Security

Good Morning All!




Thank you, Jesus, for this message you have given me.  Please forgive me where I have failed you and hear my righteous prayers.  Please allow everything that I  think and write in this blog come from you and be used for your glory.  Please speak to the heart of those that read this.  Allow them to accept what you are saying to them through this blog and live their lives to its fullest with you first and foremost in their words and actions.  Amen. 


Every once in a while, God will reveal a word to me.  Just a word.  As I start thinking about that, because He is not going to allow me to think of much else until I get this done, He starts revealing to me the things regarding the meaning of that word which affect our lives as Christians. 


Let me say before we go any further that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, the Son of God who came to this earth in a human body to give his life so that we may be forgiven of our sins just with asking and repenting, then rose 3 days after his earthly crucifixion on the cross, and now sits at the right hand of God as our intercessor, then may I suggest that you "get right" with God.  Invite Him into your life and heart.  Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness.  Repent and turn from any wicked, ungodly ways you now practice. 


Have you done this?  If not, why?   If so, then welcome to the family!  I may not meet you here on earth, but I will meet you in Heaven after you have completed His work and He calls you home.  


I guess that is where my word for this blog entry comes from.  Security. 


What do you think of when I say the word "security" to you?  Financial security?  Personal security being beside your husband or father knowing they will protect you?  Some folks think of the metal detectors we have in airports and schools nowadays (which, by the way, is another sign of the end times). 


What automatically came to my mind when I was given this word was my security in my salvation.  I know, without doubt, that I am going to go to Heaven.  I questioned that for a while because I backslid into some sinful ways.  After a bit of research and Bible study, though, I am convinced that I will be in Heaven some day unless I walk away from God altogether.  To purposely sin is to say that you do not believe or have faith in God, that you would rather live how you want to live, and not how God wants you to live (for Him, by Him, though Him). 


If you sin without doing it purposely, repent and ask for forgiveness.  This will not keep you from Heaven.  The Bible does not say that you won't have to live with what you have done and pay the consequences for that sin even if you have asked for forgiveness and repented.  There are many people paying the consequences who have been forgiven by God for the sin they committed.  It does say, however, that a person who willingly repents of their sin and turns toward Christ will be saved. (Acts 16:31; John 6:37)  Romans 10:9-10 states that if we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths, we shall be saved.  (Paraphrased)


We all have rewards waiting for us in Heaven once saved, but we do not get to Heaven by doing good works.  We get to Heaven through Jesus Christ.  Someone who willingly and blatantly lives in sin is simply proving themselves as not having truly accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Once you have truly accepted Christ, you will have the desire to do His good will and to live for Him, by Him and through Him.  I invite all who have not taken that first step to STEP OUT!  Once you take that first step, you will never regret it.  You will not miss the sin in which you were once involved. Jesus is there to take every step with you.  Let go of that earthly curse and allow Jesus to show you what God has in store for you! 


What an amazing God we have!  When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there! 


Sometimes I ramble on and on, so here is a link to a YouTube video by Dr. Charles Stanley that might help.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrhFrQJritc 

So Many Things to Say!

 

In my daily bible reading time, God is showing me so very much to improve in my life.  Today, I read James 5 and he pointed out a few main things...  One, no matter what you have here on Earth, you can't take it with you.  Second, never swear an oath.  The NLT version states "Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned."  Third and final today, we are blessed when we are able to bring back those who wander away from the truth.  That will be saving them from death and bring forgiveness. 

Do y'all have posessions that you treasure like I do?   I have a doll named Victoria that I was given when I was 4 years old.  She is beaten up, has lost her eyebrows, and has a mark on her cheek that I put there so she could have a "mole" on her cheek just like I did.  Mine has since been removed, but she still has hers.  She is a beautiful treasure to me, but she is not my priority in life.  God is my priority.  I would hope that, as precious as your posessions are to you, God is more important.

Do y'all ever say, "I swear it's true!".  Why?  I know that in my case, it would be my hope that those words would convince the person I was speaking with that I was not telling an untruth.  If your reputation was what you wanted it to be, why would you have to convince anyone that what you were saying was truth?  I need to work on this!  I love to joke with folks, but maybe I joke a little too much when they can't tell the difference between a joke and the truth.  I think joking every once in a while is fine and fun, but maybe not quite as often as I do. 

Wow!  Have you ever helped a lost person come to know Christ?  What a blessing and beautiful feeling!  Do the people you associate with know Christ as their Lord and Savior?  Have you seen someone backslide?  I have backslidden before, badly!  To ask for forgiveness and the grace of God is such a relieving and refreshing feeling.  It gets even better when you are an example of Christ and it rubs off on someone else who has backslidden.   They will be able to see the potential of coming back. James 5 states that the prayer of a righteous may availeth much.  Do y'all know what that means?  That means we can be righteous.  Of course we will sin occasionally, simple because of our human nature that will not leave us until we leave this Earth for Heaven.  The catch is to recognize your sin and request forgiveness, mercy and grace from our very loving God. 

Okay, I have rambled enough for now.  I hope to write on my blog a little more often, and update you on the things God shows me.  By all means, comment and tell me what God is showing you.  I would love to hear it! 

Blessings! 

Are You Content?


Heb 13:5  Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." [fn] NLT



Rexanna

Krista, Brenna, Starla, Becky and Rexanna

Are you content with what you have?  I have found that more often than not, I am wanting this, that or the other.  I would love a lamp for my office, or a Thomas Kincaid painting for the office wall, and I really like that mirror I found at the resale shop.  I bet it is on sale now if it is still there.   Then I get frustrated because I don't have the finances to get those things "right now".  No patience, huh?  I know.  I could wait until......   Argh!  Not the conclusion I wanted to come to. 


Rexanna and Amber

Becky, Rose and Xavier

My friend Tyran and I.

Papaw and Nicolas

Chrystal and Carl

Then I have to stop and look at my life. I have a great family, Mom and Dad, Sister and a whole passel of nieces and great-nieces and nephews.  I have a husband who loves God more than me, but I run a close second!  My step-kids are a treasure in my heart.  My babygirl, Rexanna, is the light in my world, and I really do love her more than life.  I am very blessed with a new car (I totaled the Sentra in December and now have an Altima).  I have a really, really good roof over my head.  I am blessed with my "poopies" which are so very well trained.  I have friends at both churches which I adore and pray for regularly.  Why do I still want more.  Why am I not content with what I have.  What more do I really need?  God.  I need to be content with what God has given me. 

If I am happy about my life with God, and seek him with all my heart, he will give me the desires of my heart.  He says to not love money and be satisfied with what you have.  He said "I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you."  I need to look towards that comfort and be content.

Our Heroes after the fire

Becky and Jim

Ma and Pa Tucker (Selita and Roy)

Dear Jesus, Please forgive me where I have failed you, and hear my prayers.  Thank you for your many blessings.  You excite me.  You inspire me.  I feel your love envelop me.  I love you, God.  I praise your name.  Please be with those I come in contact with, those who are in my life, and those you have planned for my future.  Help me, please, God, to remember to be content with what I have.  I know you will provide the desires of my heart.  Show me your way, Lord.  Lead me.  Amen.


Three generations, all dressed up.

Jeri and her beautiful smile.

Amanda Barker





Circumstances

Okay God, you gave me this word.  Circumstances.  Whose circumstances?  Mine?  Jim's?  Rexanna's?   Whose? 

This was what I was questioning the other day. This specific word had been on my mind for about 2 weeks. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why God would give me this word.  So I went to my handy-dandy www.blueletterbible.com to look up that particular word...  Not in King James Version, Not in the NKJV.  It appears 8 times in the NIV.  Really???  It is found in I Thes. 5.  It says in there, beginning with verse 11 through verse 22:   Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warm those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

Reading this, I felt compelled to assess my own behavior as of late.  It certainly could have been better, and I quickly asked for forgiveness and am working on repenting as I type this.  I also felt the need to look up the work self-controlled, which was in I Thes. 5:6.  It also appears in Proverbs 25:28, Gal 5:23, 2 Tim 3:3, and 2 Peter 1:6.  It sure caught my attention.

Proverbs refers to a lack of self-control as a city wall being broken down.  Have you ever felt "broken down"?  Give that a moment of thought.  I want to be building myself up in Christ, ever learning, ever growing.  Not going backwards. Not "breaking down".  I don't even want to feel "cracked" so to speak.  I want to be whole in my Jesus's loving arms!  Amen!

We have probably all heard about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians.  Keeping the fruit of the Spirit is fun, fulfilling and most assuredly a good thing. It says against such things, there is no law.  Can you be self-controlled?  I have found it is hard, especially when my old foe, stress, rears his ugly head.  Then I lose most of my fruit. You know the ones I'm talking about:  Love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and especially self-control. Have you ever felt that way? There is a way back.  Prayer.  Get back in the will of God.  It doesn't mean there won't be consequences for your actions, but God will be with you every step of the way.

2 Timothy 3 talks about the last days and how people will be acting.  This is scary folks!  People are out there acting this way now!  It says to have nothing to do with them.  Really?????  Again, really????  I catch myself "without self-control"  at times.  That is the time when most people don't really want to be around me.  Maybe this is why.  Then God will send a wonderful soul to help guide me out.  Are you the "wonderful soul" in this situation, or the one lacking self-control?  Another bit of food for thought.

Last, but not least, 2 Peter 1 gives us the qualities needed to keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Jesus, otherwise we are like the blind.  It says we are to make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. 

So, I probably should have titled this blog "Self-Control", but it is our self-control that will dictate most of our circumstances. It is our self-control that will dictate how we handle any cirumstance that we fall into. 

Dear God, please help me and those who read this with their self-control.  Help us to grow in our awareness and knowledge of you.  Help us to be conscious of the circumstances we are in, and how we will respond. Please forgive us where we fail you.  Love us, lead us, guide us, direct us in everything we say and do. 

Oh, and Lord, thank you for the blessing of the AWANA kids who worked so hard last night to say all of those verses, and for the health of my husband, and for my supportive and gracious parents, and for a daughter that is smart as a whip, but knows she still has more to learn.  I know there is more, but I'm not sure how much room I have on here.

Thank you,

Amen!

Examples

Have you ever thought of yourself as an example?  I, just like everyone else, have a past.  Unfortunately, it is not the past you would think I would have as the wife of a preacher.  That past reaches up from the depths and bites me in the butt every so often, just to remind me to be humble.  I see myself in the youth of today wishing I had made better choices, wishing I could share my story with the kiddos but knowing they do not need to know the details. 

I then have to remind myself that hind site is 20/20, and although I don't live in a mansion or drive a luxury vehicle possibly because of the wrong choices I made, I turned out just fine!  Now, I am not saying the bad choices they sometimes make are okay.  Oh No!  What I am saying is that, with examples of good choices in their lives (that would be you and I), they will do just fine as well.  This is the time in their lives when they need an example to go by.  They need to know that their mistakes, although they have consequences, can be forgiven and dealt with, and they can go on to lead productive, Godly lives.

God, our Father in Heaven, gave his one and only son so that we could be forgiven for our sins and live an eternal life with him as a joint heir with Christ.  Now that, folks, is an example.  So please remember that every action, every word, every attitude you have is seen as an example.  If you smoke, they will think it is okay to smoke.  If you drink, they will think it is okay to drink.  If you look at inappropriate things or read inappropriate things, they will think it is okay to do that.  If you read the Bible daily, they will think that is okay.  If you memorize verses, they will think it is okay.  If you lead someone to a life with Christ as their Lord and Savior, they will think it is okay to do that, too. 

Every action, every word, every attitude you have is an example.  Set the example.  Be the example. 

Lord, today I pray for all who read this post.  I pray you convict their hearts to be more Christ-like in everything they say and do.  Guide them, Lord.  Direct their paths.  Lead them to a road of righteousness, a  road where they can be an example of you.  In Christ's name I pray, Amen.

May You make choices for which God can bless you.

Obedience

Wow!  Obedience just ain't what she used to be!  Remember when you thought it was a challenge to go brush your teeth when mom told you to, or how hard it was to be in by midnight curfue on those weekend late nights?  Well, I have hit my 40's now and realize that it is not about obedience to my parents so much as it is obedience to God. 

I try never to have regrets in my life, but I admit it, I do.  I try to learn from my stupid mistakes, but my past still haunts me.  As most of you know, there was a time in my life when I was not "sparkly clean" in my attitude and actions (and no, you don't have to leave comment about that - LOL).  I regret that I have lost people I have cared about because they think I have kept those unsparkly times in my life.  The truth is, I am trying very, very hard to live a life for Christ and be an example of Him, for Him.  I have washed and scrubbed and worked hard to clean those dark spaces in my life and not turn to them any more.  I no longer drink, I no longer smoke, I no longer ....   You get the point. 

I have disappointed several people lately who think that I can "break the rules" just a little bit as long as it benefits someone, but I really cannot.  That is still "breaking the rules" and sets a very bad example for those young ones that look up to me, whether family or church kids. 

I have spent a good amount of time this morning in prayer and thought.  I have given this disappointment to God and asked for forgiveness for my past sins, and prayed for those who have gotten upset with me because I won't "break those little rules".  I prayed that they can forgive me for being that "goodie 2-shoes" that that think I now am, and that they will stand up for what is right instead of trying to get away with those things that could bite them and others in the butt.

Job 36:11-12 says:  If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures.  But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. 

On another, softer note, I have had a wonderful few days off from work and plan on going back refreshed on Monday.  I am going to go this afternoon and try to sell a computer desk to get a little money to play tomorrow morning at the Highway 80 Garage Sale!  Fun times for 3 generations: Momma and Rexanna and I.  I hope you have enjoyed my blog and will comment. I will be glad to pray over any prayer requests. 

May God bless each and every one that reads this post.  Amen.

Peace

What is peace?  I have found that peace is what I have when I am able to let go.  With all that has happened in my 40 years, I could write a book.  I have found, though, that peace is a fabulous thing.  It may only last a minute while I am pouring that first cup of coffee in the morning and the rest of the house is quiet.  It may even happen when I am laying down to go to sleep at night.  There was a kiss once from my husband that put me at peace.  It was right before his surgery in January of 2010.  That was when I gave him to God. Ohhh!  I hate doing that! 

But over the last 2 years, I have learned to let go, let God, and let Him give me peace.  I see him struggle regularly with the strife that Satan throws at him, and yet I see him listening to his gospel music and being at peace.  God is so serene, so strong, so omnipotent!  He can bring me back to "center" so to speak with a prayer and a deep breath or two.  Here's the deal....  you have to let Him. 

That can be harder than you think when you are a control freak like me.  Ouch!  Did I actually say that?  Yep. I did.  I am a control freak. I want to control everything.  I want to control who my daughter's friends are - although most of them I seem to like pretty well.  I want to control my husband's fight with Satan and his pain with his back, etc. I want to control the wave of emotions I feel in a stressful situation.  Somehow, though, none of this will happen in a good way unless I let go and let God handle everything.  Only then will I have the peace I desire.  I can put all my worries, struggles, temptations, negative emotions, troubles in God's strong, merciful, gracious hands and go about my day praising Him for all the good he will allow me to do for him that day.  Whew, what a relief.  Thank you, God, for the peace you bring. I love you!