Now and Then

My physical circumstances aren't much different "Now" then they were "Then". I still have: the same lack of money, the same debt, the same rented house, and the same lack of prospects. But, now my spirit and mind are different.

You see, the difference between "Now" and "Then" is that - Now, I am living in God's Will. I decided to stop worrying about what I don't have. It's so much easier saying: Lord, what do you want me to do today? He sends little opportunities and people my way. Well, they seem little to me. However, if they are part of God's Will, then they are part of His big plan.

Telling God that I want to live in His Will can be scary. It's not about telling him where I'm willing to serve or live. Currently, I live 3000 miles from where my extended family lives. This was never part of my plan, but I know beyond a doubt that I am living exactly where God wants me to live. My physical circumstances haven't improved by living here, but my Christian walk has improved. My ministry for Jesus has grown.

Crying Out to the Lord

I've been using my son's NLT Chronological BIble lately and it's been helpful in figuring out which order the Bible stories happened. For example: Psalm 59 is listed directly after 1 Samuel 19. Psalm 59 was written by David regarding this time when Saul sent soldiers to his house to kill him.

I enjoyed reading Psalm 142 (David's prayer regarding the time he hid in a cave from Saul and his soldiers.) This prayer shows that David is looking to the Lord God for help - for relief, for direction, and to send godly people to help him. When David wrote this prayer, he had no idea what God had planned for his future. Not only would David be rescued and kept safe, but he would become the new King of Israel.

Psalm 142
1 I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
2 I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles.
3 When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.
Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.
4 I look for someone to come and help me,
but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.
(It's my opinion that David is probably very depressed and feeling sorry for himself. In 1 Samuel 20, Saul's own son Jonathan cared so deeply for David that he helped him escape. No one caring about what happened to him was probably stretching it. God did send people to care though. In 1 Samuel 22, we are told that David's brothers and relatives joined him at the cave in Adullam.)
5 Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
6 Hear my cry, for I am very low.
Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison so I can thank you.
The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”
(What a blessing to have godly Christians around me and on the Internet to encourage me when I'm feeling down.)

The Pursuit of Holiness

What is one thing you were convicted about when you were younger, but now being older and wiser you have changed your mind on that belief? Why? Or on the other side - What is one thing you may have not held a conviction on that you now do? Why?

I now hold to the conviction that if I am a Christian, then I should pursue holiness.

For most of my Christian life, I believed that Jesus saved me from my sin's, but that He doesn't require much out of me. Basically, I ignored Bible verses like:

Romans 8:13-14 For if you live by it's (your sinful nature's) dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

1 John 1:6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

1 Peter 2:21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

My husband and I just recently realized this need for holiness. A few months ago, my husband talked to one of our pastors about his desire to help Christian men with a sin that they struggle with. The pastor said that the reason men even struggle with this sin is because they are not pursuing holiness. If Christians would grow in holiness, then they would stop being a slave to their sinful nature.

That basic statement from our pastor motivated my husband to get the book and study guide - The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. We've been learning about holiness together. There is verse after verse in the Bible telling us that growing in holiness is not an option for the Christian. If we are a Christian and Christ is Lord of our life, then we will need to pursue holiness.

If you are interested in pursuing holiness, I suggest getting the books by Jerry Bridges. If you'd like to do a Holiness Bible study now, then I'll list some verses about holiness to get you going. This is just the beginning of what the Bible says about living a holy life.

Holiness in not an option for Christians
Psalm 66:18
2 Timothy 2:21
2 Corinthians 5:17

Verses about Holy Living
Hebrews 12:14
Ephesians 4:1, 30
1 Thessalonians 4:7
Titus 2:11-12
Psalm 15:1-5, 32:3-4
Isaiah 64:6-7
Matthew 1:21, 7:21-23
1 Corinthians 1:2, 2
Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 1:4
James 2:14-26
1 John 3:2-5

God is So Merciful to Me - Be Exalted

I grew up singing "Be Exalted" at church. It's beautiful and worshipful. But, until today, I didn't know why the song was written. The lyrics are straight from Psalm 57.

Psalm 57 is about David - when he was hiding out in a cave. King Saul's soldiers were after him - trying to kill him. Escaping to the cave takes place right after David's experiences recorded in 1 Samuel 21.

David, who had trusted in the Lord God, started relying on his own ways in 1 Samuel 21. He lied to a priest. And then he lied a few more times to the same priest. Then, he lied to Ahimelech. Strangely, he went to King Achish of Gath (the Philistine city where he killed Goliath) and he lied there, too. For some reason, he felt that he needed to use lying to get him out of the messes that he created. God did get him out of this mess and David escaped to hide in a cave.

And in this cave, David had a change of heart. In Psalm 57, David asks the Lord for mercy, he trusts in the Lord, and he looks to Him as his refuge. He tells the Lord that he will exalt Him, sing to Him, and praise Him.

What a wonderful lesson for me. I get like David - start lacking with trusting God and I use my own ways to get out of trouble. Then, I just start declining and things continue to get worse. But, I can come back to the Lord and renew my faith and trust in Him, just like David did. God is so merciful.

Be Exalted, O God

Psalm 57

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.

2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
Selah
God sends his love and his faithfulness.

4 I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

6 They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah

7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.

8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

What To Do When You Don't Know What to Do

I just stumbled onto Beth Moore's Wednesday teachings on the Life Today show. She did a 3 part series in July that I will be able to learn from called - What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do. I'll give you a hint. It has to do with praising God and is explained in 2 Chronicles.

Part 1 was awesome and I'm really tempted to listen to parts 2 and 3 tonight. But it's already 1:30 am and I have to homeschool in the morning. Our neck of the woods started back to school on Thursday, so we decided to start also. It's easier for us to keep the same schedule as the neighbor kids, because they all usually want to play together on their days off from school.

If you'd like to listen to this 3 part series - here it is. Each video is about 15 minutes long.

Update: It's now 2:11 am and I'm still up. I just had to praise God through worship and it felt so good - much better than sleep.

But now I'm off to bed. Really.

What Can You Do?

What would happen if we all witnessed - to the people in our own little area of the world? Many of us want to leave the evangelizing up to the "Called" or to the missionaries. But, I don't think that is what Jesus intended for us to do. He said: "And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

What can you do?

• Deliver Church Event Fliers or Holiday Gift Bags to Your Neighbors?
  
• Help Christian Orphan Ministries?
  
• Witness through the Internet?
  
• Minister to the Neighbor Kids?
  
• Pass Out Tracts?
• Start a Bible Study at Work or Home?
• Start a Play Group at a Church to attract neighborhood women?
• Volunteer to Help at Church Evangelistic Events?
  

You can search through hundreds of ideas and find one that fits with your personality at Easy to Evangelize.com

You Are Everything

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

This was my theme song for the week. I listened to it over, and over, and over.

Lord,
Please give me passion - to grow closer to You. I want to be on fire for you and to be a great example for my family. I want you to be my everything - my hope, my comfort, my life, my future.

You Are Everything by Matthew West

Working on My Marriage

I've been married almost 18 years. And over those years it seems like there is always something more important to work on than the marriage - work, college, starting a business, raising 5 kids, homeschooling, TV, volunteer work, and even ministry work.

But if we don't get focusing on this marriage, then it won't make it. Both my husband and I have been feeling attacks from the enemy on our marriage. We feel like God may be calling us to full time ministry work at our church, but there is no way that is going to work out unless we strengthen our marriage first.

Over the last year and a half, I've read Stormie Omartian's book The Power of a Praying Wife. And I've actually prayed for my husband, along with using 31 Days of Praying for Your Husband at the Nancy Leigh DeMoss site. Sometimes it was really hard to pray for him, especially those days that I feel that he didn't deserve to be prayed for. But praying for him caused me to feel closer to him. And I see evidence that God has been already answering some of those prayers.

Last week, we agreed to listen to Family Life Today together. What an eye opening that was for us. It was 5 episodes about respecting your husband and loving your wife. And wouldn't you know it - the guest speaker said that I need to respect my husband even when he doesn't deserve it. What a concept, and it's Biblical. All this time I've been waiting until he deserves my respect and he's been waiting until I deserve his love.

My husband and I don't usually pray together and I wish that we did. I'm waiting for him to be the spiritual leader and to want to pray with me. But last week, I just said it on my own - "Will you pray with me?" And he did. It was no big deal that I suggested it. I'm going to keep suggesting it and then he will realize how important it is to me that we pray together. Eventually, we will develop a good habit of praying.

So, it's time to put a priority on our marriage. This means that we will need to spend less time doing other things. It also means that it isn't all of his responsibility. If he isn't making an effort, than I need to.

I also discovered that Nancy Leigh DeMoss has a radio program called Revive Our Hearts and it is online. I've listened to 2 of her shows and they were helpful. So, I'll try to listen to her also. I'm going for it. And it's about time.

Love Packages

You can help Christians around the world by sending
them used Christian literature.

Send used Bibles, used Christian books, used Christian magazines, & tracts to Love Packages. They send these items to mission fields throughout the world. Here are some places to find used Christian literature:

• Your own bookshelves and storage.
• Ask church members to donate items.
• Yard sales
• Used book stores
• Thrift shops
• Advertise and have a public collection point.

Here is a list of all the materials that you can send and the ones that Love Packages cannot use.

God Wants Our Whole Heart

God doesn't want the outward show, or our charming personality. He wants our whole heart. And when He has it, then God will open up the doors of service for us.The results of God getting the whole, surrendered heart of every Christian could be just awesome.

As the old hymn says:

Take my will, and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Jesus, I need to include You in all the parts of my life. I need to surrender my heart, my will, and my fears - especially my fears. I need to give you my will and to stop taking it back. I want to enjoy following Your ways. I want to do Your Will, because I know that it is the best thing for me. Thank you for your patience with me. Every day I want to ask You - What do You want me to do today? Please show me, Lord. Show me how to live for you,

O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways. - Proverbs 23:26

God is Mighty to Save

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

You're My Savior, You Can Move the Mountain -

And boy do I have a mountain in my life. I haven't been standing very strong against the spiritual attacks coming my way. The past few months - I've struggled with depression, a lack of hope, frustration with my marriage, fearing the future. I've felt like giving up. But that's just what the enemy wants. God has a plan for me and I have to keep persevering. I have to trust in Him, even when I see nothing happening. I have to remind myself that He can move mountains.


Mighty to Save by Laura Story





Maisie

Drop Your Wallet

Here's an easy way to witness during the summer - on vacation, at fairs, parades, and other summer events.

These wallets are actually gospel tracts. On the inside, they tell about the salvation of Jesus. Just leave them around and you will be witnessing for Jesus.
100 Wallet Tracts cost $12

(Some people even include a real dollar inside the wallet before distributing it.)

The Wallet unfolds twice to reveal the following text:

PERSONALITY ANALYSIS

1. If this was a real wallet, packed with real money, would you: A. Keep it? B. Take it to the police? C. Give some of the money to the poor?

2. You have been underpaid for years. There's a BIG mistake in your paycheck to your advantage, would you: A. Tell the boss? B. Keep quiet? C. Give some to a church?

3. If telling a white lie would save a friend's job, would you: A. Tell the truth? B. Act dumb? C. Lie?

4. Do you consider yourself to be a "good" person? A. Yes. B. No.

5. Have you ever told a lie for any reason (including "fibs" and "white" lies--be honest)? A. Yes. B. No.

6. Have you ever stolen something--irrespective of its value (listen to your conscience)? A. Yes. B. No.

7. Would you consider a person who admits that they are a liar and a thief, to be a "good" person?

8. Who do you think will enter Heaven? A. Those who say they are good when they are not? B. Liars and thieves? C. Those whom God has forgiven and cleansed of sin?

9. Did you realize that the Bible warns that thieves, liars, fornicators (those who have had sex out of marriage), idolaters (those who create a god to suit themselves), adulterers, and the covetous (the greedy), will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

10. Did you also realize that the Bible says that if you look with lust, you commit adultery in your heart? On Judgment Day every sin you have ever committed (even secret sins) will come out as evidence of your guilt. When you stand before your holy Creator on Judgment Day, will you be innocent or guilty of breaking His Commandments? Will you go to Heaven or Hell (there is no such place as Purgatory)? Please, let go of your self-righteousness (saying that you are good when you are not). Instead put your faith in Jesus Christ. He suffered and died on the Cross, taking the punishment for all of your sins. God loves you so much He sent His Son to die in your place. Then Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. If you will repent and trust Him, God will forgive your sins and give you everlasting life. Death will lose its sting! Nothing is as important as your eternal salvation, so pray something like this right now (you may not have tomorrow): "Dear God, I have sinned against you. I now turn from all sin and trust Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior. I will read Your Word daily and obey what I read. In Jesus� name I pray. Amen."

Maisie