Prayer

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The Pain’s The Thang


My mother would always steer clear of people who gave “organ recitals” as she called them.  They were “downers”, depressing people. Your mistake would be to ask, “how are you”?  They never got better, something was always wrong, yet they were at the mall, in church, at the school function.  They sounded as though they were dying yet they looked and acted fine.  Some people never get enough attention.lookatme

Makes you want to give them their own t-shirt, “here’s your sign”!

Many of us have our issues, our daily battles.  I have to say my chronic condition is a struggle.  Mom and dad raised us that if you were this side of the grass to get on with your life and bear up under what ever it is you’re going through.  Physically it is hard I know, trust me.  (I will not give you an “organ recital” now, so don’t worry :-D).  Unless you had a fever or couldn’t keep your food down, you went to school and later on work.  My father had a great work ethic.  He went back to work a month after he had his right lung removed and worked for many more years.  It is a mind-set, mind over matter… you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

Work ethic, seems to be a vanishing concept.  People would rather complain about what needs to be done, how hard it is to do it or even about the paper cut that is going to keep them from doing the job.  “It’s too heavy, I don’t do ladders, my foot hurts, my back hurts ….”.  Down deep I think it simply they need someone to look at them and give them attention.  There is a legitimate time of sickness or injury, but using it for attention or to make your life easier just makes you an HYPOCHONDRIAC!

 

Sadly, many people carry this mentality into their spiritual life as well.  I call them “Spiritual Hypochondriacs”.  hypo It is no secret that in the Christian life we have ups and downs, mountains and valleys.  Some people hit the valley once and get stuck.  They clamp down on the experience and never get better.  They remember when things were better, when God blessed them and everything was smooth.  Every time you meet them they have the same prayer request.  Let me insert here I am not talking about a long time illness, financial situation, loss loved one, etc.  I am talking personal growth.  Many times we do go through an extended time in the valley because we do not grow in the Lord, we do not learn what He brought us there to learn.  Our daily life is about growing more in the Lord.  If we get stuck in the valley, we are not feeding our spiritual life.  We are not reading His word, praying for others, talking with Him daily.  We need to fellowship with other Christians who help pull us along and we in turn pull them along when the road is hard.  If we are not doing His work, helping others then we “are all about me”.  It’s the spiritual version of “look at me”.   These kind of people become cancers and spread through a body of believers, making them all “doubting Thomas’s; woe is us Christians”.  Nothing the devil likes better than to get Christians in to spiritual hypochondria.

Got pain?  Don’t make it the thang.  Take a time of rest if you need it, let it heal or get better, but do not wallow in your illness.  Doctors say that positive attitudes and can do spirit helps people heal faster than many medicines.  For Christians, that same attitude applies.  Sometimes the valley is long, it is a drudgery of day-to-day, never-ending it would seem.  But, the Scriptures tell us,

James 1:2-4(HCSB)“2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”

Some coach has taken credit for the “No Pain, No Gain” concept.  But it came from the Bible.  Let people hear of your journey, counting it all joy with expectation of what the Lord is going to accomplish in your journey.

Don’t make the PAIN the THANG!

smile-through-the-pain

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Short cut!


Short cuts…

Short cuts

they save time and gas money on our journeys.  We love them.  Most of us know all the ones around our area.  Then there are the short cuts on computers.  Recognize any in the picture?  I love them … they save time AND brain cells.

Got any boxed mixes in the cabinet?  Oh yeah, love those too … save time, energy and it is a fast road to something good to eat.

I guess I really love the computer ones; especially the one at the top that helps with all of my “too quick to click” problems.  (UNDO or Ctrl + Z.)

Our short cut mentality takes over in every area of our lives.  Once we start incorporating it in one area, it slips over into another, then another.  But, we get the job done.  Or, do we?  You see people taking “short cuts” in their work, raising their kids and even in their spiritual lives.  They use quick fixes … putting off the inevitable.  Unfortunately, like our little computer menu, they need an  “UNDO” because eventually short cuts catch up with you.

Remember the movie “SANTA CLAUS” where the elf, Patches, designs a machine to shortcut production?  That turned out well., right?  How about at your job, or as a mom … a dad, an employee, or a church volunteer; taking any short cuts and “getting ‘er done”?  Sometimes it is not about finishing, in fact most of life is not just finishing, it is how you got to the finish; the journey.

Many  are wiping their brows, “whew, got them graduated”.   A diploma from high school, college, etc. is nice.  You “got ‘er done”.  Now comes the hard part, where you sit back and see if  all the short cuts you took raising them are going to back fire.  Are there “holes” in their so-called education?  Oh, they can read and write, but where are they on a spiritual level?  Where are they in character?  What values do they have, if any?  Did you just raise them the way you were raised, or maybe you insisted on raising them “better than your parents raised you”.

Look at your work ethics.  Will they work like you?  Is that a good thing?  How about your spiritual life; will they walk like you?  Is that a good thing?  Have you passed on a “short cut” mentality to the next generation?  Is saving time a good thing?  What did you really save?

The good news is, in the Christian life there is an “UNDO” button =  Control + Christ.  Did any of those “too quick to click” maneuvers backfire  in an area of your life and  you do not know how to fix the mess you have made?  Put it in His hands.  It is never too late to turn it over to Him.  He has been waiting  for you to relinquish control.  At work, at home, raising kids, volunteering at church … put the control in Christ’s hands.

PROVERBS 3: 5-7 “5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 7  Do not be wise in your own eyes…”

Short cuts in your work life, your home life, children’s lives or church life will bring forth poor results.  Take time to seek Him, read His word and talk with Him … often.  Then, as we all will need to do, use the UNDO daily.

(Disclaimer:  NO, this was not inspired by any of my friends who happen to have high school and college graduations right now :-D).

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It ain’t over ’til ….


I am constantly amazed at the words that come out of parents’ mouths.  Recently one parent said, “I just wanna get them saved so I can quit worrying about them.”  Really?  First of all, you can lead them, you can pray for them, guide them, instruct them …. you   CANNOT SAVE them.

John 3:16(HCSB)   “For God loved the world in this way:  He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” 

The Gk word houtos, commonly translated in Jn 3:16 as “so” or “so much” occurs over 200 times in the NT. Almost without exception it is an adverb of manner, not degree (for example, see Mt 1:18). It only means “so much” when modifying an adjective (see Gl 3:3; Rv 16:18). Manner seems primarily in view in Jn 3:16, which explains the HCSB‘s rendering. Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Salvation is the gift of God.  You do not earn it and you cannot give it to someone, least of all your child.   You can share what salvation in your life means and you can pray they come to know God through His son Jesus Christ.  They have to accept the gift, you can not make them take it so they will be safe.

But, once they are saved it is not over.  You must raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Disciplining them in the ways of our Lord, helping them to grow.  When a baby is born into this world that is not the end.  Just as you care and raise them in the world, a new-born in Christ must also be cared for and raised in the spiritual world.  You would not let your newborn flounder around on their own for sustenance, yet many a parent “gets” their child saved and thinks, “whew, now that’s done.”   As a  parent you see to their physical and mental needs (or you should) and likewise you need to see to their spiritual needs, teaching them in the ways of the Lord.  Getting them to Sunday School, youth group and church is a start.  But, you must also walk the talk you talk.  It is not, “do as I say do while you’re doing as you please”.  Your child becoming a man or woman of God is a growing process.  It does not happen overnight or when they are saved.  It is not over at that point.  It is just starting.

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NASB)  “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”

When you bring a child into the world, you must tend to their physical, mental and emotional needs or you are abusive in the world’s eyes.  God’s Word says you are responsible for their spiritual life as well.  How much more accountable should we be to their spiritual needs?  They have all the electronic toys, stylish clothes and treats to eat.  But, have you provided for their spiritual needs?

Proverbs 22:6(KJV) ” Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Some people cling to Proverbs 2:6 as a promise.  It is not a promise, it is a proverb.  However, if you ignore the proverb you are setting your child up for spiritual failure and being lost and condemned.  It will always be their choice to choose God or reject God.  It was satan’s* choice that got him kicked out of Heaven.  God is not a puppet master and we are not puppets.  If you do all you can do to raise your child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and they choose to not accept, do not let satan* lie to you and blame you.  Just keep praying for that child.  You planted the seeds, someone else may harvest the crop.  You just keep watering it with your prayers.

It ain’t over … it’s just begun.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) 5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.6 Seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take.”

*satan – I know people capitalize the “S” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.
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Just What Is A Miracle Anyway?


mir·a·cle [mir-uh-kuhl] noun

1.an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
2.such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.
3.a wonder; marvel. (Dictionary.com)

Origin of MIRACLE

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin miraculum, from Latin, a wonder, marvel, from mirarito wonder at.  First Known Use: 12th century http://www.merriam-webster.com
What is a miracle to you?  We pray for them.  Some times we pray for a big miracle … and some say,  “I just need a little miracle”.   I think many times we want a quick solution, in a hurry … in the nick of time.  We throw the word miracle around a lot in today’s world.
  • Miracle Whip
  • Miracle Team
  • Children’s Miracle Network
  • Miracle Baby
  • Miracle Mile
  • Miracle Strip
  • Miracle …this and that

And yet on the flip side of the coin some wonder … DO MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN?

I believe:


I think that the times have changed and we do not see  as many of  what some call the ‘fanfare’ type of miracles  recorded in the Bible.  I believe they still happen that way sometimes, but more often than not miracles are quiet and leave us with a sense of awe.  Why?  Because as a whole we do not NEED them like was needed in the times of Christ.  Over two thousand years since Christ arose and people still turn to Him in simple faith, not because they saw the lame walk, the blind see, etc.  We do not need miracles to believe and spread His message.  We need faith.  Miracles still happen.  The fact that today God uses Doctors and technology that He has allowed mankind to develop  is no less miraculous.    I think sometimes we belittle His hand in our lives because of the lack of fanfare in an event.  I do not think there are big and little miracles.  I think it is, or it isn’t.  (Kinda like lies, it is or it isn’t … or Love, you are either in love or you or not).  I think the problem is in our recognizing God’s hand in our life.  We need faith to make it through our lives.  Not huge displays of fanfare of God’s intervention.  We need faith to see the miracles all around us.  God is always at work in our lives.  That is a miracle.

As a Christian you are in the palm of His hand.  Now that is a miracle.  Think about it … He cares about every little detail.  When you look at something you are holding in your hand do you not see every detail?

He sees every little detail as He holds the world in His hands.

For the Jews waiting for the Messiah, a baby born in a stable was not a miracle.  They wanted a BIG miracle, a King on a throne with lots of fanfare. Yet, hundreds of  kings and queens have lived,  have come and gone, and you would have trouble naming most of them.  They were not miracles.  A birth of a baby 2000 years ago in a stable is still the most recognizable name on earth.  Jesus is a miracle.

Bringing these thoughts into prospective (what got me thinking on all of this), for over three years we were praying for a miracle for my husband, a job.  One that would instantly solve our financial woes.  Phil now has a job (PTL and PTA*).  God answered our prayer, He gave us a miracle because in today’s society people over 40 years old who have too much education and experience are not recognized as valuable.  Some have said, “well, you know it’s not what you were praying for and it’s probably not what he wanted, but  it is a job.”  True.  But, it was what he needed.  We were praying for God’s will.  We long since passed the time of telling God what we needed in the way of a job because only God knows what we need to fulfill His plan and our wants seldom have anything to do with that.  Does that mean this job is not a miracle, or it’s a little miracle?  Of course not.  After 3-1/2 years of looking for work he has a job, THAT IS A MIRACLE.  Why?  Because every time God intervenes in our lives through His love for us it is a miracle.  It’s a miracle of love.  We wait expectantly, hoping to apply all that we have learned in the past 3-4 years as we move forward with Him.

Are you overlooking the miracles in your life today?  Do you consider them too small to be a miracle?  Were they not what you wanted?  Maybe we need to look for those miracles we wanted by looking  a little closer at what God places in our hands; at what God knows we needed.

*PTL and PTA: A Southern-ism for Praise the Lord, and Pass the Ammunition.  Or, in other words, the battle is won, the war is still to be fought.  That is life.  The devil rules in this world and evil is prevalent everywhere because mankind chose for him to be here.  God gives us the battle and He has won the war … the devil will surrender.

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I believe …


… “I Believe I Can Fly”
… “I Believe”
… “I Believe In Angels”
… “I Believe, I Believe”
… believe in our product … believe in the team … believe in yourself?

The world says believe in yourself.

Binging,which I prefer rather than Googling, the words “I Believe” is fascinating.  Humans need to believe.  It is innate. It is that little something in us that is a hole, a void, that needs to be filled.  God put it there, that need for Him.  That longing for Him.  The world tries to help you fill the void.   As you can imagine, there are scores of song lyrics, t-shirts, photos and artwork with those two words incorporated in or on them.  Remember the scene in Miracle on 34th  Street at the end when the little girl keeps reciting, “I believe, I believe.”?  We need to believe. We WANT to believe.

I am not talking about looking at that chair and saying, “I am going to sit on you chair and I believe you are going to hold me up.”  We believe in many things .  I am talking about the ultimate belief, the one thing that fills the void in our lives that nothing else can fill, our belief in God and His Son Jesus Christ.  That is the only “fill” for our void.  God provided the Lord Jesus Christ and  the Holy Spirit to meet our need and fill our void.

Dateline: 10/15/2011 5:45PM ~ She stood outside the store where I work.  She was shopping in the store and had waited on me outside when she saw I was leaving at the end of my shift. She said she was Jewish and her friend Catholic.  They are friends and had wandered into the store while out shopping.  She had questions.  She said, “I believe in God.  I am a Jew, yet I was raised in private Catholic schools.  I am open-minded.”    She has questions, she is searching.  She has a void.  She needs answers, a way to fill that void.

“I believe in God.”  Many people make that statement.  The truth is, satan* believes in God.  The  Bible says satan* knows who Jesus Christ is and that He is the Son of God.  The difference is  Christians believe Jesus is the Savior.    I was raised on the “Four Fold Gospel ~ Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King.”  He saved me, cleansed me, heals me and will return.  That sums it all up.  Yet, I cannot stop there.  I  have to read His word and pray.  I have to get to know Him daily and walk with Him. I have to know what the Bible says.  A saying from the 18th century states, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”  I think we can study the Bible all our lives and never understand or learn it all.  But I have to continue to read, pray and grow.  Some of us are further behind than others in learning.  If you have not started, you need to get started.  We all should learn and teach our children who will teach their children ….

Do you believe?  What do you believe?  Do your children, family and friends know what you believe? Do you believe as the world tells you to believe?

Webster defines believe: 1a: to have a firm religious faith  1b: to accept something as true, genuine, or real ;  2: to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something ; 3: to hold an opinion : think ;  4a: to consider to be true or honest; 4b: to accept the word or evidence of; 5: to hold as an opinion
God’s word simply defines believe as faith:

John 3:16 ESV “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Mark 16:15-16 ESV “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Why do you believe what you believe?

Webster defines Apologetics:  1: systematic argumentative discourse in defense (as of a doctrine);  2: a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity

Wikipedia defines: Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, “speaking in defense”) is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers (c. 120-220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists.

So do you believe?  Do your children believe?  What have you taught them to believe?  What do others think you believe?

*satan – I know people capitalize the “S” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.