NKOTB

So I just googled the New Kids on the Block and remembered all their songs even though I haven't heard them in years. I am an 80's baby, ya can't change that. My older sister, Ashley and I used to have everything in our bedroom decorated with NKOTB stuff. Our Covers, Curtains, Toy Box, Concerts VHS', the barbie doll sized figurines and posters! It's so funny thinking back on it. I really wish I could have went to the concert where they collaborated with BSB. :) I am thinking it would be fun for Ash & I to go and take the hubby's <3

It's days like today when I wish I lived closer to my sister. I really miss her so much and I wanna be close to the kids! Paisley is coming within days and I wish I could be there :(

I miss my family

Ya know, as the years go by I realize how important family is and it really stinks that I don't live closer to my older sister. She is having her second little girl in November and I have only met her first born (Rhys) like 3 or 4 times since she has been born and she is two. They live in Texas and I live in North Carolina. I really wish I could just drive down the road and see them. My papal who I adore lives in Georgia and my little sister does too and even though she only lives 45 minutes from me she is currently pregnant and I can't be there to support her or encourage her and see her grow. When I was a teenager I wanted to get as far away from them as I possibly could and it is crazy how I feel the exact opposite now! I am praying God makes a way for us to see them Christmas 2011 :)

Scuse' my accent :)

Some say that the south has a language of its own. I, however, say that we speak English with the hard edges removed.  Our southern drawl softens it up a bit. I admit that it sounds quite comical to some, but I don't understand what the big deal is. All regions have accents.

For example, Boston. Excuse me, I mean BAHSTON.  Drive your CAH to Concorde, excuse me, CONKERD and see the CHAHLES RIVAH, BAHSTON HAHBAH, and dine on LOBSTAH.  It seems to me that the only time BAHSTONIANS pronounce the letter "r" is when it isn't really there.  For example how they say  "TAMPAR, FLORIDAR."

I don't mean to pick on the lovely people of Boston. As I said, there are different accents in every region of the U.S..  The southern accent is more of a "lilt" and sounds almost melodic.We can transform a single syllable into three with no effort. "Hey y'all, let's go," becomes "Haaaaaay y'aaalllll, let's goooooo."  We can drag out all vowel sounds, especially the long ones forever and a day!

When we address a group, we use the word "y'all."  Hello, it's a contraction of "you all."  It seems so logical to me, and I have trouble understanding why others find it so amusing. To me, it is infinitely better than "yous guys" from our friends in New York or "you'ns" from people in the Midwest. And people make jokes about us?  Maybe they should mind their own "bidness!" :) ha ha muah all in love! :)

Tough as Nails.

I wanna share something with whoever cares to know how I am feeling right now, because I really need to get this out there! Living a godly life is not easy. The Lord urges us to press on and attack sin. Not people. But the sin and demons within them. We are at war. We can sit back and say we love God and never truly have a relationship with him or do for him. Or we can be proactive and move! When I call out sin and speak the truth, it is not to be judgmental or hateful. I am by no means perfect or trying to give off that impression. If something I say offends you then pray about it b/c that my friend is conviction. There is a difference in being convicted and being judged.

Jesus called out sin. I strive to be just like Him and although I will never, ever in anyway fill His shoes, it is He who I want to live for. I realize the closer I get to God the less friends I have. The more family begins to despise me. And at first, I was crushed and sometimes it does hurt. Esp when those you love are so busy looking at who you were they can not see who you are. It is easy for people to be selfish and solely focused on what works for them to their benefit. And my entire life I believed everything was about me. I hurt others. I used people. I could go on and on talking about my past and sharing my testimony but, God has forgiven me and I know that I became a stronger person with the ability to endure the storms b/c I have been through them. Yes, a lot of what I did was self-inflicted but, I grew from it.

To anyone who is trying their best to live a godly life one thing I want you to be prepared for and to expect, the first to judge you will be friends and family. Some will call you a hypocrite. Some will say you are an actor. Some will disown you. And others will mock you. Yet, God will be impressed and He will use you as a vessel. He will place the right people in your life. He will love you and He will guide you! Do not get discouraged b/c the truth is sometimes sinners are blinded to their sin.They only see what they want to see. We are all guilty of this at some point in our lives. Remember, that it takes courage to step out and start preaching the Word. You'll have missiles coming at you left and right. Each night you will pull daggers outta your back before you fall asleep. You will be pelted with rocks and cursed at. Jesus will soothe your wounds and prepare you for the next battle!

And remember Jesus had 12 disciples. That was it. Honestly, I would rather have people in my life who love and support me and encourage me in my walk! I want those who join me and take up the armor of God and those who fight to live for God. I don't wanna dine with wolves in sheep's clothing, trust in demons or the devil's minions. I don't wanna be surrounded by cowards during this battle, those who are afraid to take a stand b/c they are worried of who is watching or who will see b/c they are ashamed or afraid of failure. Don't be weak or narrow minded!

Yes, living for God means sacrifice and dedication! It takes commitment! But if you are just sitting on the side lines and claiming to know the Lord but, only ringing a bell when you need him- do not point your finger at a Believer (No matter how far they are on their walk) and tell them how low they are. At least they are truly trying! What makes a believer so different is they pick up their cross and deny themselves daily. If you mirror yourself after the Lord, you will achieve greatness in His eyes. The world is full of evil b/c people make it that way. The gift of Salvation is free. But it will cost you to fight for others. To fight for the Kingdom. Giving up sin is a small price to pay vs. what Jesus did for us. For example- Let's use alcohol since that is a hot topic right now. I'd ask someone defending alcohol why they are defending it? Is it b/c they drink or someone they love or care about drinks? What is their intentions behind defending it?

Ask me those same questions. My answer is far from selfish! The reason I disagree with alcohol is b/c it hurts others. Believers who stay drunk, are a bad example for others and if they negatively affect someones walk b/c they won't let their flesh die, they are being selfish. In order to achieve greatness you must be of sound mind and sober. A drunken heathen will not be taken seriously. If you are fighting against this epidemic make sure your hands are clean first. Practice what you preach. In public or behind closed doors. Alcohol is not a necessity. Why drink if it hurts people? And honestly, I will always stick up for what I believe to be true and Truth is the Word. If God says it is is true.

If you don't like what I am preaching then take it up with God. If you don't like the way I am living then walk away but, do not sit there on the couch with a bowl of popcorn making my life your entertainment. I am not on the Real House Wives of Atlanta. Don't look at me, look at Him! I am nothing special. I don't need you or anyone else to tell me that. In the end all truths will be brought to light. Then you will know my motives. But we need more disciples and less commentators or play by play directors. We must be tough as nails. We are at War whether you like it or not. I pray God reveals truth to anyone who reads this. I pray He removes the scales from you eyes and reminds you that you are not the center of creation. You are the created. He breathes stars, so who are you to tell Him what's best for you? I pray that He makes your heart grow. That you are stronger in your faith and that you realize He don't need you, that you need HIM! God wants you to love Him for who He is and not for the benefits.I pray He shows you the areas in your life that you need to work on and the sin you need to fight. I pray that He comforts you during your trials and helps to toughen you through the storms. God bless.

Abraham. Father of all who lived.

Sometimes life just doesn’t seem to make sense.  Some of the things happening in the world around us do not seem to make sense.  Why do we so often judge people good by their physical appearance alone, even when there is plenty of evidence to the contrary?  Why are plain, or even unhandsome, people that are good often ignored in politics?  Why do pleasant-looking TV, movie, and sports ‘stars’ attract so much adoring attention, even if their personal lives lack reason for praise?  Why are most of our presidents tall?  Are we incapable of looking past stature when it comes to electing men worthy of leading our nation?  Do Americans have the ‘Saul’ complex to the point where our judgment is clouded by appearance and charisma?  Why is this so?  Why do we keep trying the same old solutions that have not worked in the past over and over and over again?  If it did not work before, why is it going to work now?Why do we always want more when we cannot even use or store the things we have now?  Why does it become so hard to just say “no”?  To just do the right thing?

   If men and women were designed to live together, why did God make them so different?  We have many differences and yet we are surprised when we have a hard time getting along.  We disagree.  Sometimes it seems like God does not make sense.  Why did He put that tree in the garden when He knew we were going to disobey Him? Why does He seem silent when we most need Him?  And why does he allow people to be so cruel?  Allow Satan to tempt us or allow death to take the ones we love?  We often strain to understand why God is allowing these things to happen.  What do you say, what do you think, and what do you do when God does not make sense? 

     Scripture is a record of God’s organized and specific interaction with purposely-selected people.  Scripture is God’s special and written revelation to humankind to teach them who He is, what He wants, and how He operates.  Without this special revelation, debate and discussion would never be able to definitively verify many of the things taught in Scripture.  Not only would there be endless disagreement and discussion, as there is in intellectual circles that have rejected Scriptural teaching, but the sinful nature of humans would tend to enshrine falsehood and sensuality.  Those who stumble onto the truth would get their opinions diminished to the point of being just one of many opinions, or lost altogether.  Many of these people asked some of the same questions that trouble us today. And Scripture records what happened.  We can learn from them.  Scripture probably has no better example of an individual who faced uncertainty than Abraham.  He is a man who is called a pillar of faith by those who read his story.  But this was not always true.  Abraham faced uncertainty and did not always respond with pure and complete faith.  But when his story finally ended he became a father of nations, especially God’s specially-chosen nation, Israel.

     Genesis 12:1 states, “And the Lord said to Abraham, Go from your country and from your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great.”  Verse 4 records Abraham’s response--he went.  I don’t think it was quite that simple.  I don’t think it was quite that cut and dried.  The Iraqi desert is a harsh place and that is the area through which Abraham and his family had to walk. It would have been very easy and very smart for Abraham just to ignore the voice and finish his life with the friends, the people he knew, where it was comfortable and safe. 

     When God said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation,” Abraham was 75 years old and Sarah was 65 and barren.  But God says to them, “I’m going to make your name great.  You’re going to be the father of a nation.”  Well, for ten years it did not happen.  In Genesis 15:3, Abraham confronts God by saying, “You have given me no children.”  You can almost hear the frustration in Abraham’s voice, “Lord, you have given me no children!”  And how does God respond.  Does the sovereign Lord of the universe point His finger at Abraham and say, “You insufferable wretch, how dare you question Me!”  No!  He takes Abraham outside and tells him to look upward and says (15:5), “Look up at the heavens and count the stars if indeed you can count them.  So shall your offspring be.”  He essentially tells Abraham that it is not yet time but that if he would continue to believe the fulfillment would surely come.  But Scripture records a tragic event.  Abraham and Sarah did not wait for God’s fulfillment to His promise.  They decided to fulfill God’s promise themselves.  They altered God’s best plan with their own human reasoning.  Notice, they were not opposed to God’s plan, as Satan might be, they wanted its fulfillment, but they tried to fulfill it with their own human strength, their own human effort.  Ishmael was born.  He became the progenitor of the Arab nations who would later become the sworn enemies of that very nation that God called Abraham to start.  Ironic, isn’t it?  By his faithlessness, Abraham cursed the very people he was called to be the father of.  

     Fifteen years after the birth of Ishmael, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the Lord God Almighty.  Walk before me and be blameless.  I’ll confirm my covenant between me and you and I will greatly increase your numbers” (17:1-2).  Within a year, Isaac is born.  Twenty-five to twenty-six years after He first made His promise to Abraham, God fulfills it.  He fulfills it despite Abraham’s advanced age and Sarah’s barrenness.  If only Abraham and Sarah had waited, there would be no conflict with the present-day Islamic nations that support terrorism, nations inhabited by descendants of Ishmael.

     Abraham’s faith was not perfect.  He stumbled at the birth of Ishmael.  But God was not done with him, yet.  When Isaac was 10-15 years old, God told Abraham to do something that was strange.  Genesis 22:2 says, “And God said take your son, your only son by my promise, Isaac whom you love and go to the region of Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.”  What, a human sacrifice?  That is what the unholy, dark religions of the world do!  I am sure Abraham had a similar reaction.

   Does anyone think that Abraham did not think about this?  Hebrews 11:17-19 gives evidence that he thought hard about this.  “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.  Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, though God has promised him, ‘Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.’  Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.  And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”  Wow, what faith!  After thinking long and hard about this, Abraham decided to do what God wanted him to do, even if he did not understand it, completely.  Abraham knew that his God could raise the dead, if necessary!

     Scripture records (22:3) that the next morning Abraham set out to obey God’s command.  “The next morning Abraham got up early.  He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son Isaac.  Then he chopped wood to build a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place where God had told him to go.”  Abraham did not linger in this journey like he had in his previous journey out of Ur.  Abraham’s faith had grown.  It had grown to the point where he believed in what he had not yet seen, the resurrection from the dead!  As the story unfolds, we see that God does provide a substitute sacrifice.  Isaac, in a sense, was spared dead by the death of another.

     Why does God work in such mysterious and strange ways?  Listen.  Listen close.  Because He wants to show us that He exists and He is active in our world.  If God had given Abraham and Sarah a baby when he was 35 and she was 25, we would say, “Well, so what, that happens all the time.”  But God has something special planned. “This is going to stand out.  I want you and the world to know that I didn’t just wind this place up and let it go. I am intricately and intimately involved.”  That is Abraham’s message for us.  When God does not make sense, you need to recognize that He is on the move, He is doing something.  He is involved.  When God does not make sense, He is growing you.  When God does not make sense, He is making saints.  That is what He did for Abraham and that is what He wants to do for us. 

     Did you know that until Abraham was 75 years old, he lived in the middle of the Chaldean civilization and worshipped idols?  He bowed down to stone and wood idols.  He burned incense and gave sacrifice to them.  But then God said, “You need to get out of this place.  I need to change your environment, so I can change your character.  I’ve got a long-term plan and it doesn’t involve the Tigris-Euphrates valley.  It is going to be over there by the Mediterranean.  It is going to be in a little land called Israel.  And my long-term plan is still going to be in effect 5,000 years from now and you will start it all.  My long-term plan is going to go all the way to the end of this age.  Abraham, I have the next step for you, get up and leave.”  Abraham is called a man of faith because he trusted God when God did not seem to make sense.  He trusted imperfectly at first but God kept working with him and turned him into the great patriarch we know today—Abraham, father of many nations, father of those who walk by faith! 

      It is easy to wait when everything is wonderful.  You do not grow faith without fear, without facing down all the what-ifs that come into your life.  You do not grow self-control without temptation.  There is a world of difference between innocence and integrity.  Innocence is when one’s personal purity rests in never having faced anything that challenges its existence.  Integrity is when one’s personal purity is chosen despite temptations to do otherwise.  You do not grow grace without frustration.  You do not grow trust without risk.  When God does not make sense, He is making saints! 

     How will you respond when you feel God is not making sense?  What will you think, what will you say, what will you do?  Remember being three years old and wearing diapers.  You had a problem but you grew beyond that problem.  Riding a bike was a problem; swimming was a problem.  And once we learned, once we got through it, it was never a problem again.  God will enable you to grow through the things you think you cannot. The things you fear the most.  When the world is unfair to you, God is still there.  He knows you do not like it.  You shouldn’t.  There is much to dislike in this sin cursed world.  But God asks, “How are you going to respond?”  Let God grow you in the real laboratory of life.  To do so, He may have to upset a few things.  He told Abraham he had to move out of his comfort zone.  He had to get him off balance so he could reassess his own life and break the routine and rebuild character.  When you wonder what on earth is God doing, He is getting intricately involved in your life.  Watch, respond, and grow with it.  Had Abraham remained in Haran, he would have been just another insignificant figure in human history.  But through God he built a legacy that impacted all of human history.  Let us not forget, that unless God remembers something and values it, it will ultimately be worthless.  It will ultimately be destroyed and forgotten. 

     Listen to this story about Jerry.  Jerry is a fellow in his mid 30’s.  Jerry and his wife sat in church week after week, year after year.  Being a good church going person, trying to do the right thing, trying to grow as God wanted him to. Bringing his kids to church, doing all the right things.  And then one Sunday morning the church brought in a Chinese national who came to share what God is doing in China, how God is opening up the government, opening up avenues for people to go and share their faith.  And God started tugging on Jerry’s heart.  He looked at his wife and saw that God was tugging on her heart, too.  They prayed about it and they sensed that God was calling them to China.  Jerry called the Chinese national and asked him whom he needed to contact to find out more information about missionary service in China.  The Chinese national put him in contact with a man named Gordon, the head of a small mission group that has taken people to China.  Like Abraham’s experience with God, Jerry’s experience with Gordon was strange.  Over the phone Gordon said to Jerry, “Well, I would like to meet with you, that’s what we’re all about, but I’ve got a real busy schedule and if you want to meet with me, see me tomorrow morning; I’ve got an opening at 3:00.”  Jerry said, “You said 3:00.”  Gordon answered, “Yea, meet me at my office downtown in the middle of town at 3:00 am.”  Jerry agrees.  He set his alarm clock for 1:30 am, gets up, showers, gets in the car, and makes the hour drive through the empty roads and finally pulls into the parking lot of this little mission group.  The parking lot is empty. The building is completely dark.  He gets out of the car, walks up, and finds the door locked.  He knocked on the door, banged on the door, I mean.  There is no answer.  He goes back to his car and prays a little bit, reads a little bit, sleeps a little bit.  Five hours later, at 8:45 am, a receptionist pulled up in the parking lot and unlocked the door.  Jerry looked up and saw her.  “Great, at least somebody’s here.”  He walked up to her and introduced himself.  At 9:15 am, Gordon opened the door and walked through.  The receptionist said, “This man has been waiting for you for a little while.”  “I’ll be with him in just a few minutes,” Gordon said.  About half an hour later, he beeps the receptionist and says, “Send that fellow in.”  Gordon greeted him at the door and shakes his hand.  No explanation is given about the long wait, no acknowledgment, he simply tells Jerry to sit down.  Jerry pulls out his resume.  He hands Gordon the resume and Gordon just kind of takes a look at it and plops it on his desk.  Jerry is a bit mystified.   Gordon speaks first.  “Jerry, I’ve got three questions for you.  They’re going to test you in a number of areas.  Number one, what is one plus one plus one?”  Jerry thought about this for a second.  He’s not sure if it’s a trick question or what’s going on and he says, “three.”  “That’s right,” Gordon answered.  “Jerry, now the next one’s a little bit harder and testing a different skill, how do you spell China?”  With a perplexed look on his face, Jerry says “C-h-i-n-a.”  “Great ok,” says Gordon.  Then Gordon said, “Jerry, last question, Who died for your sins?”  Jerry said, “Jesus.”   Gordon responded, “Thank you very much, we’ll be in touch.”  Jerry just kind of stands there, perplexed, he doesn’t know what to say. Then Gordon speaks, “Well, we’ll be in touch.  I’ll talk to the committee and we’ll let you know what’s going on.”  Jerry turns and walks out, gets in his car, and drives home. Jerry meets his wife at the door and she anxiously says, “What did he say, what did he say, what did he do?”  Jerry shook his head and said, “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”  Ten minutes later a car pulled up in the driveway.  It’s Gordon.  Gordon marched up to the door and rang the doorbell. Jerry opened the door.  “Jerry, welcome aboard.  I told the committee all about you and they voted unanimously that they want you to go with us to China.”  Dumbfounded, Jerry replies, “You told them all about me?  You don’t know anything about me.  All you know about me is that I can spell, I can add, and I know Jesus.”  Gordon smiled and said, “No, I told them you’ve got a passion for Jesus that puts your love and obedience to him ahead of all personal comforts.  I told them you have a persistence, a patience to get through whatever comes your way unexpectedly.  I told them you have enough self-control not to get angry when people are rude to you and neglectful of you.  I told them you’re humble and will answer the stupidest questions.  And I told them you trust God to work through people you’ve never even met, who can control your destiny.  You’re just the kind of man, you’re just the kind of family that I want, that we need.”

     Jerry went to China.  Abraham went to the land promised to him for an inheritance.  Both faced strange circumstances.  And both were judged worthy by there faithful response.  God does require that we as Christians should live good and virtuous lives on a daily basis.  But we should never forget that when God does not make sense, when there seems to be a cloud between Him and us, He is creating not just a virtuous person but a saint.  Virtuous people can live their everyday lives well.  But it takes a trial-forged saint to follow God into the darkness.  To follow Him when it does not seem to make sense!

I'll be there for you!

My fav. song :)

My sister is having another baby girl!

Ya know, it is insane the love you have for your niece/nephew(s). My sister blessed us with a little girl who is an angel, and now she is expecting and having another little girl! I love them so much and I have not gotten to spend much time with Rhys and even though the newest addition is not here yet, I feel like I love her already! I wish my sis lived closer so I could be a bigger part of their life and be there for her while she is preggo. That stinks that I can't be there. But I know God is with her and her husband is taking good care of her! I am on cloud 89549683409674-6902-46093473 today! I am going to have another niece!

Exodus 20:15 THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

Many are the lives that have been touched by theft. Millions of dollars are lost every year in this country over the theft of goods and services. One estimate says that 1 out of every 52 shopper’s carries something out of the supermarket for which they haven’t paid. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 4 million people are caught shoplifting every year. But for every one caught, 35 others get away with it. This means that there are over 140 million incidents of shoplifting every year in America! What’s really tragic is that only 10% of all shoplifters come from low incomes. 70% are middle class and 20% are classified as wealthy.


These facts are astounding! America appears to be a country of thieves. I suppose that if everyone who was guilty of theft were arrested, there would be no jails to hold them, nor arresting officers to lock them up! One new hotel reported that in their 10 months of operation, they lost 38,000 spoon, 18,000 towels, 355 silver coffee pots, 1,500 silver finger bowls and 100 Bible to thieves.

Regardless of the reason, stealing is wrong! God, in these verses condemns it and declares it to be a sin. I would like for us to take some time to look at the 8th Commandment and consider what stealing really is, as we think together on this thought, "Thou shalt not steal."

STEALING IS A VIOLATION OF THE LAW. The Correct Means Of Getting Gain – God has authorized two primary methods by which people can legitimately increase their possession. When we engage in these 2 areas of getting gain, we are doing it the right way. Notice what they are. First, As A Reward For Work – Contrary to popular belief, work is not a curse! It is a means, ordained by God, whereby people can obtain the resources they need to function in the world. In fact, work is glorified by God – 2 Thes. 3:10. God’s will is that we obtain the things in life we need by the labor of our hands!

Secondly, By The Reception Of A Gift – Another legitimate means of increasing our possessions is by the generosity of another. Some one may give us a gift, or we may receive and inheritance, or we may be the beneficiary of a will or insurance policy. These are all legitimate ways of getting gain. There is nothing wrong with receiving things from others. Often, God may choose to bless your life in this way. The Corrupt Means Of Getting Gain – This is by taking that which does not belong to us as our own. Also know as stealing. God has condemned this practice and has declared that His children should leave it behind with the other works of the flesh – Eph. 4:28.

STEALING IS A VIOLATION OF A LOYALTY- As An Employee – Employee theft costs companies billions of dollars every year, somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 billion. According to USA Today, 48 % of all American workers took something from an employer last year. People do this by taking thing home, selling things without their employers knowledge and pocketing the money, taking kickbacks, falsifying time records, wasting time while at work, etc.  

As An Employer – When employees are underpaid, over worked and treated badly, this too is a form of stealing! God has certain principles, which are to be followed by employers – Col. 4:1. However, I am of the opinion that there is less theft among employers than there is among employees! In Our Ethics – Often, we are guilty of stealing in various area of our lives. Things like taxes, keeping our word, honoring our debts, borrowing things and not returning them. When we are obligated to do something, we should do it! When we don’t, we have stolen. When we owe a debt, or taxes etc, then we also must pay that, or, again, we are guilty of stealing before God!

What the Lord wants us to see is that when we owe something, whether it be our money or just the fulfillment of our word, He expects us to make it right!)

THE VIOLATION OF A HEAVENLY LOVE- There is one more form of stealing that many are guilty of tonight. There is no law of man against it, yet it is far more terrible than these other forms mentioned. It is the idea that a man can steal from God. Just the thought that man would steal from God is amazing. Let’s see how it is done.)

The Stealing Of The Tithe – Notice what Malachi says about the tithe – Mal. 3:8-10. God sys that when we hold back that which belongs to the Lord, then we are guilty of stealing from God. Now, when we think of all that He has given us. How He loves us and how He saved us by His grace, how can a person with any sense at all condone stealing from the Lord? (Ill. We rob God when we do not give Him what is His, or when we use what is His for our own purposes. The tithe is not ours to use!)

The Stealing Of Time – You and I have been allotted only so much time in this world. If we waste that time instead of using it for the glory of the Lord, we are guilty of theft! Are you using your time as you should?

The Stealing Of Titles - (Ill. There is also the matter of Lordship. We are guilty of stealing when we hold back areas of our lives from His Lordship. When we try to exercise control over our own lives, instead of giving Him the place of supremacy, then we are guilty of stealing from the Lord.)

The Stealing Of Talents – The Bible is clear when it tells us that when we are saved, we are given certain gifts from the Heavenly Father – 1 Cor. 12:7-27. When we fail to exercise our God given gifts and talents, we are guilty of stealing from the Lord. When we fail to fill our place in His body, we are thieves and robbers. Our lives are gifts and they are to be invested for the glory of God.

Conc: If we were honest most, if not all, would have to admit that they were guilty of stealing in one form or another. If this is the case in your life, then God has a word for you. According to the Word of God, when we steal, we are to repay – Eze. 33:15-16. We are to practice restitution to those we have wronged. Whether it is an employer, a neighbor or even God. We are to make it right, whatever the cost!

God’s will is that His people never resort to stealing, and if we are guilty, then we need to make restitution. Thou shalt not steal!

He who seeks a faultless friend remains friendless....

It’s just something that happens as you grow up. You realize it is less important to have more friends and more important to have real ones! Sadly, some people NEVER get out of the popularity contest. They focus on what other people say, think, say, or do. And they value themselves based on a social standard that they will never meet unless they pretend to be something they aren't. I got a tip... Try being yourself. Find a friend in Jesus. He will provide you with good & godly friends who will be influential. I choose to surround myself with true believers and with people who want to do positive things in their life. My old life. My old 'friends'... are now a part of an old testimony. I am grateful for my past b/c it helped me to grow into the soldier the Lord has designed me to be. Yet- my past will not bully me or beat m down over and over. Wanna fresh start? Make new friends. Do something positive with your life. Stop doing things that are worldly. The world gets high or drunk. Even a little goes a long way and it adds up! Would you smoke a joint in front of Jesus? Would you drink a glass of wine in front of him? NOO! You wouldn't b/c HE IS ENOUGH to sustain you. Hypocrites wake up! We are at war and instead of trying to fit in- We need to stand out! He who seeks a faultless friend remains friendless! Unless you seek the only TRUE friend there is! JESUS!

What does God expect of us?

This godly way of life benefits us now and in the future when the influence of the Devil will be no more.

Clearly

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5

"Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from YOU along with all badness. But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave YOU." - Ephesians 4:31,32

"Subject yourselves, therefore, to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from YOU. Draw close to God, and he will draw close to YOU. Cleanse YOUR hands, YOU sinners, and purify YOUR hearts, YOU indecisive ones." - James 4:7,8

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

"This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." - John 17:3

"Therefore, whether YOU are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33

"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." - Ecclesiastes 12:13 (21st Century King James Version)

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” - Micah 6:8 (English Standard Version)



loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him

Men and women have the capacity to choose freely. As free individuals they can use their free will to choose right or wrong, good or bad. However, the consequence of one choice is different from that of the other choice.

Humans were created as free moral beings. They were not programmed to do good or forced to serve the true God.

It's NOT about YOU!

The man who lives for himself... lives for the meanest mortal known! If we want an increase of Christ, there must be a decrease of self! The Lord, ♥ 's each & everyone one of us & He desires a personal relationship w/ everyone! He MADE YOU! There comes a point in your life where you have to stop blaming God, family, friends, or bad circumstances for things that happened to you in your past. Suck it up.

Lay those problems at the Lord's feet & move on! He NEVER stopped loving you or caring about you. Even in your darkest hour. He gives man free will. Men who are influenced by evil do evil things. Men who are influenced by Spirit do spiritual things. It's easy to throw a pity party and use it as an excuse to never let yourself grow and move past a damaged soul. It's easier than fighting through that hurt and pain. For ex.- If your boyfriend beats you. STOP blaming God. Report it to the police. PRAY for him. & move on! That just goes to show you need to love yourself and NOT let someone hurt you. When you hurt God hurts with you.

Forgiving those who have hurt you helps you to stop crippling yourself by your past. Time & time again I watch people reach to the Lord when something terrible happens. Yet, when their life is going good (& they are blessed) they don't think they need Him anymore. People become their own self-made god at this point. The Lord, is not sitting on a thrown in heaven waiting on you to ring a bell so He can be at your every beck & call....

He's not your puppet. If your thinking is like this- try reading....James 4:7,8 ♥

‎*I speak about this from experience. I had to suck it up. Let it go. & move forward. The devil kept hitting replay on my past & every time he did it would hurt more than it did the time before. Pretty soon I felt worse 4 years down the road, than I did when I first hit turmoil. My point is God IS FREEDOM. Without HIM you will NEVER be free! & the devil will continue to emotionally rape you. The devil will continue to place harmful, hurtful people & substances in your life. & you will continue to chase that if you do not learn to love yourself and follow the maker.. Point blank. Give it up to God. This does not mean that you will not face hardships ever again. It means you will be able to trample over serpants & catch daggers that the enemy throws at you. Motivation begins with a dream. Start thinking Kingdom Advancement. In the end- we are all going to die and we will all face Judgement Day. Do something selfless in your life. Make it all about GOD!*

30 Truths about me :)

1. I am absolutely afraid of the dark. ( I have to sleep with the tv on.)
2. Totally addicted to Jesus!
3. I LOVE Monsters! (The red or green ones)
4. I love my disfunctional family! ;) They are my world!
5. I choose to love my enemies! (People who dislike, curse or have wronged me.)
6. Strawberry Milkshake Whoppers and Blueberry Slush Puppie's are the best breakfast!
7. I don't watch/like MTV! (it's filth)
8. I only listen to Christian Music. (Secular music disgusts me! I have no idea who Lady GaGa is.)
9. I bite my nails. :(
10. I do not know my natural hair color! :)
11. Green is my favorite color! Always has been!
12. I would rather shop thrift stores than the mall.
13. I am scared to ride on a crotch rocket!
14. I love the beach but, won't go deeper then my hips b/c I am scared of sharks and dark water!
15. I won't hook a worm when I fish.
16. I have a pet possum, 2 cats, a dog and a few fish.
17. The best book other than the Bible is"The Shack"!
18. I sing in the shower!
19. I love taking pictures and traveling!
20. I stand up for what I believe in!
21. The guitar is my current mission. I'll master it!
22. Disney movies make me cry! (The Fox & the Hound and The Lion King get me the most.)
23. Basketball is still my favorite sport!
24. I love Kate Hudson!
25. My older sister is my role model.
26. My husband is my BEST FRIEND!
27. Black Amethyst from B&BW is the best scent!
28. I do not like any BUG... Not even butterflies and lady bugs.
29. Good Character is success in my book.
30. Forest Gump is my all time fav. movie!

Calm in the Storm

As a Christian, I know that God is in my life. What I didn't realize, is where He is in my life.

Consider any major storm system like a hurricane for instance. The wind speeds, the rain, the destruction seems to be everywhere. This is kind of like my life. It seems there is always something to endure or fight against just to stay where I should be and not be destroyed. This can be very exciting or disappointing, thrilling or scary. Then there comes a point where I just can't stand the fight anymore and want to give up. Is there any relief from this storm we call life? There is a bit of information that I am leaving out. I have always known this, but never considered this. In the center of the hurricane is what is called the eye. The storm/hurricane works kind of like a wheel, if you are on the outer edge of the wheel, far from the center, you are moving very fast when the wheel is turning (not a good place to be). But if you are in the center of the wheel or the hurricane, there is almost no movement even when it is turning very fast and causing much destruction. It is hard to imagine that there is a spot in the center of a very destructive hurricane that is calm, but there always is.

God is always at the center of our life. The problem is that we do not always live at the center. We wonder off to the edge. Sometimes as far from God as we can get, out on the edge where the storm is the worst. We have made the mistake of thinking in the terms of God-centered or self-centered. As Christians, we are God-centered. The center is where the life is. When we move away from the realization of God as our center, we do not live in the fullness of life. It does not change God's location we just choose to live off-center. There is no calm off-center. Everything of God is in the center—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

So how do we go off-center? It starts when we say “let me try to do it myself.” Maybe we find some good principles to start using to “keep us close to God.” Then we look at these principles as what works to keep us close to God, so we look for more principles to live by. We add a few good disciplines to keep us in line with these principles and before long we have a life full of self imposed rules. Our focus has become what we do instead of who we are and where we are. These rules or principles are hard to do because “who is perfect?” but we continue trying to follow all of the principles and rules that have led us off-center. Yes, we are off-center when we are looking to something other than God for our righteousness. Strangely, things seem to get tough, life gets hard. We are now attempting to live in the destructive part of the storm.

It’s now time to find some peace. Where do we find it? God is in the center. We should be in the center or in God. This does not change anything that is happening in the storm, but it changes where we are in the storm. The storm still looks destructive from the center, but it is strangely calm when we are in God. When we remain in God, who is in the center of our life, we can see the storm of life from a very calm perspective.

GOSSIP the eighth deadly sin.

Who am I? I have no respect for justice. I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives. I am cruel and malicious and gather strength with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed. I flourish at every level of society. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face. To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I'm nobody's friend. Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. I topple governments and ruin marriages. I destroy careers and cause heartache and sleepless nights. I wreck churches and separate Christians. I spawn suspicion and generate grief, make innocent people cry on their pillows. Even my name hisses. I am gossip.

Fifteen hundred years ago Pope Gregory the Great classified the sins that cause humanity to stumble (the 6th century). He looked at every sin mentioned in the Bible and boiled them down to 7 categories of sin. His list of 7 sins is known as The 7 Deadly Sins. The 7 deadly sins are pride, anger, indifference, envy, greed, lust, and gluttony. The 7 deadly sins include nearly every kind of human sin imaginable. But there is a deadly sin that failed to be included in the list of the 7 deadly sins. The 8th deadly sin is gossip.All the sins of the tongue are deadly. Profanity, insults, lying negativism, complaints, and criticism are all harmful. Gossip is a particularly deadly sin. Gossip has destroyed more people, tarnished more reputations, broken more friendships, and split more churches than any sin I'm aware of. Gossip is quickly told, quickly heard, and quickly spread. Worst of all, gossip is quickly believed. People will confess to theft, adultery, even murder. But no one confesses to gossip.The book of Proverbs warns us of the deadly allure of gossip as well as its deadly effects over and over again. Proverbs 18:8 says, "The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." Whether we admit it or not, we have a fascination with gossip. That's why talk shows and grocery store tabloids are so popular. Proverbs says gossip is like a tasty morsel that we like to savor. Gossip is like a hot fudge sundae made with Blue Bell ice-cream. Gossip is like peach cobbler with real whipped cream. Gossip is like steak and lobster. Gossip is like an all you can eat buffet with a desert bar. We can't get enough of it.Not only does Proverbs warn us that we have a perverse attraction with gossip. Proverbs also warns us of the corrupting effect of gossip. When we listen to gossip, it goes to our "inmost parts." Gossip sinks its teeth into our hearts, souls, and minds and corrupts us like a fast spreading cancer.We know what gossip is when we hear gossip or when we speak gossip. But we don't often take time to define words like gossip.We want to see what God's Word says about gossip. Let's take a moment to consider the meaning of gossip and its sister words as the Bible uses them. It helps us to know the meaning of the words as they are used by Jesus and His apostles in the Greek New Testament. Simply put, "gossip" is talking about people behind their back.

God Will Anoint You With His Power To Go Into Battle

If you are operating under a full surrender with God the Father, and walking in all of God’s ways and staying out of any serious sins and transgressions against Him – then the next thing you will need to fully realize is that God will now anoint you with His power if you are ever forced to go into battle with your enemy.

The Bible tells us that we are now all good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Whether we want to face up to it or not, we are all living in a war zone as a result of the curse of Adam and Eve that is still in full operation on this earth. Anyone of us at anytime can come under human or demonic attack. The daily news will prove that to you without any shadow of a doubt.

Each Christian must now make their own personal decision on all of this. You can either choose to learn how to rise up in the power of your Lord and Savior and learn how to become a true warrior in the Lord, or you can continue to keep your head in the sand and let storm cloud after storm cloud keep beating you down. The choice is yours.
The following verses will show you that God can anoint you with His power to defeat any enemy that may come your way – but you first have to be willing to step into that anointing, and then be willing to take your enemy head on before God will release His anointing through you to be able to defeat that enemy.

Again, study these verses very carefully – as they will show you the incredible supernatural power that God can channel through you if you would only be willing to step into and walk with His anointing.

1. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)
    
2. “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.” (Luke 9:1)
    
3. “And He called the twelve to Him, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits … And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6: 7,13)
    
4. “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” (Matthew 10:1)
    
5. “But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:6)
    
6. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17)
    
7. “Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever.” (Psalm 44:5)
    
8. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)
    
9.  ”… but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)
    
10. “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)
     
11. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
     
12. “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit …” (1 Thessalonians 1:5)
     
13. “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20)
     
14. “… in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God …” (Romans 15:19)
     
15. “Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.” (2 Corinthians 12:12)
     
16. “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit …” (Hebrews 2:4)
     
17.  ”And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” (Mark 16:20)
     
18. “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33)
     
19. “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you …” (1 John 2:27)
     
20. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.” (1 John 2:20)
     
21. “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” (Acts 2:43)
     
22. “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage …” (Joshua 1:5)
     
23. “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle – my lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and the One in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.” (Psalm 144:1)
     
24. “For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” (2 Samuel 22:29)
     
25. “It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on high places. He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze … I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. I have wounded them, so that they were not able to rise; they have fallen under my feet. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.” (Psalm 18:32,37)

I believe all of these verses mean exactly what they are saying. God can anoint you with His supernatural power to defeat any enemy that may come your way – but only if you are willing to step into it and not be afraid to directly engage with whatever storm cloud is getting ready to come your way.

Notice the first verse tells you that you can have God’s power and authority to trample over “all” the power of the enemy – not just against some or part of his power. This means you can have God’s anointing and power operating in your life to come out completely victorious against any storm cloud that may attempt to come against you in this life.

God Will Give You His Strength, Boldness and Courage to Walk With His Anointing

All of the above Scripture verses are definitely telling you that God can anoint you with His power whenever that power is going to be needed to take on any kind of nasty storm cloud. However, there is one more thing that you are going to need before God will release His power through you. And that one more thing is the mental strength, courage and boldness to step out with His power to actually use it to directly engage with your enemy.

If you are not willing to step out and flow and operate with God’s anointing for whatever you are going to need it for – then absolutely nothing is going to happen. If you are not willing to speak out to any demons who may be trying to attack you – then God’s power will not come into the situation to blow them out of there, and they will thus stay right where they are at continuing to attack and torment you.

1. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
    
2. “The Lord is my strength and my shield …” (Psalm 28:7)
    
3. “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.” (Psalm 138:3)
    
4. “O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.” (Psalm 68:35)
    
5. “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:29)
    
6. “For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:26)
    
7. “Yet the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.” (Job 17:9)
    
8. “They shall walk after the Lord. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, then His sons shall come trembling from the west …” (Hosea 11:10)
    
9. “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (Proverbs 24:10)

Notice the very last verse is telling you that if you faint in the day of any kind of adversity, that your strength will be considered small in the eyes of God.

In other words, God is telling you that He does not want to be a wimp – and He is expecting each and every one of us to learn how to war against any adverse situations that could come our way in this life operating under His authority, power and anointing to be able to do so. This is why we are all called to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, not just a select few.

 God Will Run Protection For You

Sometimes God will want you to go into the battle – and then He will fight the battle through you to defeat your enemy. However, there will be other times where you will have to do absolutely nothing. God will run protection for you so that no attacks will ever come your way in the first place. God will act as a shield and fortress for you. As you will see in the following Scripture verses, God will be:

• Your Hedge
• Your Refuge
• Your Fortress
• Your Deliverer
• Your Defense
• Your Front and Rear Guard
• Your Stronghold
• Your Strength
• Your Rock
• Your Savior
• Your Light

These verses in particular are extremely powerful, and I mean extremely powerful! These are the types of verses you will need to ground on in your walk with the Lord. These are the types of verses that can keep a lot of unnecessary attacks from ever coming your way in the first place. Quote these verses back to God the Father in your prayer life with Him. Tell Him that you will stand on the promises of these verses with full faith and belief.

If and when any storm cloud gets ready to come your way – pull these verses out, and go into prayer with the Lord telling Him that you are now going to stand on the wording of these verses, and that you will have full faith and belief that He will run protection for you against whatever may be getting ready to come your way.

Give yourself pep talks if need be, telling yourself that God is going to protect you – no matter how hopeless the situation may look and appear to you in the natural. Load your mind and spirit up with the wording of these verses and set your face like flint against your storm cloud – having full faith and belief that God will protect you and deliver you from whatever is getting ready to come your way.

1. “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?” (Job 1:10)
    
2. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in Him I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior, You save me from violence.” (2 Samuel 22:2)
    
3. “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” (Psalm 62:1)
    
4. “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
    
5. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all of his bones; not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:19)
    
6. “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.” (2 Timothy 4:18)
    
7. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:2)
    
8. “But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.” (Psalm 37:39)
    
9. “I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.” (Psalm 121:1)
    
10. “… Deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” (Psalm 31:2)
     
11. “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:19)
     
12. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident.” (Psalm 27:1)
     
13. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.” (Psalm 118:6)
     
14. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
     
15. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea … God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” (Psalm 46:1,5)
     
16. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? … In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56: 3,11)
     
17. “When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He reproved kings for their sakes, saying “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” (Psalm 105:13)
     
18. “Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.” (Psalm 60:11)
     
19. “For the Lord God will help me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. He is near who justifies me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near me. Surely the Lord God will help me; who is he who will condemn me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; the moth will eat them up.” (Isaiah 50:7)
     
20. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 125:1)
     
21. “Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, who keeps your soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved.” (Psalm 66:8)
     
22. “Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4)
     
23. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feather, and under His wings you shall take refugee; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
    A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your habitation, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
    They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:1-16)
    

If you will read each one of these verses one after another, you will really feel the power on these verses when you string them all of them together. All of these verses show us, without any shadow of a doubt, how protective God can get with His own. However, as the last verse points out, this protection will only be given to those who have established a true, personal relationship with the Lord.

Fight Back!

1. The Full Surrender

The first thing you must be willing to do before you can even begin to get God to protect you and fight some of your personal battles for you is that you have to be willing to fully surrender every part of your life over to God the Father for His direction and handling.You must be fully submitted to the Lord before you can even begin to do battle with Satan, any of his demons, or any human enemy in the natural realm.

Here is the very first verse each Christian must get under their belt before they can even begin to enter into any kind of true, spiritual warfare in the Lord. This verse is only one sentence long, but a lot is being said in this one sentence.

This is absolutely the number one foundational verse in which all true spiritual warfare in the Lord will be based on.

Here it is:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Most people skip the first part of this verse and jump right into the second part of it. However, the first part of this verse gives you the secret in which you will be able to engage with the devil.

The first part is to “submit to God.” Submitting to God means you are in a full submission with God. To be in a full submission with God means you are in a full surrender with Him.

This lack of a full surrender to the Lord in a believer’s life is the main reason why so many of His people are coming under such serious and heavy attacks from demons and the other bad and evil people in this life. It’s “your all for God’s all.” If you want God’s maximum protection on you and your life – then you will have to be willing to give Him your all. And your all is a full and complete surrender of your body, soul, spirit and your entire life over to God the Father.

If you are not willing to fully surrender every part of your being and every part of your life over to the Lord – then you simply will not be getting God’s full protection on you and your life, and you will thus be subject to various types of storm clouds being able to come against you.

2. Going On the Offensive Against Your Enemies

The second part of this verse then gives you secret #2 to spiritual warfare – and that secret is to “resist the devil.” Notice the verse says to first resist the devil, and then he will flee. Resist means you fight, you engage, you take your enemy head on. You do not sit passively by while he continues to attack and beat you down.

If there is one major secret I feel the Lord has given me in the area of spiritual warfare – it is the strategy of going on the offensive against whatever enemy is coming against you – just like David did with Goliath.

3. Walk in All of God’s Ways – Keep All of God’s Commandments!

As you will see in the next two verses, the second thing you must do after making a full surrender with the Lord is that you have to seek to walk in all of God’s way’s and keep all of God's commandments.

If you are out cheating on your wife and committing adultery behind her back, then you will not be getting God’s full protection on you or His power to help deliver you from any attacks that may be coming against you from your enemies.This is another main reason why many of God’s children are coming under such serious and heavy attacks from the enemy. They have “holes in their hedges” as result of operating in some of these heavier sins. If you are operating in any of these heavier sin areas – then you will need to get it all worked out with Lord before you can even begin to step out onto the battlefield to do spiritual battle with your enemies.

1. “If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them … you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.” (Leviticus 26:3)
    
2. “For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.” (Deuteronomy 23:14)

Notice in the second verse that God will walk in the midst of your camp, which is your life, and He will deliver you and keep your enemies from overtaking you – but only if your camp is “holy.” If it is not, then He will turn away from you, and you will then have no protection from your enemies!

The first verse is literally telling you that if you keep all of God’s commandments and do them and stay out of any serious sin – then He will give you safe dwelling in your present set of circumstances, and also give you the power and the ability to engage and chase your enemies away from you should they even try to launch an attack against you.

Notice the last part of this verse says that a hundred shall put ten thousand to flight. What I believe God is trying to tell us with this last sentence is that no enemy, no matter how big, will be any match for you as long as you are living under God’s wing and protection.

My God is a Warrior!

God the Father was absolutely ferocious in His defense of the Jewish people when the situation would warrant Him coming to their aid. The Bible tells us that God the Father does not change – and if God is the same today as He was in the past – then this means that He will also come to the aid of all New Testament Christians who are walking in good stead with Him. The best analogy I can give you on this is the family analogy. For those of you who are married and have children just imagine that you just found out that someone was going to try and abduct and kill one of your children. What do you think your natural response to such a horrible threat would be? You would have a strong righteous wrath rise up on you and you would not hesitate to go into battle to either kill this abductor in self-defense if you had to, or arrange to make sure he got caught by the police and properly prosecuted. I have had mother after mother tell me that they would not hesitate to kill someone like this if they thought their child was going to be killed or seriously injured by such an evil individual.

It is the exact same way with God the Father.God is our real Father, and as such, can you imagine what some of His emotional responses may be when He sees one of His own children come under any type of human or demonic attack? God the Father is a God of maximum intensity. This means that all of His emotions within His personality are going to be of a maximum intense nature. So if God would have a very strong righteous wrath rise up on Him when seeing any of His own children come under any kind of an evil attack – can you just imagine what the intensity of that righteous wrath would be like?

This is why some of the battles God fought for the Jewish people back in the Old Testament were so bloody and so intense. Some of these battles were the full wrath and anger of God coming into full manifestation to defeat some of Israel’s enemies.

However, in order to be able to get God’s maximum protection on you, there are several things you must do before God will go this far with you. Many of God’s children are getting beat to a pulp in the playing field of life.The main reason for this is that many Christians are lacking real, working knowledge in the area of spiritual warfare. God says in His Word that His people will perish for having lack of knowledge – and not having the right kind of knowledge in spiritual warfare is what is getting so many of His people beat to a pulp.

Demons, and humans who have chosen to live this life on the dark side, are constantly on the prowl seeking who they are going to try and devour next. All you have to do is watch the daily news and it is one horror story after another. Robberies, rapes, abductions, murders, and thefts are occurring every minute of every day in our country and all across the world. And some of those who are coming under these types of evil attacks are Christians.Pray & read the Word how to go into battle against some real adverse situations.

Persecution!

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

—John 15:18-20

The title of my blog...

A prisoner of Christ might sound like a contradiction. I am a Prisoner by choice embracing the world's eviction. Basically... I choose to be a servant to the Lord. I am completely consumed by Him. I do everything according to His Word and His way. (Just as a Prisoner obeys a Warden)


I believe in sovereign will. I believe that there is nothing more important in this world than the Gospel.

My FAVORITE song! :)

"Praise You In This Storm"

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

[Chorus x2]

Hell dances when God's people are afraid!

Ya know- I can honestly say that I do not live in fear anymore. I have been afraid of the dark since I was a little girl. And from a past drug addiction- I have been tormented by demons. To someone who never experienced this.. . I know it sounds crazy. But it is the truth! & If you believe in angels you must know that demons exist as well. For the past few years (sober) I have still felt, seen & heard the presence of demons. I believe my meth addiction opened me up the a spirit realm that most people do not even know it exists. Talking about it makes me realize, how insane it sounds. I am perfectly aware of that. But my point in sharing this is... I have been tormented by one demon in particular. A black wolf (dog) with golden eyes that look liquid. It started in my dreams and moved to reality! The more I feared this demon the more I gave life to it's ability to scare me and affect me. Although, I believe in Jesus and I know that no weapon formed against me can prosper... I was terrified. This thing had me living in fear for a few years and I reached out to fellow believers looking for help. Every time I prayed I would get even more afraid. It would taunt me and had me completely convinced that if I told it out loud it could not hurt me- that it could. I was too afraid to rebuke it in person. I would only do so in my dream when it attacked me!

In my dreams I could see, hear and feel it. In reality, I could hear and feel it's presence but, it was invisible. Trust me- I know this sounds like I am losing my mind- but it is the truth. I tell you this because I wanna share what the Lord did for me. He came to my heart and spoke these words. "You know... hell dances when my people are afraid." And I DID NOT want the evil ones rejoices over my failure to know who I AM in Christ. I got angry with the evil that was always tormenting me! I knew who I was in Christ. And I'll tell ya... I am not afraid anymore! I will kick the door in on that beast and tell IT right to it's face greater is HE who is within me than he who is in the world! I am not a scared christian. I am a child of God who knows WHO my Father is! My Father is a KING and I am his princess!

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1 John 4:4

(1/3) Glenn Beck - Islam's "12th Imam" (2.17.11)

(2/3) Glenn Beck - Islam's "12th Imam" (2.17.11)

(3/3) Glenn Beck - Islam's "12th Imam" (2.17.11)

Allah or Jesus?...

The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the United States, especially in the minority races!!!

Allah or Jesus? By Rick Mathes

Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs. I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say.

The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video.

After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers.

When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked: "Please, correct me if I'm wrong but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel, (which is a command to all Muslims) they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?"

There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he replied, "Non-believers!"

I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in Heaven. Is that correct?"

The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of "a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar." He sheepishly replied, "Yes".

I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering all Protestants to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in Heaven!"

The Imam was speechless.

I continued, "I also have problem with being your 'friend' when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me! Let me ask you a question. Would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to Heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to Heaven and He wants you to be there with me?"

You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame.

Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the 'Diversification' training seminar were not happy with Rick's way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about the Muslims' beliefs.

In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President! I think everyone in the US should be required to read this but with the liberal justice system, liberal media, and the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized.


This is a true story and the author, Rick Mathes, is a well known
leader in prison ministry.

Drugs & Homosexuality

I represent God! If you're a Christian then you have to remember- that you represent Him too. Be careful about the people that you run with- And the choices that you make when you're together. The decisions you make reflect on you're character. If you have made mistakes in the past and are haunted by them, move forward with your life. Learn from the mistakes- and let go. Satan has a tendency to remind us of our past! Especially if it causes us to live in pain and heartache. The devil tries to distract you from God's love and the forgiveness you can find in His arms. If he can get you side tracked- he is winning. That's his ultimate goal! If, you want to make a fresh start and move in a positive direction take control by asking Jesus into your life. Ask Him to guide your ways.That way you make wonderful memories! So when you look back, there is a beautiful story line behind your life! Your past doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Sometimes the people closest to you will persecute you and try to discourage you. They may not believe that you have corrected your life and that's okay. You are not obliged to change for them. It's for yourself and most importantly for Christ and His Kingdom. So many of us pick apart scripture and choose to only follow the parts that are easiest for us.

For example, some people who call themselves 'Christians', think that it's okay to smoke pot because it isn't as harsh as other drugs. It's safer and an herb. If you are representing God you must be careful what you support publicly and behind closed doors.Yet what does scripture say about this?...

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."- 1 Peter 5:8

I am pretty sure being high is not being sober. A drug is any substance other than food that alters the way your mind a body function. Jesus will return and when He does, I doubt you wanna get caught stoned out of your mind. What would you say? That's the reason I stopped smoking! I knew that it went against God's word. I didn't want to b/c the flesh is weak. And empty justifications are weak. That verse goes with any and all drugs.When you chase a temporary high it turns you from God's grace and you are more susceptible to spiritual attacks for the evil one. That is his goal in this life- to lead us astray! If this is something you have been battling with, than take a stand once and for all. You can be a huge impact to the kingdom of God by changing your life. Those around you will take notice and your change will be an example to them. No drug in this world is as amazing as the high you get from being drunken in the spirit. Guaranteed.

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders."- 1 Corinthians 6:9

What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities near them is an example for us of the punishment of eternal fire. The people of these cities suffered the same fate that God's people and the angels did, because they committed sexual sins and engaged in homosexual activities."- Jude 1:7

The rainbow is not a symbol of gay rights but of a covenant. If you were born that way, you can get born again. People may think this is a hate speech but it's not. I think the church has been too quiet. Everyone now days are marching in a movement. Wanting to legalize everything. All they really wanna legalize is sin. Same sex marriages, let me just testify- God's word speaks distinctly about this subject. If you are a Christian and yet you turn your head to this and say, "well people can do what they want"- b/c you don't wanna seem like your being prejudice- then you are allowing yourself to fall short of the spiritual leadership your job entails. Don't just ask for the free gift of salvation and then refuse to stand up for Christ b/c you live in fear that people may get offended. We are supposed to help spread God's word. It is your business and your responsibility to help others see what is true. God is the TRUTH!

"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."- Genesis 9:13