is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Philippines 4:8

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8

Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.  Isaiah 26:3

Why are you in despair, Oh my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. Psalm 42:5

Now, don’t you feel MUCH better?  Of course you do, that’s God’s plan!

So when it gets overwhelming and you seem to be loosing your way, pull up these scriptures and be reminded of what God has planned for you (and me).  Like me you may have to print them out on cards and keep them handy so you can resist the temptation to despair and be constantly reminded of the hope you have in God’s plans.

All things Work Together for Good!

Aug2

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. – Rom. 8:28

There they go!

There they go!

A Present Background!

My daughter and her husband are on a cruise celebrating their 10th year anniversary and my husband and I have the privilege to travel to their home so that we could take care of their 3 children, (8 yr. old girl, 7 yr old boy, 3 year old girl).  I use the word privilege deliberately because to my husband and I anytime God makes it possible for us to spend time with our grandchildren we consider that a profound privilege.  

A Little Past Background!

Years ago, when I struggled with God in releasing my children to Him, my mind was bombarded with a fearsome fiery dart.  “If you release your children to God, He might call them to live far, far away from you!”  At the time I couldn’t bear that thought.  Yet, deep within my soul, I knew it was something I had to do.  I couldn’t run from it and I couldn’t hide from it.  I couldn’t live in denial and ignoring this calling from God, would in no way dismiss my obligation to obey God. 

So, by the grace of God, (and I mean ONLY by the grace of God) I lifted my children up to Him with a trembling heart and promised that I would teach my children to obey and serve God–being comforted by the thought that:

The safest place on earth, is in the center of God’s will.

I did ask God for a favor, however.  I asked Him that if His plans for any of my children involved planting their lives in a place far away from me, that God would make it possible for me to travel to where ever they were to spend time with them.   I didn’t demand this or make this conditional.  For I confessed to God that I would do this hard thing, no matter what!  But I would be more than grateful if I could live in the hope that He would make this possible.  And as you might expect, that is exactly what God has done.

My daughter lives  in Florida, so the fact that God provided us the means to purchase airline tickets to go and be with them is just proof positive that He continues to be tender to my request of all those years ago.  God is indeed faithful.

Now, back to the present!

My husband drove our daughter & son-in-law to the port about an hour’s drive from their house to board their cruise ship and in getting there, our daughter discovered she did not have her driver’s license.  (Panic time!)  Which obviously meant that with no picture id she would not be allowed to board the ship!

I got a phone call from them asking me to check the printer to see if her license was still there.  Sure enough, there it was, along with two insurance cards.  There was nothing to do but to contact my husband and tell him he would have to turn right around and go back to where he had been.  Ugh!  (Problem was, he wasn’t answering his phone so the temptation to freak out was intensifying.)  But everyone held on to their trust that God would work this out and resisted the fiery darts that were attempting to undermine our trust.

Finally, my husband answered his phone and it was decided that when he got back to the house, the kids and I  (along with the 3 important cards) would jump in the car with him and we would all return to the port-of-call so we could hand over the forgotten cards.

So how did this all work out for the good?

We had talked about the children being able to see their parents off at the ship, but decided that wasn’t practical. (Not enough room in the car)  Yet, because of the present dilemma, the kids were able to see the cruise ship their parents would be on (note the picture above).  

Another tidbit of interest is that had not my daughter and son-in-law left as early as they did, we wouldn’t have been able to get the driver’s license to them in time and the trip would have been spoiled.

As I prayed with my grandchildren that night, I thanked God for the opportunity we all had to witness how God took something that was not so good and turn it into good for all.  (Just like He said in Romans 8:28)

Isn’t it awesome to be a Christian!

Truth = Genuine Freedom!

Jul5
Proud of my country's flag!

Proud of my country’s flag!

Today my country is 237 years old.

Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago today, a bunch of ordinary men got together and did something extraordinary and here’s how they went about it:

Before they signed the Declaration of Independence, they went to church for four hours. Then they went to the hall and prayed an hour before they signed it. Several ministers were involved in the decree for independence.

These men knew that freedom wasn’t license to do whatever you wanted to do. They knew that TRUE freedom came through Faith, with Morality, Law, Education, and Liberty, based on Christian values and principals and steeped in the love of God. (Matrix of Liberty)

Our country’s forefathers were fresh from prayer and sacrifice as they signed that Declaration of Independence.  Therefore, the fiery darts had little chance to interfere with or manipulate their attitudes and/or actions.  Most of those men were Christians and I dare say ALL of them respected the Word of God.  Men like this didn’t give the fiery darts much room to mess with their minds.

But through the years this has changed.  No longer is America led by men and women who have a healthy respect for God and His Word.  Many don’t even believe He exists.  Personal agendas trump God’s agenda more often than not. How did we get from 1776 to 2013 and wind up so far from the principals we were founded on?

There are so many ideologies floating around in the halls of our leadership, and each one of them proclaim they want freedom.  Yep, you heard me freedom!  BUT it’s not freedom they really want.  Their freedom is just the fiery dart of license dressed up to look like freedom.  The enemy is so-o-o cleaver, I’m sad to say, and many of us have fallen prey to his deceptions.   

But we do have hope!  Our land can be healed.  It will require something rather dramatic of us, though.

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

This is what is all boils down to:

We need to humble ourselves

Pray

Seek God

Turn from our wicked ways

And there’s something  quite significant as to whom this verse is directed:

My People

(That’s Christians, people)

No fiery dart will tell you to start solving our country’s problems by humbling ourselves in prayer, seek God, and repent!  Nope, it will tell you to demand your rights, deny God, assert yourselves and don’t you dare call it ‘wicked’ (even if God does).  And if anyone comes against you for that, then the fiery darts will convince you that whatever you have to do to shut them up is acceptable.  Do you know why they think like that?

I think the Bible nailed it in the following verse.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Isaiah 5:20

So, fellow Christians we have our mandate.  Don’t expect those who have rejected God to start acting right.  It’s not going to happen.  It’s not their fault our country has strayed so far away from our beginnings, for they are just acting as people like them have always acted.  We allowed it by not standing up for the principals our country was founded on.  We got away from God’s Word, and the further we drifted the cloudier truth became.  

We must get back into God’s Word and allow His Truth to dictate our attitude and actions.  Our country was founded and built upon the Truths of God.  Therefore, no other truths will produce what God’s Truth produces, 

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Romans 8:32