Easter: Where we find our Anchor…

Apr9

I watch and I see.

I watch those who have embraced the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I watch them in all sorts of scenarios. In the happy times they seem to go beyond happiness to know joy. That’s important you know, because happiness comes and goes, but joy is constant. For it is in the hard times that knowing joy provides them with the anchor to endure. Going through life with this anchor is everything good and right.

I watch and I see.

I watch those who have rejected the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I watch them in all sorts of scenarios. In the happy times they seem to have a diminished sense of true happiness. That is due to the fact that not knowing Jesus, they lack joy. So when happy times are fleeting and hard times fall upon them they don’t have the lifesaving resource that joy provides. They are left without an anchor. Going through life without this anchor is a tragedy.

Prepare the way…

Mar24

I was listening to a song just this morning which contained the above words. The song was referring to our preparing the way for Christ. It brought to my mind the verse in Matthew 3:3 ESV describing John the Baptist “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;…” So for me that begged the question:

How does one prepare the way for Christ?

Everyone and I mean EVERYONE goes through trials. No one is spared in this sin prone wilderness. But what is different is the manner in which we manage our trials. What does our faith look like at the end of a trial? Are we more messed up by that trial? Or are we stronger for having faced it?

We are not living in isolation on this earth. There are people all around us who watch us. If we proclaim to be a Christian, then they get particularly curious about how we handle trials. Why do we think that is? Obviously, everyone wants to overcome their trials. No one wants to be done it by them. So we go on the look out for someone who not only survives a trial but is the stronger and wiser for having gone through it.

It’s the exercise of enduring the trial that produces increased strength and wisdom. And that’s the person we want to examine. A person that doesn’t put on a fake front. A person that isn’t afraid to be real. A person that turns to God’s word to expose the lies (fiery darts) of the enemy. This exposure replaces the lies that breed hopelessness with God’s truths that inspire hope.

Therefore our question is answered. We prepare the way for Christ as we lean in to God’s truths during the trials we inevitably will face in life. Thereby, showing others the way to bring light into the darkness, to bring freedom to the captives, to restore the broken-hearted, to bring hope to the hopeless, to comfort all who mourn…

Contentment…

Mar5

For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Philippines 4:11

Let your conduct be w/o covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

It’s taken me far too many years to learn the lesson of how to be content. Perhaps that’s why I’m feeling the urge to share this with you. Hopefully, it won’t take you as long as it has taken me.

I think the first thing that needs to happen is to realize that all that we have is from God. And not just material goods, but people, place, experiences and situations. If we view these from this perspective, it dramatically changes how we perceive them.

Being the self-serving, self-centered beings that we are, we open ourselves to all sorts of trauma if we see these things: material goods, people, place, experiences and situations as something we obtained ourselves. We won’t hold on to them too tightly if we see them as coming from God, but if we don’t see them this way, then we are bound up in accumulating things for our own pleasure. And we all have heard the familiar phrase, “the more we have the more it controls us.” It’s a liberated feeling to be thankful for what we have been given by God.

Now how does this apply to me and why I would want to share this with you?

I’m 76 years old. I’ve pretty much lived my life and am not obtaining much in the way of new things. I’m just more or less in a state of maintaining. I wouldn’t mind doing some major decluttering either. My future grows shorter as every day passes. One of the troubling things for me is the losses I am experiencing. Losses of family members, dear friends. Things wearing out, my body growing weaker, etc.

I’m still learning and that’s refreshing actually. One of the things I’m learning is to be content with what God has given me and the situations He has allowed me to experience. When I find myself judging someone (fiery dart) due to the pain they have caused me, I am learning (yes, present tense) to bear with them and forgive them as God as forgiven me. It puts the situation in a whole new perspective if I can manager to put that verse into action. Then I direct my attention to what God would have me do in regard to the negativity that exists between us. Takes my focus off myself and onto God.

Hope these truth verses help you as they are helping me.

Be content with what we have been given!

Defining love:

Feb7

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

LOVE IS
Patient
Kind
Not jealous
Not boastful
Not proud
Not rude
Does not demand is on way
Not irritable
Keeps no record of being wronged
Does not rejoice about injustice
Rejoices when truth wins out
Never gives up
Never loses faith
Is always hopeful
Love endures through every circumstance

Consider those in our lives that we say we love. What do our actions towards them reveal as to how we define love? What do our actions towards them reveal as to who it is we love the most?

Failure to read…

Jan22

When we fail to read our bibles, what are the consequences? What happens when we fail to read a map? We lose our way. What happens when we fail to read an instruction manual? We become confused. It’s no different with the Bible, we lose our way and become confused. In this state of lostness and confusion we will search for someone or something that will remedy our lost and confused state. And the dumbest thing we can do is to check out everything but the Scriptures for a remedy. Now I ask you. Why would we do such a thing?

Okay readers, the answer is simple. We live in a world predisposed to sin. With Satan prowling around seeking whom he can devour, those of us ignorant of the instructions from God’s word about sin are easy pickings. This ignorance on our part, sets us up for the enemy’s deception and manipulation. We become victimized by human reasoning and false assumptions. Therefore, not surprisingly, his primary weapon will be to distract us from reading God’s word.

Satan’s point in his deception is to desensitize us regarding God’s instructions. Therefore, in order that our faith will not be reinforced or strengthened by reading and learning from the Bible, Satan creates distractions. (Just give a thought to the recent distractions that kept you from opening your Bibles lately.) Subtle weren’t they. The enemy knows that the less we know about what’s in the Bible, the greater is his advantage.

Consider the things we watch on tv, the movies we attend, the books we read, or the people we hang out with. Let’s ask ourselves this question. Do we find ourselves less sensitive to the difference between right and wrong after watching these shows, reading these books, or spending time with these people?

If we desire to thrive as a Christian, which by the way is God’s desire, then we must seek His instructions secured for us within the pages of the Bible.

Stronger for the struggle…

Jan14

2025 only 14 days old is already proving to be a tough year to handle. The wildfires in California, the turmoil in the Middle East, and Europe provide a bleak backdrop of expectations for the rest of the year. Other contributors such as the drastic increase in religious persecution, and the moral upheaval not just here in America but throughout the globe give cause for concern. And there’s oh so much more we have to contend with. Just watching the news reveals a world spiraling out of control.

The enemy seeming to have the upper hand is manipulating and deceiving individuals into believing and acting on the lies he feeds them. Our society has lost its senses actually. Senses about what is right and what is wrong. So much so that even sometimes Christians are confused regarding these issues. Why is this?

Could it be due to our inconsistency and/or neglect in the simple but powerful act of opening our Bibles to find out what God has to say about the choices we make? And when that void of life sustaining information runs low, the enemy stands all too ready to substitute his lies for God’s truths.

Now back to my first paragraph. We have deteriorated to a such a state that our perspective about it all doesn’t include even a flavoring of God’s word. We feebly attempt to solve our problems on our own because we aren’t even sure God exists anyway. And look where that has gotten us?

Nevertheless, in God we have hope? For God has the power and it’s His will to take the very thing that Satan meant for bad and turn it into good. The foremost example of this is the crucifixion of Jesus. For because of Jesus’ horrible death and suffering, followed by His glorious resurrection, all who believe in Him can’t be defeated by anyone or anything on this earth. Therefore, the aftermath of the enemy’s attacks will find us stronger for the struggle. So take heart and hope!

What is the Magic of Christmas?

Dec31

As my family has grown older, the celebrations reflect changes. This year took on a whole new change. None of our kids came to our house. Each celebrated Christmas in their own homes with their children and did not travel to Nammy’s house. We spent a quiet and comfortable day just my husband and I. There were things about this transition that I didn’t mind so much. The children didn’t have to juggle their schedules to make possible the lengthy travel and expense of travel. That had to be a relief for them. It’s stressful to say the least. And I wasn’t concerned about their traveling hours and hours to get here or the expense of flying for them.

So this year is a transition year. No stockings were hung by the fireplace. That’s a first. No Christmas menu, only my husband and I here to consume whatever we felt like preparing. Quiet sounds mixed with the sounds of tv Christmas movies drifted through our house.

But this is where the magic of Christmas enters. Because we don’t have family here, no stockings, no Christmas dinner and/or traditional snack foods, and the house is not filled with the laughter and teasing that fills up the house when they are all here. Wouldn’t this be a prime time for the enemy to show up? And he would, if it weren’t for the magic of Christmas.

For you see, the change of circumstances forces us to experience Christmas in a brand new way. We have to replace the old way of celebrating and find a new way to celebrate. Dwelling upon the genuine Christmas story of Jesus’ birth calls forth an awareness of just how much God loves us and what He was willing to go through in order to save us from our sins.

This year, in order not to be pulled down by what we don’t have this Christmas, God made a way for us to be lifted up by what we do have. We have a Savior who sacrificed His heavenly home to come to earth and make a way for us to join Him there when this life is over. Can we even begin to imagine that?

So, changes happen! And while our Christmas celebration looks completely different than before, when we focus on what we still have, the magic begins to happen. And that is the magic of Christmas-the gift of Peace!

Bored and lonely at Christmas…

Dec16

Not the usual word paring linked with Christmas, I know! Yet, I find that these two fiery darts collaborate to invade my thoughts this Christmas. My best friend, who was my confidant and companion, passed away early last year. By God’s grace, accepting the reality of her passing has been accomplished. Yet without her presence the temptation to be undone by the boredom and loneliness I feel without her is a recurring struggle.

We all know life experiences can sow seeds of loneliness and boredom. Contrast that with the fullness and warmth of Christmas and the mix can be unbearable at times. Lessening the fullness of one and intensifying the pull of the other. While Christmas is undeniably magical, life doesn’t always contribute to that magic. But life refuses to change its pace, no matter what it has thrown at us, even at Christmas time.

Donning a fake holiday countenance as our seasonal apparel, won’t remove the lonely and/or bored emotions hidden underneath. For when we withdraw from the celebratory crowd, those disturbing emotions come out of hiding. Emotions, or shall I say fiery darts, programmed to derail the healing magic of the holidays, in particular Christ’s birth.

So how do we, as Christians, outmaneuver the enemy’s attacks? In my book, Fiery Darts, I emphasize again and again the primary method to counter these attacks. Immersing ourselves in God’s word and connecting with Him in prayer. By becoming knowledgeable of the mighty weapons found in God’s word, we can preempt Satan’s attacks. We also increase our sensitivity to hear God’s Holy Spirit guiding us in prayer.

We achieve this through such weapons as is mentioned in Ephesians 6:16, “…above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”, and Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” And Psalm 91:2, reminds us “My refuge and my fortress; My God in whom I trust.” (and these are just a minuscule sampling of what’s available.)

But we need to “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 ESV” Calling upon God’s mighty weapons must be a daily discipline. For an unarmed Christian is easy prey for the enemy. During the Christmas season, there is an avalanche of emphasis on gift giving. It acts as a stealth weapon of the enemy. This emphasis causes us to become wrapped up in ourselves. A plethora of fiery darts including ones of boredom and loneliness will be used to devour us. To thwart the enemy’s plans, we must redirect our focus. Focusing instead on God’s mighty weapons revealed in His word.

Contentment – learning to trust that what we have has been given to us by God and He will use it to our good purpose. No matter what!

Dec9

We live in a world where contentment has become a neglected virtue. Those who have much, are often craving for more. While on the other end of the spectrum, those who have little grow weary of doing without. And it’s not only about possessions, but how about life situations? But how on this earth can we find contentment when on every hand we are bombarded with the enticement of desiring more? Having what others have?

The solution my dear readers is found within the pages of Scripture. For instance consider Philippians 4:11-13:

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13, NIV

How about if every time thoughts of discontentment attempt to cross the threshold of our mind, we quote Philippines 4:11-13 to ourselves? (And I mean every time!) If we are persistent, we will notice a loosening of the hold this fiery dart can have.

But what if we fail to familiarize ourselves with the truth of Philippians 4:11-13 and many more such verses? Human reasoning and false assumptions gain momentum. The plan of the enemy, to desensitize us to the power available to us, is set in motion. And all he has to do is to direct our attention away from the Word of God. By doing so, we wander about in the confusion of darkness.

If you notice, Paul emphasizes contentment is something we must learn. It doesn’t come easy. It takes effort and consistent dependence on what we learn as we avail ourselves to God’s word. When we do, we will be rewarded with the wisdom and strength necessary to rise abovePhilippians 4:13, situations that are designed to defeat us. No matter what they are!

The weapon of thankfulness: to be used year round…

Nov23

Recently, I encountered a bold attack of the enemy. And while it had the potential to shift my focus and start the downward momentum, it did not prevail upon me. Even now, though the outcome of my situation is unknown, I know calling upon this singular weapon of God’s, will undo the enemy’s plan.

Allow me to share a bit of background. Depression, for a major portion of my adult life, has often reared its ugly head. It’s first and most severe attack occurring after the birth of my first child during postpartum. Though I never got diagnosed, I survived it. I survived due to the knowledge of God’s unfailing protection. As I cared for my beloved child, God used her dependence upon me, to distract my self-focus. Years later, as the ground work for spiritual warfare was laid, God began teaching me how to recognize the attacks of the enemy, reject those attacks, and replace them with His truths. (p 93, 3rd edition, Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice)

Years later, after the up and down battles with depression, I finally locked on to the fact that spending time with God consistently in prayer and His word was my only hope. And with the dawn of such a reality, the way was made clear as to how to defeat the enemy. (And I might add, birthed my book, Fiery Darts: Weapon of Choice)

The Bible is saturated with clues/weapons as to how to conquer the enemy. By learning what those weapons are and how to wield them, our victory over the enemy is secured. So what was the weapon I most recently drew forth? It was the weapon of thankfulness.

For you see what we focus upon tends to direct our thoughts, attitudes, and actions (p. 28, 3rd edition, Fiery Darts Satan’s Weapon of Choice). Seeing the dilemma I was recently faced with, I knew I needed to redirect my focus. Therefore, when I was tempted to focus upon the negatives of my situation, I recognized the enemy was at work. That’s when God prompted me to call forth the weapon of thankfulness. And that my dear readers was the key to defeating the enemy.

As I write this post, I still don’t know exactly what the outcome of my situation will be. But I do know how to face the future no matter the outcome. Every single time I am tempted to think negatively about it, I’ll call forth and focus upon the weapon of thankfulness.