Tag Archive | Bible

Changing Seasons and new things…

Dec30
Summer
Autumn
Winter
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.”

The Light of Christmas always overcomes…

Dec23

We are living in dark times. But at Christmas time we have the golden opportunity to share and reflect the Light of Christmas. Satan’s plan is to steal, kill, and destroy. But remember his evil is done in the dark. Thankfully, it is the Light of Christmas that overcomes such darkness.

That is why God gave us His word, the Bible. God’s word shines the Light on the darkness of our sins. The more we embrace the truths of Scripture, the brighter Christ light in us will shine.

As we go about our Christmas celebrations remember this. The enemy will do whatever it takes to gain a foothold in your Celebrations. So personal examination is in order. What does the spotlight of our Christmas celebration reveal? Let’s take an inventory and see what we come up with. Does our understanding of God’s word expose fiery darts lurking in the darkness?

May we never be afraid to shine the Light upon our own darkness. Because it is that Light that will expose the darkness in our lives. Our lives will become fuller when the darkness is exposed and the Light is allowed to shine.

Remember, the purveyor of darkness is still attempting to steal, kill, and destroy the Light in our day. Just like he did when Christ first came into this world. But there is Hope for the Light will always overcome the darkness

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.

More about prayer…

Dec9

There have been volumes written about prayer. So, I really don’t have anything new to add to the subject. What I have to share will be a reminder to many. Yet for some it might just be a new discovery! I write that because it wasn’t until the middle half of my life that I made such a discovery regarding prayer.

I’l preface this by sharing that my prayer life has undergone various transformations over the years. As I grew spiritually that growth inspired alterations in how I prayed. For instance, as a young Christian, my prayers focused mostly on what I wanted from God. But as the years passed, and I learned more about God, my prayers focused more on what He wanted for me. Yet, it was an up and down journey which was directly impacted by my growth or lack thereof.

However, there was something missing. A failed connection. I use to remind my children and my students that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. That reason was that He wanted us to listen twice as much as we spoke. It took awhile for that to sink in and apply it to my spiritual life. For you see, I had failed to realize that while prayer was my talking to God, reading and meditating on His words was how God talked to me. What I discovered, well into my adult life, was that I was over focused on making sure God knew what I wanted. Yet, I wasn’t giving Him the opportunity to tell me what He wanted!

There’s a verse that showed me it was in recognizing God’s mighty weapons (His Word, His Truth) that resulted in my hearing God’s voice. It was what God said to me 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,” that I began to make the connection between lies and fiery darts. From that verse God referred other verses which led me to be able to recognize the fiery darts, reject them, and to replace them with His Truth. Truth thoughts that countered the lies from the enemy.

The key to communicating with God is to become familiar with His word. Leave the Bible reading out and we will only be talking to God. We won’t know what He has to say about our petitions, if we do all the talking.

The Weapon of Prayer…

Nov19

In my last post I referred to the necessity of storing up God’s truths from Scripture. In doing so, we have access to the mighty weapons 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 makes reference to. I want to extend that thought here and give some practical thoughts on prayer. I may break down what I have learned over the years and spread it out into several posts. This will be a work in progress. So, let’s see what develops!

In my twilight years, prayer has added purpose to my existence. The retirement years, empty nest and grand-parenting context of my life has altered my perspective. I now feel compelled to stand in the gap, to advocate for my family in prayer. The societal/media environment my children are having to raise their children in currently clouds the Truth. The battles they fight today are on a level of great intensity.

Additionally, I am often stunned by the misinformation permeating all the various forms of media we are exposed to. This onslaught has desensitized us all as to what is truth. If we can’t recognize truth, and I’m referring to God’s truth, then we can be easily deceived and manipulated by the enemy. To prevent that, we must spend time with God in prayer and His word in order to become familiar with what is True. Then take that Truth and apply it to ourselves and those we pray for. Only God’s truth can expose the lies of the enemy.

Therefore, I now begin every day spending time with God in prayer and in His word. Each day after opening my prayers with praise, I lift up my family’s needs. The biggest bulk of my quiet moments with God involves praying for my children, their spouses, my grandchildren, and my grandchildren’s future spouses. (Years ago, as our children were born, my husband and I began praying for their future spouses. We have continued this practice with our grandchildren.)

Then, each day of the week is designated for various groups of people: i.e.,missionaries, our national and state leaders, and news concerning them, countries in conflict, persecuted Christians, plus needs of friends and extended family. This list is organic and changes as particular needs arise. Also, I feed the prayer requests I notice from social and news media into my prayer notebook, as well.

Lastly, I end my prayers with petitions for God’s Spirit to be poured out upon the earth. I feel the urgency to pray for revival because according to the Bible we are in the last days prior to Jesus’ return. Then I close with verses regarding God’s faithfulness.

We will communicate more about prayer next post. Until then, be diligent in your search for truth.

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.

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!

Balancing our focus…

Aug31

God’s love and mercy, is revealed dynamically in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! We Christians live our lives in the assurance of this fact. But, if we focus on that alone, are we getting the whole picture? For you see, as uncomfortable as it may be to think about, God’s wrath is every bit as real as His love and mercy. And getting those truths of God’s character out of balance puts us in a dangerous and vulnerable position for the enemy’s attacks.

Let’s examine this by considering our birth into God’s family. We have left a life bent on pleasing ourselves to a life bent on pleasing God. As a young Christian it is God’s plan that we grow. That growth will take place in accordance with how we are nurtured. But just like a newborn babe, we will fail to thrive, if we aren’t consistently fed. And how is a newborn Christian to thrive? By spending time with God in prayer and His word. And therein lies Satan’s target.

Throughout history, God has protected and preserved the Bible. He provided everything we needed to know about Him, His redemptive plan, and how we are to live, all within the pages of Scripture. And those words are the source of our nourishment.

But it is our nature to be more concerned about pleasing ourselves rather than God. But as Christians we now have a new nature. A nature that is becoming like Christ the more we avail ourselves to the nourishment of God’s truths. As the new nature matures and grows in strength, the old nature is diminished. So, if the enemy can distract us, he can keep us from growing and learning about those truths.

Think about how self-absorbed Society is today. Some psychologist say that the I-generation or Me-generation (that they are called this aught to tell us something) take it for granted that the self comes first. Of course, not everyone of this Me-generation are self-absorbed. However, Christian young adults live among a society that is driven by this ‘it’s all about me mentality’. And if they aren’t careful they will be tempted to dismiss the seriousness of their sins, or any Christian for that matter. But ponder on this: God allowed Christ to be tortured and murdered for our sins. That’s how seriously He takes sin.

So what do we suppose will be the effect on a Christian, if we don’t have the wrath of God in proper perspective with His love and mercy? If we only focus on God’s love and mercy, can we fully embrace the sacrifice Jesus made and why He made it?

Follow Your Heart?

Aug26

This is a popular saying in our world today. Just about every form of public media promotes giving our hearts full reign in making our decisions. I can see where in a world that champions self-autonomy following our hearts makes sense. After all, aren’t we the best judge of what it takes to make us happy? And if we don’t make choices that will ensure our happiness, then who will?

Today’s counsel in Society tells us to be true to ourselves in order to become our best selves. Even if it means hurting those we love. We are persuaded that the kindest thing we can do for ourselves is to shut out any contrary ideas from others. Putting self first is the surest way to happiness! Or is it?

Eventually, this philosophy will begin to break down. We can’t suppose that serving self to the detriment of others is going to always work out for us. I mean people, like our families, do have their limits. The longer we keep our distance or shut them out, hope for restoration diminishes. We may continue to interact with them, but it ‘s usually only on a surface level. Is that the level of happiness we should be seeking?

Now, we all know that a relationship will not thrive without communication. There must be a give and take climate in any thriving relationship. There must be forgiveness of the grievances we have with one another. We must consider others needs and interests as much as our own.

There is a guide book that contains all we need to know to secure our happiness. One that will counsel us on how to achieve genuine and lasting happiness. And it reveals the truth about following our hearts. It also reveals the true workings of a happy heart.

So, if we shouldn’t follow our hearts, whose heart should we follow? Consider the fact that when we accept Jesus as our Savior, God gives us a new heart. A heart that can know true and genuine happiness. A heart that we can, in full confidence, follow and find true happiness.

Give your heart to God, then follow His heart!

Why we need the Bible…

Aug20

“Our natural intuition can only give us a God like us. That is why we need the Bible”

The above quote is from Gentle and Lowly p.24 by Dane Orglund. a book I’m reading recommended to me by my son. I think this reveals a profound truth. A truth the enemy is committed to hide from us, especially we Christians. Remember the first part of John 10:10? There the enemy’s plot is exposed; ‘to steal, kill, and destroy…’

It starts with our inner person. Every person alive today bears the image of God. What that means is that we reflect something of God’s nature and character to the rest of creation. Though we do bear the image of God, we do not do so perfectly. Our human nature, because of sin, cannot bear God’s image perfectly. We need the only One who perfectly represents God and that is, of course, Jesus Christ.

Upon becoming believers in Christ we take on the nature of Christ. We now have a new nature, one that is ruled by God’s Spirit. Yet the old nature (our natural inclinations) remains. Therefore, if our new inclinations aren’t nurtured by God’s truth, then our reflection of Christ is diminished. And when we call upon our old nature to make sense of this world or to guide our steps, guess who is reflected in that?

It stands to reason then that the less we know of God’s truths the less we will be impacted by them. The less we will know about how to arrive at healthy solutions to the problems we face. The less we will be able to recognize the lies that are so cleverly disguised as truths in today’s society. The less we will be able to realize we are being victimized by the enemy.

That my dear readers is why we need the Bible! The life saving truths therein are what we need to fill our minds with and ward off the enemy’s manipulative attacks. We need to think about what we fill our minds with on a daily basis. Television, movies, podcasts, social media, books, music, friends. Are these sources nurturing our faith? Do these sources aid us in recognizing what is worthless?

Turn my eyes from looking at (and ears from listening to) what is worthless, give me life in Your ways. Psalm 119:37