Do You Need A Revision?

A friend and fellow blogger wrote a post about writing yesterday, and titled it "The End or The Finish." In her post, Glenda Mathes said, in essence, that when a writer has finished writing a story, novel or whatever, she still has to go back and revise it to make it the best it can be. I couldn't agree with her more, but as I reflected on the post, it occurred to me that her concept could very well apply to the Christian walk as well.

How many of us have found ourselves at the end of  the rope, so to speak, before we decided that something must be done. How many of us have ignored the signals sent to us by the Holy Spirit to turn around and revise our ways and now we are hanging by a thread, wondering when would it end? In the Old Testament God sent prophets to the people to tell them when they were doing wrong. But in most cases, they ignored the prophets and suffered greatly for it. Read about Eli the priest and his sons (1 Samuel 2 : 33 - 35); Nathan and David (2 Samuel 12 : 1 - 19); the prophets and King Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24 : 1 - 2) ; the prophet Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4 : 25; 28 - 33) and many others.

After Daniel had interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream to him, he ended with these words:  "Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue" (v 27). This story has a happy ending. After the prophecy was fulfilled, and the king lost all he had, including his sanity, he looked up to heaven and acknowledged God (v 34 - 37). 

Maybe you are in need of some revision before you reach your end. Maybe you feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit, but don't know where or how to begin. You cannot do it on your own. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your life and make you a new creature. The minute you do that, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you and begins the revision process. He'll remove everything that is keeping you from being a worthwhile servant of God. Don't put it off. The end may be near. Are you ready?

The Testimony of Easter

Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday, is the pivotal event of the Christian faith. It commemorates the day when Jesus slapped death in the face, snatched the keys of death, hell and the grave from Satan and rose triumphantly from the tomb. Jesus did exactly what He said He would:  "And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock , and to scourge , and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again " (Matthew 20: 19). Read also Luke 24: 7, 46; John 3: 16; 10 : 17. 

Jesus made many references to his impending death, burial and resurrection before they occurred, yet His disciples paid little heed to His word. Just as many of us still pay little heed to the hundreds of preachers, teachers and literature that proclaim His death and the fact that He is coming again. No wonder there are so many atheists and lukewarm Christians among us. This Easter Sunday and in the days to come, let us examine the testimony of Easter and see the truth that lies therein. Let us read the account of the empty tomb in Jerusalem, the discovery made by Mary Magdalene and the report of hundreds of eyewitnesses and we'll see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. And as He died, we too must die - to self, to our stubborn will, to our selfish desires, and rise to a new life with Jesus Christ. Can we do it? The video below by Dr. S. M. Lockridge says it much better than I ever can. Watch and enjoy!

Everybody Ought To Know

Behold the Lamb of God (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today Christians all over the world are  celebrating Palm Sunday, the commemoration of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, just a few days before He was crucified. Every year my church puts on an Easter Cantata to portray this historic event. This year the theme  was "Everybody ought to know" based on the chorus by that name. And as I watched the old, familiar events played out before me, I thought what a wonderful way to present the Savior to those who know, as well as, those who don't know Him.


So, let me ask you, do you know who Jesus is? In case you don't know, Jesus is:


1. The Savior of the world. 


He came to this earth as a little babe, born to a virgin named Mary, who was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. However, Jesus was not conceived through the union of Mary and Joseph. The Bible says, "Behold , a virgin shall be with child , and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is , God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS." ( Matthew 1 : 23 - 25).  Isaiah 33: 22 says,  "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us."


2. The spotless lamb of God.


"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith , Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1 : 29).  In the Old Testament, God commanded the children of Israel to sacrifice a lamb as an atonement for their sins. But the lamb always had to be without spot or blemish.  "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats" ( Exodus 12 : 5). After the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt, God instructed them to keep a passover feast in celebration of this event. This was held on the fourteenth day of the first month. Fast forward to the New Testament and we see Jesus prophesying to His disciples that He would be betrayed around the time of the passover. And while the disciples prepared for the passover, the scribes and pharisees were plotting to kill Jesus. Only Jesus, because He was born without sin and lived a sinless life, was worthy to became the passover lamb.


He is seated at the right hand of God the Father 


"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool (Matthew 22:44). After Jesus died and was buried, He rose on the third day and later ascended into heaven. "And it came to pass , while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" ( Luke 24 : 51). And how do we know He is seated on God's right hand. First, David prophesied it in the quote from Matthew and Jesus stated it boldly when He was being tried by the high priest. "Jesus said , I am : and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14: 62). " So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right handof God" (Mark 16: 19).


He is coming again


Jesus told His disciples, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am , there ye may be also" (John 14 : 3). "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn , and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24 : 30). "Behold , he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen" (Revelations 1 : 7). When Jesus came the first time He came as a helpless little baby lying in a manger. When He comes the next time, He is coming as ruler and judge.


Yes, everybody ought to know what Jesus means to us as believers. We do not boast idly about Him or our relationship with Him. Everything we know of Jesus is authenticated in Scripture, and this is why the pageant we put on at our church each year, the Scriptures we read, the hymns we sing never grow stale to me, because they solidify my knowledge of my Savior and the hope I have in Him. 

Oh Say, Can You See?

No, I'm not trying to sing the American national anthem. I'm simply asking, "Can you see?" Most people may answer this question, "Of course, I can." But I remember when I got my first pair of eyeglasses  I felt like singing, "I once was blind, but now I see." When my little granddaughter, Tyler, just ten years old, got her first pair of glasses two years ago, she said to me, "Grandma, I didn't know my teacher has freckles." Well, now she can see. Of all our senses, I believe we treasure our sight the most. I mean, if you're deaf you can always read someone's lips, or learn sign language, but if you can't see, your whole world is in darkness.

I believe this is why Our Lord  had a lot of compassion for the blind, and during his earthly ministry, he healed all that were brought to him. Some of those recorded are the blind lepers, Matthew 9: 28-29; a blind and dumb demon-possessed man (12 : 22);  two blind men sitting by the wayside ( 20 : 30) ;other blind people who were brought to him ( 15 : 30 - 31; 21 : 14, Luke 7 : 21)  There are three specially recorded instances where Jesus healed the blind that I want to focus on.

Carry Your Candle

Photo credit: MarcoMaru from morguefile.com    I don't know what prompted me to start singing this song this past week, but the words have been going round and round in my mind every day. I can only attribute this to the work of  the blessed Holy Spirit.  This song  deals with the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  Part of the first verse goes like this: There is a spirit who brings the fire, Ignites the candle and makes its home. You see, when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, He lights our candle, empowers us to be the best we can be, so we can shine, not for ourselves, but for Him. On our own, we may just be carrying a candle "without a flame." What good is that?


In  Matthew 5: 14 - 16, Jesus says, " Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid . Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."


As Christians, we are called upon to be the light of the world. In other words, to carry our candle, to show the world we are proud to be followers of Jesus Christ, to make a difference whenever and wherever we can. This week I came across a great example of someone who is carrying his candle for Jesus Christ. He is Ramiro Garcia, worship leader, who was born without ears, and was not expected to hear or speak. Ramiro recently auditioned for American Idol, sang Amazing Grace and was included to go on to the next level. Check out the video on You Tube: 





This is black history month, and you may be hearing stories you've heard before of courageous African Americans such as Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman, just to name a few. Their acts of  bravery and courage may make many of us feel inadequate by comparison. You may never be featured on You Tube or in the daily newspaper, but you can carry your candle by helping someone in need, or by telling them about Jesus Christ. The good that we do is for God's glory, not ours. Think about it, then ask the Holy Spirit to ignite your flame and let your light shine - for Him.  

Related articles

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• Question of the day, what is a Christian? Sometimes it's good to look at the basics. (pastormikesays.wordpress.com)

Do You Trust Him?

After months of house hunting, I finally closed on a condo a week ago. It was a very stressful time, but God was on my side, and even though many times I felt like giving up, I finally succeeded. If nothing else, this experience taught me two things:

1. Never give up.

Have you ever felt so discouraged, so overwhelmed that you wanted to give up? Does your illness seem unconquerable, your bills uncontrollable, your burdens unbearable? You feel like you cannot make it through another day, another sleepless night. David must have felt that way when he penned this Psalm. "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.  For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off ? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy ?   (Psalm 43: 1 - 3)

Are You A Witness?

Here in Florida, one of the most frequent announcements on the television comes from Crimestoppers. The police are always appealing for people who have witnessed a crime to come forward and testify. If you are ever involved in  an accident or some other situation that would warrant a court appearance, you would need a witness. To me, these things sound very unpleasant, and I thank God that I've never been a witness or needed a witness to testify on my behalf. However, the Bible does call on us as Christians to be witnesses.

My New Year Wishes

As 2011 rushes to get out of here to make room for 2012, my thoughts turn to what God has done in my life this year. While I have not had any earth-shaking success or changes in my life, God continues to show me that it is He who is watching over me and my family from day to day, providing for us and guiding us. I was able to continue working at my day job as an occupational therapist and while I'm beginning to focus on retirement, I still thank God that  I do have a job and am able to meet my financial commitments. That's a lot more than many people can say these days.

God Never Makes Junk

Photo credit: alvimann from morguefile.com
I was listening to a radio program the other day where the guest spoke of an experience she had in Rawanda. She said she looked out her window and saw a house that was surrounded by what seemed to be junk. Later that morning, a woman came out of the house and began to use every item that was in the yard. To her, everything was useful, none of it was junk. Someone said what impresses him when he enters a house is not how spotless it is or how artistic the decor, but the little things that may appear useless: a fading portrait, a chipped jar, a baby's first shoes. All these things which may appear to be junk are priceless to the owner. And that's how we are to God. We may be old and frail, young and addicted to drugs or alcohol, living a life of sin, but we are still precious to God.

 Some people may look at others and see them as junk. They may even treat them that way. Worse, some people may look at themselves as junk, good for nothing, fit to be dumped. Have you ever felt that way about yourself? Has your self-esteem sunk to the level that you see yourself as good for nothing? Someone, maybe a parent, a sibling or even a friend may have told you that you are no good and you'll never amount to anything. And you believed them. Well, I've got news for you. God does not see you that way.

There was an Israelite by the name of Gideon who felt very sorry for himself because Israel was being oppressed by the Midianites and Gideon and his family had fallen on hard times. One day, while "Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour."  But Gideon replied, "Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us ..."(Judges 6 : 12).


Gideon felt unworthy of the angel's greeting. In Gideon's mind, he was a nobody. Later on in the chapter, he said to the angel, "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house" (v 15). Have you felt that you are too poor, too old, too young, too whatever to be of use to God or even to yourself? God doesn't think so. He made you in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1 : 27). So then, how can you be junk? If you think of yourself as junk, then God has to be junk also, and you know that can never be true.


So, this Christmas season, if you are going through a difficult time, remember the reason Jesus came. He came because you are precious to Him and He wanted to lift you up out of the dump of sin and shame and give you a brand new life. You are not a piece of junk. You are God's special creation and He loves you very, very much.


Here's a lovely video by Scottish superstar Susan Boyle to put you in the Christmas spirit. Enjoy!

Grab A Copy Of My Book

I never ever post twice in one week, let alone twice in one day, but I wanted to inform you of a great opportunity to get a copy of a book that will enrich your life and/or that of someone else. 
From now until Dec. 20, I'm making copies of my book Women For All Seasons available at a reduced cost. Women For All Seasons is a Christian non-fiction book, targeted to women of all ages and stages of life. It is based on stories of women from the Bible, and I’ve featured women who are young, single, married and widowed. In other words, women who reflect the different seasons of a woman’s life.

Are you a young woman, wondering what is your purpose in life or whether you should trust God and risk losing everything you cherish, maybe even your life? Read about Mary and Esther. Are you a married woman struggling with issues such as parenting, or step-parenting, and keeping your marriage going? Read Rachel and Hannah. Are you an older woman who thinks that maybe your useful days are over and you should take a back seat in your church or community? Read Naomi and Sarah. Are you a young woman in search of Mr. Right? Read Ruth. Are you a woman who has been ridiculed and ostracized as a result of your past? Read Mary Magdalene.

These are just some of the issues you will encounter in this book, but I guarantee you that every woman will see herself in the pages of this book. My goal in writing it is to first of all encourage you to read the Bible and to make it easier for you to digest its content. I have used a light and engaging style, like you would find in a novel or magazine and each story is written from the point of view of the main character, making her seem like a true flesh and blood person.  The selection of Bible stories in the book demonstrates the importance of trusting God when we go through the seasons of life. Women For All Seasons will make a wonderful addition to your library, or if you belong to a women’s Bible study group you may find this book helpful.

So, take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to get a copy of this book in time for Christmas by clicking on the link below.

Should We Cease To Celebrate Christmas?

This week I came across an article on the origin of Christmas. According to this article, Jesus was not born on December 25th and the Christmas celebration has nothing to do with His birth, but has its origin in pagan worship of the god Saturn. The article also mentions the Christmas tree, wreath, mistletoe and Santa Claus as icons of pagan origin. According to the article, the festival was a time of revelry and debauchery, to say the least. After reading the article, I felt very discouraged. Why did Christian leaders choose December 25th, the date which, according to the article, marked the end of the Saturnalia festival, to celebrate the birth of Christ? The reason given is that they were able to convert many pagans to Christianity by promising that they could continue to celebrate the festival as Christians. Puritans later banned all Christmas festivities in Massachusets and the early colonies.

So, where does this leave us as Christians who look forward to celebrating Christmas every year?

My Anchor Holds

Don't you just love the way the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer?  Before Jesus left this earth, He told His disciples, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not away , the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart , I will send him unto you" ( John 16: 7). I am reminded of the presence of the Holy Spirit whenever I feel  anxious or depressed, as I felt a few weeks ago. I was undertaking too much at one time, and my mind and body were rebelling. Who could I turn to? What could I do? Talking to my friends didn't help. They have their own problems. I needed the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit and He came to my rescue. 


I learned when I first got saved that one of the best ways to lift my burdens is to sing praises to God - whether I felt like it or not. And as I began to praise, one particular song kept cropping up in my mind and I found myself singing, "In times like these, you need an anchor ..."   Imagine my joy that Sunday morning when the choir sang that very song. I felt like shouting. Tears ran down my face as I experienced the comforting warmth of the Holy Spirit. He was telling me to hold on to my anchor, that He was there for me, He'd heard my cries and He would deliver me. 


Jesus knew that His disciples were grieved at his departure and that they would face many dangers in the years to come. This is why He said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive , because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. " (John 14 : 16 - 18).


Jesus wasn't making this promise only to His disciples who walked with Him at that time, but to every one of us who has accepted Him into our hearts and has made Him our Lord and Savior. When Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" (v 23) Jesus replied,  "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" ( v 24). Therefore, once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, He lives in us and if He lives in us, His Spirit lives in us also. 


Friends, are you troubled, overwhelmed, distraught, afraid? Hold on to your Anchor, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom God has given us to comfort us. I have found many times when I'm feeling any of those emotions, the Holy Spirit would lay a song or a passage of Scripture on my heart and as I sing or recite that verse, I find comfort, peace and sometimes even the solution to a problem I'd been wrestling with. The words of the song ended with "Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the solid rock. " 


As I listened to the words of that beloved song, I knew that as long as I held on to my Anchor  I would be okay. Do you have an Anchor? One that will never give way and leave you stranded? If you do, hold on to it. If not, it's available to you right now. Please pray this prayer with me: Dear Jesus, I need your support, your comfort, your peace. I repent of my sins and make you my Lord and Savior. Come into my life and live in me forever. Amen. 


If you prayed that prayer you are no longer alone, helpless or hopeless. You now have a solid rock to cling to. Please drop me a line in the comment box and tell me all about it. 

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Pray For This Pastor

An Iranian Christian is in prison facing a death sentence for leaving Islam. Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty for Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani who has been in prison since last year, although Iran has not executed a citizen for changing faiths since 1990. The pastor's death sentence sends a strict warning that other Iranians who have converted to Christianity could face a similar fate. Let us pray for Pastor Yousef and other Christians worldwide who are facing persecution.

Related articles

• Iran set to execute Christian pastor as early as tomorrow (hotair.com)
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When Everything Goes Wrong

Photo credit: alvimann from morguefile.com Have you had one of those times when everything that could go wrong does go wrong? You know, the cat gets stuck in the tree, your dog runs away from you and your best friend moves to Timbuktu? I had one of those last weekend (which is why I had no blog post). But I don't have a cat nor a dog and if my best friend ever moves to Timbuktu, well there'll be no more blog posts from me. So what did happen?

Moving to a new location can be accompanied by stress, but if you're moving from one state to another, it can be even more stressful. And this is what happened to me last weekend. I became so stressed I thought I would have a heart attack. Now that I look back on it I ask myself, why did I become so stressed? I know the answer. Nothing went according to plan. People who were supposed to help me either came too late or just didn't show up.

Be anxious for nothing

After I had calmed down, I looked to my Bible for answers. I asked God to forgive me because I know what His word says about plans, about anxiety and about people. Proverbs 12 : 25 says, "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." Philippians 4 : 6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Did I know these verses of scripture before? Of course I did, but I allowed anxiety to consume my being until all I could see was the mammoth task ahead of me. 


God may stop your plans


I had everything figured out - or so I thought. I would go to the house, finish my packing and at the prearranged time, the people would come and get everything on the truck and I would be out of there. In the Bible we see many people whose plans failed. David was one of them. Even though he was "a man after God' s heart", his plans to build a temple for God came to naught because God didn't want him to. (1 Chronicles 28: 3). 


People may stop your plans


When Zerubbabel and his friends assembled in Jerusalem to build the temple of the Lord, they came up against serious opposition from their enemies. These people went so far as to write a letter to the king, telling him that if the wall was rebuilt the city would lose revenue. No king likes to hear this and so King Xerxes issued an order and the project came to a screeching halt. Their plans failed even though they were doing something for God. 


Proverbs 19 : 21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." I couldn't understand why my plans failed and, I daresay, neither could Zerubbabel and his friends.


What can we do when our plans fail? Should we gnaw our nails and pull our hair in frustration? David and Zerubbabel were godly men and yet their plans fell apart. We should not think that God is against us. The Bible says, "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). 


So, here are a few things we can do:


1. Search His Word to see what is His will concerning your plans. (Psalm 119 : 105)
2. As God to take charge. (Proverbs 16 : 3)
3. Seek advice from others, (Proverbs 15 : 22; 20 : 18)
4. Take time to plan  ( Proverbs 21 : 5)
5. Do not trust solely in man, but in God. (Psalm 118: 8)


God wants you blessed, He wants your plans to succeed, but according to His will and in His time. Years later, under King Darius, the Jews were given free reign to build the temple. David allowed his son, Solomon, to build the temple as God had instructed him and this weekend I succeeded in getting my furniture and other belongings moved out of the house. 

What A Forgiving God

Today my Bible reading took me to the book of Jeremiah, the OT prophet who was so distraught for his people that he wished "my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people" (9 : 1). Jeremiah loved God and was faithful in carrying out His commands, but in this chapter Jeremiah had a complaint. And it concerned the seeming reluctance of God to punish the wicked. Jeremiah said, "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts" (12 : 1 - 2).

Forgetting The Past

Christian Graphics Last week  someone disclosed to me that she dealt with loneliness by being promiscuous. Now this might blow you away as it did me, but I appreciated her honesty and forthrightness, and I told her so. Then came my obvious question. WHY DO YOU DO IT? Her response was flippant, but she was dead serious. She said she'd been married for two years and had a wonderful relationship, until her husband dumped her when he discovered she had a mental illness. Since then she'd been unable to have a steady relationship with anyone and so she settles for the dinner, the flowers, the one-night stand, and when it's over she knows it's over.

Female promiscuity on the rise

Before I could fire my next question she answered it. "I know about STDs and it doesn't really bother me." Now, you may be thinking that this is to be expected of someone who is mentally ill, but think again. An online dating site that boasts of over 10 million registered users recently published statistics showing that promiscuity among women has doubled since 2004. According to the site, the ratio of men to women seeking intimate encounters is now 5 : 1, double that of three years ago, and it's predicted that within a decade this ratio will be 1 : 1. It would be interesting to know how many of these women are mentally ill.

Give it to Jesus

You may be wondering what does this have to do with a Christian blog? In the case of the woman in the first paragraph, she blames her promisucity on her past. This may or may not be true, but many women become promiscuous as a result of past experiences: childhood sexual abuse, rape, broken relationships to name a few.  How can a woman get rid of the shackles of the past? The best way I know how is to give them to Jesus. He took our sins and griefs upon Himself and died on an old wooden cross so that we would not have to carry those sins and griefs anymore.

Don't look back

In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife looked back when they were fleeing from the destruction of the city and she turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19: 26). The premise? DON'T LOOK BACK! The apostle Paul wrote, "... forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3: 13-14).

You are created in the image and likeness of God

If you are a woman who has been battered and bruised by past experiences, it's time to give it up. Don't go looking for love in all the wrong places. Don't subject yourself to someone else's whims and fantasies. You are not an old shoe to be used and discarded. You are a person, created in the image and likeness of God.  Bishop TD Jakes says, "You should be someone's priority, not their option." Don't mourn the rest of your life for someone who left you. God loves you and wants to shelter you in  His arms, but He cannot if you are seeking shelter somewhere else.

Letting go of the past is not an easy process. It may take months or even years to shed the layers of poor self-esteem you have built up. But it can be done. With God's help, godly counseling and the support of your friends, family and church, you can walk into those everlasting arms, open and outstretched, waiting to embrace you.  

Let's pray this prayer: Father God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that You sent Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that I may be delivered from sin and its dreadful effects. Father, I accept Your deliverance now, and from this day forward I will walk in the newness of life which You have for me. I am no longer chained to my past. I am free, for whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Amen.

Related articles

• Mental Illness Awareness Week (blue2darknight.wordpress.com)
• God hasn't abandoned you...has your church? (onbeingmindful.wordpress.com)
• Fact or Fiction: Lot's Wife (eyesonheaven.wordpress.com)

Should Our Kids Read Books With Profanity?

Some time ago  I received a lot of comments on this blog and on another forum when I posed the question about modesty in dress. About fifty percent of the respondents felt it was okay for women, and men, to wear shorts to church and some of the other fifty percent said they would not wear shorts to church, but they didn't see anything wrong with it. Now I come to another controversial topic which someone else started, and which I felt that as a Christian parent and grandparent I should get involved in. The question was, "Should YA (young adult) books contain profanity?"