How God went from being the Lord of the Universe, the King, the Creator, the Salvation in which we are saved by to merely a component of our already in place stereo system or life is amazing. God is not a component to be added, something to boost a system we already have in place. An added amplifier, an added speaker, an added sound system, or control panel. God needs to be the main system in our life.
When we have made Him the main system we go by, use, and rely on we will find that there is nothing that needs to be added. There is no need for a “boost.” The other things in life are just added pleasures. God like a great meatloaf, if you like meatloaf doesn’t need ketchup or other additions He is able to stand on His own.
There was a man in the Old Testament you may have heard of, his name is David. Through all his struggles, failures, and successes he knew who the main component of his life was, it was God. As a result instead of being an added piece, God to him was as he describes in 2 Samuel 22….. MY rock, MY fortress, MY deliverer, MY strength, MY shield, MY salvation, MY stronghold, MY refuge, MY Savior, MY God, MY support, MY lamp.
More things David said about Him were, He is trustworthy and praise worthy who hears us when we cry out to Him as well as rebukes us when needed. He will rescue us. He delights in us and rewards us when we do right. Indeed He is the best resource to enlighten the darkness surrounding us due to sin while giving us a bounce to our step, making our way perfect, and enlarging our path so we don’t slip. The very One capable of pursuing our enemies and giving us the armor needed ourselves to accomplish this in the battle against Satan. The tower of our salvation who shows mercy to His anointed those who have accepted Him into their lives and follow Him.
A boost? No, He is the main system we need in place in our lives. The same God who was there for David is there for us. We don’t come already attached to this main system, yet we come with a hole in our heart where only He will fit. We are the ones responsible for making the move to get God into our lives. As you would go after the stereo system of your dreams you need to go after God, you won’t be disappointed. It’s not what God can do for me but what can I do for God by the way I live my life, the choices I make, the attitude I carry. Like David, you will have your successes, failures, and struggles but like David you serve the exact same God. YOUR fortress, strength, rock, and the list goes on and on.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett at Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Showing posts with label Words to Live By. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Words to Live By. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
WTLB~~NEW---God is driving, all we need to do is get on the bus and cooperate
July 22, 2008
To be perfectly honest and upfront over the issue, there is nothing worse than a backseat driver. A backseat driver can be anyone in the car other than the driver who thinks they know what they are doing. They are constantly handing out unneeded advice to the one who is driving as if it was necessary. They often cause more harm than good as they distract the one behind the wheel.
Spiritually we do that with God as we take on the role of the backseat driver constantly offering up to God advice on how to drive as if it was necessary. Because of this we wind up causing more harm than good. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to willingly accept that God is doing the driving. He’s the one that’s in control. No advice from us is required or essential as we put away our “How to drive in 10 easy lessons” advice we are so easily tempted to hand out.
Kind of like what they call a mass-transit system in the big cities all we need to do is get on board and cooperate with the One who is in charge, Jesus Christ. The man with the map, the one with the knowledge to get us where we need to be in the best way possible, the one who should be in control behind the steering wheel of our lives.
Starting young to learn how to sit back and relax and let God drive is a vital lesson for anyone. It’s a lesson worth taking, a principal worth learning as we apply it daily to the lives we lead. In other words allow God to be the GPS navigating system in your life. Watch out for false systems that promise to get you where you need to be. Go with the one true way, Jesus Christ. The Bible He wrote as our map is not an outdated resource but an updated one that has the path to a future yet to come, eternity with Him.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett at Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
To be perfectly honest and upfront over the issue, there is nothing worse than a backseat driver. A backseat driver can be anyone in the car other than the driver who thinks they know what they are doing. They are constantly handing out unneeded advice to the one who is driving as if it was necessary. They often cause more harm than good as they distract the one behind the wheel.
Spiritually we do that with God as we take on the role of the backseat driver constantly offering up to God advice on how to drive as if it was necessary. Because of this we wind up causing more harm than good. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to willingly accept that God is doing the driving. He’s the one that’s in control. No advice from us is required or essential as we put away our “How to drive in 10 easy lessons” advice we are so easily tempted to hand out.
Kind of like what they call a mass-transit system in the big cities all we need to do is get on board and cooperate with the One who is in charge, Jesus Christ. The man with the map, the one with the knowledge to get us where we need to be in the best way possible, the one who should be in control behind the steering wheel of our lives.
Starting young to learn how to sit back and relax and let God drive is a vital lesson for anyone. It’s a lesson worth taking, a principal worth learning as we apply it daily to the lives we lead. In other words allow God to be the GPS navigating system in your life. Watch out for false systems that promise to get you where you need to be. Go with the one true way, Jesus Christ. The Bible He wrote as our map is not an outdated resource but an updated one that has the path to a future yet to come, eternity with Him.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett at Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Saturday, June 7, 2008
WTLB~~~NEW—Faith believes that God can do what He says He can do
Faith believes. Those two words put together say it all. Where it becomes complicated is when we begin to doubt or question what it is we are supposed to believe in. Even God tells us in His Word that we need to test the spirits to make sure that we are following and listening to the right one. The Right One being our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Reading through the Bible we find it full of promises of the things God says He will and can do. Our part is to have the kind of faith in Him that believes wholeheartedly that He is more than capable of doing these things.
It's important that we know in our hearts the Bible is not a suggestion box but one full of true, guaranteed to come true statements simply because God says so. We don’t need Him to “cross His heart,” “swear on a stack of Bibles,” or anything else to try and convince us that He means what He says. Faith believes. God says it, so be it. Read your Bible daily, keep it as your main source, and never wonder away from the truths in it.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
It's important that we know in our hearts the Bible is not a suggestion box but one full of true, guaranteed to come true statements simply because God says so. We don’t need Him to “cross His heart,” “swear on a stack of Bibles,” or anything else to try and convince us that He means what He says. Faith believes. God says it, so be it. Read your Bible daily, keep it as your main source, and never wonder away from the truths in it.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Sunday, May 4, 2008
WTLB~~~Failing forward. Use your failures to move you forward by learning and growing from them.
Sounds like a crazy thing to “fail forward.” After all when you fail doesn’t that mean you fall flat on your backside where you stay awhile until you decide to swallow your pride and get up to try again. Throwing a few pity parties in the meantime. Right? Wrong! The direction in which we handle our failures is important. We can fail and fall backwards or fail and fall forward and learn from our mistakes or lack of knowledge. We need to realize that not all failures are caused by “mistakes.” Sometimes we simply fail at something, by no fault of our own.
The mistake comes when we choose to let our failures get us down and stomp us deeper in self-pity and our ability to give up. We need to use our failures to move us forward through learning and the determination to get it right and succeed the next time. One of the lessons to be discovered is learning that there are some things that we will always fail at no matter what. Duh! Instead of wasting our time on the things we don’t have the knack for we need to move forward to the things we can eventually succeed in if we don’t give up. Fall forward to Jesus and discover the blessing of His loving arms and encouragement He has to offer.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Sunday, April 27, 2008
WTLB~~~Always Beware of Satan's Shortcuts and stay away from them
If there ever was a shortcut to be found, people will do it. When my mom was recovering from her stroke in a nursing home every day I would try to find a new route to and from the home. In other situations, whether trying to break up the monotony or not, the quickest route to the store, gas station, work or wherever is the best route. Often it pays to take a shortcut but that is not always the case. For example, there are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. There’s not a measuring stick we can put up against the wall to measure how much we have grown. There is no chart to go by stating the national averages of where we should be and when. We get our growth thru the turmoil’s and hard times in our lives. Growing daily with time and experience.
Satan tries to convince us that taking shortcuts is the best way to go but when we do it his way we often find ourselves needlessly bounced around on rough roads running into one dead end after another. As appealing as the shortcuts in life may appear we need to ask ourselves what does the long-term beauty look like? Think before you leap into anything. God’s road can be rough too. Three steps forward can sometimes feel like we end up two steps back but there are no dead ends as each path leads us to a closer walk with Jesus. Forever moving us forward in our spiritual maturity in Christ, praise the Lord!
No one has ever gone from preschool to 12th grade on a shortcut why do we think we can spiritually. We may skip a grade here and there like my sister did or finish early but this is anything but a shortcut as some travel in faster speeds than others in a precision only they are gifted with. Don’t let Satan trick you, stick to the road, stick with God.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
WTLB~~~Checking for Fingerprints
Have you ever felt as if someone was trying to keep you from growing emotionally and spiritually inside? Being told to bloom, grow, or blossom where we are planted seems impossible when it feels like someone has their thumb over us stopping us from even breaking ground let alone see daylight.Definitely a lie Satan would like us to believe. However, when we go looking for fingerprints frequently what we find is the thumb or thing we thought was holding us back or squishing us was attached to our own hand.
Our attitudes, emotions, negative outlook, and lack of strength are things that can hold us back, stunt our growth, and prevent us from blooming and growing where we are currently in life. Before we go looking at those around us we need to stop and make sure that the thumb we feel has us pinned down isn’t ours.
As the main gardener in our lives God can help us break ground, get rid of that feeling of being pinned down. Leading us to the daylight of His light, the true lamp to grow by, to bloom for, and put in charge our harvest. Trying on our own only got us temporarily buried when we should have been growing. Thank you Jesus for the miracle gro we can use in our lives, to set in motion a growing process that is destined for beauty, that is grounded in love, forgiveness, and grace.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Sunday, March 30, 2008
WTLB~~~Go First Anyway
When you’re a kid wanting to go first is no problem. It’s a constant race to see who gets to the car first, who finishes their candy bar first, who gets to mom first to tattle, and on and on and on. Having someone tell you to go first anyway seems like a great invitation to get what you want. Sure I’ll be the first in line, the first to open my presents, the first at everything I do.
Unfortunately that is not the kind of first we are talking about here. It’s the first to say I’m sorry, it’s the first to lend a hand to someone in need, the first to do what you know is right in spite of others not following. The first to go forward even though you think it is the other person that needs to make the first move.
Not doing what we need to do just because someone else didn’t go first is not an excuse that God would accept and neither should we. We are each responsible for our own actions and they should never be based on what others have or haven’t done. Our pride shouldn’t get in the way. Our own thoughts and feelings should never dictate what we do. Go first anyway and you’d be surprised at the end results whether immediately seen or not.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Unfortunately that is not the kind of first we are talking about here. It’s the first to say I’m sorry, it’s the first to lend a hand to someone in need, the first to do what you know is right in spite of others not following. The first to go forward even though you think it is the other person that needs to make the first move.
Not doing what we need to do just because someone else didn’t go first is not an excuse that God would accept and neither should we. We are each responsible for our own actions and they should never be based on what others have or haven’t done. Our pride shouldn’t get in the way. Our own thoughts and feelings should never dictate what we do. Go first anyway and you’d be surprised at the end results whether immediately seen or not.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
WTLB~~Don't Let Outside Storms Become Inside Storms
I have to begin today by asking a question. The last time I did this I asked if you ever had the joy of sweeping a floor. Today’s question is a little different but just as simple. Have you ever been caught in a storm whether it was a thunder, rain, snow, hurricane, twister, or dust storm? During the storm would you ever open up the house door and let the outside storm come in? No way! That would be crazy wouldn’t it? I’ll answer that question for you….yes it would be stupid.
Well just as stupid is allowing the outside storms of the world, things like bully’s at school, parental issues, family upsets, sibling trouble, friendship mishaps that all can cause tremendous storms on the outside to become inside storms. Inside storms meaning having our spirit inside of us stirred up so badly that our lives are affected by it.
Once we allow this to happen depression sets in, some take on anger, others become so upset deep within themselves that they want to harm themselves or others. Like a computer that comes equip with a firewall that keeps any outside sources from accessing your computer through the Internet we need to put up our own firewall in our heart. Using it to stop the things on the outside from stirring up inside storms in our spirit.
Satan already is working hard at stirring up these “inside” storms or turmoil’s that we find ourselves fighting against such as the emotional waves of anger, jealousy, low self-worth, rebellion, disobedience, fear, and uncertainty that he doesn’t need our help. It’s up to us to be firmly grounded in God’s Word, trusting in His promises that we don’t allow access from outside influences to do damage from inside our spirit. We can stop this from happening by trusting and relying on Christ and the Holy Spirit using them as our firewall the protector of our soul, the keeper of our spirit.
Well just as stupid is allowing the outside storms of the world, things like bully’s at school, parental issues, family upsets, sibling trouble, friendship mishaps that all can cause tremendous storms on the outside to become inside storms. Inside storms meaning having our spirit inside of us stirred up so badly that our lives are affected by it.
Once we allow this to happen depression sets in, some take on anger, others become so upset deep within themselves that they want to harm themselves or others. Like a computer that comes equip with a firewall that keeps any outside sources from accessing your computer through the Internet we need to put up our own firewall in our heart. Using it to stop the things on the outside from stirring up inside storms in our spirit.
Satan already is working hard at stirring up these “inside” storms or turmoil’s that we find ourselves fighting against such as the emotional waves of anger, jealousy, low self-worth, rebellion, disobedience, fear, and uncertainty that he doesn’t need our help. It’s up to us to be firmly grounded in God’s Word, trusting in His promises that we don’t allow access from outside influences to do damage from inside our spirit. We can stop this from happening by trusting and relying on Christ and the Holy Spirit using them as our firewall the protector of our soul, the keeper of our spirit.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Monday, February 25, 2008
WTLB~~Don't Have to Break Just Because You're Broken
February 25, 2008
If you haven’t read the Humpty Dumpty Picture Dee #3 devotional you really should at this point. In it we talked about being in those situations in life where you feel as if you are broken and crushed in spirit. Years ago when I was in my 20’s and 30’s things were going on in my life that made me feel this way constantly. I had enough of being crushed in spirit I wanted to break. I wanted to basically “lose it” as some would call it then I wouldn’t haven’t to deal with life any more. I was being so self-centered I wasn’t thinking of the eternal life we have beyond the grave and the consequences of my actions on earth.
Lucky for me I had a Heavenly Father that had more faith in me than I had in myself. Little by little He kept slipping in to my life what I called “pieces of elastic” to help me bounce back. Notes of encouragement, bits and pieces of hope that would come in the form of a letter from a friend, phone calls from a love one and so much more. There were times when I would get mad at God for doing this. I wanted to break but He wouldn’t let me.
To remind me of what God was doing I wrote His name on a piece of elastic then glued it between the mouths of two clothespins. I would carry that contraption around with me in my pocket and look at it once in awhile. Taking it out of my pocket I would bend the two clothespins as far as I could and then let one go and watch it bounce up. It reminded me of God’s love for me, His faith in me as well and what He was working so hard at trying to prevent. That was me totally breaking down.
I wasn’t doing anything spectacular to merit such treatment. I wasn’t being effective for His kingdom. If anything I was taking away from His kingdom by being so weak and requiring so much attention. However, I had value to Him and He wasn’t going to allow me to break down no matter how much I wanted it.
Just because we are busted inside because of broken families, bad relationships, and hardships at school or in life itself, we don’t need to allow ourselves to totally break. Falling apart at the seams to the point where we try to commit suicide hurt ourselves or others, take drugs, withdrawal to a corner, or do anything to try and complete what the world started to crush is wrong. That’s not what God wants for us.
No, He never promises that life will be easy and that we will never be hurt, broken, or crushed. What He does promise is to be there for us, to help us through, and love us when we don’t feel lovable, to have faith in us when we have no faith in ourselves. Like me, you probably haven’t done anything spectacular to merit such treatment from God but that is what His grace and mercy is all about. That is the message of the cross why He died for us. To take away what didn’t need to be, the sin of giving up on ourselves and giving in to Satan and replace it with something better, eternal life beyond the grave. Supplying us with a way through our troubles, not a way out. A method of enduring the hard times not a way to escape them. Caring for us when we are unable to care for ourselves. In other words, the easy way out doesn’t always turn out to be the easiest and best way for us. Stick with God and He’ll stick with you.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
If you haven’t read the Humpty Dumpty Picture Dee #3 devotional you really should at this point. In it we talked about being in those situations in life where you feel as if you are broken and crushed in spirit. Years ago when I was in my 20’s and 30’s things were going on in my life that made me feel this way constantly. I had enough of being crushed in spirit I wanted to break. I wanted to basically “lose it” as some would call it then I wouldn’t haven’t to deal with life any more. I was being so self-centered I wasn’t thinking of the eternal life we have beyond the grave and the consequences of my actions on earth.
Lucky for me I had a Heavenly Father that had more faith in me than I had in myself. Little by little He kept slipping in to my life what I called “pieces of elastic” to help me bounce back. Notes of encouragement, bits and pieces of hope that would come in the form of a letter from a friend, phone calls from a love one and so much more. There were times when I would get mad at God for doing this. I wanted to break but He wouldn’t let me.
To remind me of what God was doing I wrote His name on a piece of elastic then glued it between the mouths of two clothespins. I would carry that contraption around with me in my pocket and look at it once in awhile. Taking it out of my pocket I would bend the two clothespins as far as I could and then let one go and watch it bounce up. It reminded me of God’s love for me, His faith in me as well and what He was working so hard at trying to prevent. That was me totally breaking down.
I wasn’t doing anything spectacular to merit such treatment. I wasn’t being effective for His kingdom. If anything I was taking away from His kingdom by being so weak and requiring so much attention. However, I had value to Him and He wasn’t going to allow me to break down no matter how much I wanted it.
Just because we are busted inside because of broken families, bad relationships, and hardships at school or in life itself, we don’t need to allow ourselves to totally break. Falling apart at the seams to the point where we try to commit suicide hurt ourselves or others, take drugs, withdrawal to a corner, or do anything to try and complete what the world started to crush is wrong. That’s not what God wants for us.
No, He never promises that life will be easy and that we will never be hurt, broken, or crushed. What He does promise is to be there for us, to help us through, and love us when we don’t feel lovable, to have faith in us when we have no faith in ourselves. Like me, you probably haven’t done anything spectacular to merit such treatment from God but that is what His grace and mercy is all about. That is the message of the cross why He died for us. To take away what didn’t need to be, the sin of giving up on ourselves and giving in to Satan and replace it with something better, eternal life beyond the grave. Supplying us with a way through our troubles, not a way out. A method of enduring the hard times not a way to escape them. Caring for us when we are unable to care for ourselves. In other words, the easy way out doesn’t always turn out to be the easiest and best way for us. Stick with God and He’ll stick with you.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Thursday, February 21, 2008
WTLB~~Self-set traps, the danger of them
February 21, 2008
This subject wasn’t on our list of “words to live by” but I had to slip it in after talking last week about dealing with the issues in life.
A familiar saying that you hear adults talk about is the subject of Murphy’s Law. I think people have used that phrase on so many different things that they probably don’t remember what the original Murphy’s Law is of “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Over the years we’ve added our own versions of this such as “its Murphy’s Law that what goes up must comes down. It’s Murphy’s Law that if something can go wrong it will at the most inopportune time.” And the list of Murphy’s Law goes on and on.
In the previous post we talked about learning the importance of dealing with things instead of just trying to sweep whatever it is under something and leaving it there to never go away. Well in the case of dealing with life’s issue I have to insert another one of those “Murphy Law” things, “If you set your own trap you’ll probably step in it every time.”
What do I mean by self-set traps? Let me give you an example. One time in the process of dealing with something I tried to cope with the situations in an honest innocent manner. I thought for sure that I had come up with a good solution. Unfortunately for me I found myself caught deeper into something in a trap that I had sprung on myself.
Another example is when we try to deal with feeling unpopular by joining the “popular” crowd by smoking or drinking. The trap might not spring on us right away but down the road the side effects begin to show up. Things such as cancer or liver damage that we have to fight against because of a decision made years earlier. Also trying to deal with the pain of being sexually abused some turn to food for their comfort. Before they know it the trap of obesity is wrapped tightly around their life and even more problems are created.
Just be cautious and remember that some things are not worth it no matter what we think at the time. Don’t try to solve one problem by creating another one. If you accidentally do as I had done that time, learn from your mistakes. Don’t keep falling into the same old traps. It’s important to turn to Jesus and use His word to guide you through and encourage you along the way. His principals and ways are not old fashion or outdated, they are a part of our future, the eternal life we have ahead of us. Life is full of choices, its important we make the right ones.
This subject wasn’t on our list of “words to live by” but I had to slip it in after talking last week about dealing with the issues in life.
A familiar saying that you hear adults talk about is the subject of Murphy’s Law. I think people have used that phrase on so many different things that they probably don’t remember what the original Murphy’s Law is of “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Over the years we’ve added our own versions of this such as “its Murphy’s Law that what goes up must comes down. It’s Murphy’s Law that if something can go wrong it will at the most inopportune time.” And the list of Murphy’s Law goes on and on.
In the previous post we talked about learning the importance of dealing with things instead of just trying to sweep whatever it is under something and leaving it there to never go away. Well in the case of dealing with life’s issue I have to insert another one of those “Murphy Law” things, “If you set your own trap you’ll probably step in it every time.”
What do I mean by self-set traps? Let me give you an example. One time in the process of dealing with something I tried to cope with the situations in an honest innocent manner. I thought for sure that I had come up with a good solution. Unfortunately for me I found myself caught deeper into something in a trap that I had sprung on myself.
Another example is when we try to deal with feeling unpopular by joining the “popular” crowd by smoking or drinking. The trap might not spring on us right away but down the road the side effects begin to show up. Things such as cancer or liver damage that we have to fight against because of a decision made years earlier. Also trying to deal with the pain of being sexually abused some turn to food for their comfort. Before they know it the trap of obesity is wrapped tightly around their life and even more problems are created.
Just be cautious and remember that some things are not worth it no matter what we think at the time. Don’t try to solve one problem by creating another one. If you accidentally do as I had done that time, learn from your mistakes. Don’t keep falling into the same old traps. It’s important to turn to Jesus and use His word to guide you through and encourage you along the way. His principals and ways are not old fashion or outdated, they are a part of our future, the eternal life we have ahead of us. Life is full of choices, its important we make the right ones.
Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
WTLB~~Deal with things, sweeping them under the rug only postpones the inevitable
February 5, 2008
I have to start out by asking this question, “Have you ever had the privilege of sweeping the floor for your mom, dad, or whoever?” Okay maybe it wasn’t such an honor to do but when you did it, did you ever try to hide some of the dirt you missed under the rug? Did it work? Did it make the dirt disappear entirely?
I think the dirt under the rug trick is something we’ve all tried and in the end learn that it doesn’t make the dirt disappear totally. Eventually we end up having to deal with the pile of dirt that we missed the last time we tried to clean. What we did before only postponed the inevitable or the to be expected.
It’s the same issue when we do this when we clean our rooms and throw everything under the bed or in the closet. We may pass inspection from a quick eye from mom or dad but sooner or later we have to deal with what is under the bed and in the closet. It’s not going to clean up itself without our help. I’ve waited for years for the dish fairy to show up at my house but she never has. The dirty dishes I left in the sink last night will still be there in the morning.
This is a vital lesson as kids you need to learn on how to deal with issues as they happened. Putting them off will only postpone something that is not going to go away. More important issues than a pile of dirt or dirty clothes are the things going on in your life daily. When you start to get overweight do something about it early before the problem gets even bigger. It’s easier to lose 10 pounds than 100. If you’ve suffered from sexual abuse don’t try to bury it in your heart, find a friend, counselor, youth pastor that you can talk to. If your grades are failing, don’t wait till it’s too late in the year to seek help and apply yourself start now improving what needs to be improved.
Your spiritual life and walk with God needs to be handled the same way. If there are things that are stopping you from walking as Jesus would want you to then deal with them. Don’t holdup the things that will never go away on their own. Maybe your attitude could use a pruning to be like Christ. Perhaps your thinking and the words out of your mouth need cleaned up in order to shine as Jesus would want them too. Waiting until you die and facing Jesus will be too late. The rug we hide these things under will be gone but the dirt will still be there. Don’t delay, deal with things today, God is there to help if only we would let Him.
I have to start out by asking this question, “Have you ever had the privilege of sweeping the floor for your mom, dad, or whoever?” Okay maybe it wasn’t such an honor to do but when you did it, did you ever try to hide some of the dirt you missed under the rug? Did it work? Did it make the dirt disappear entirely?
I think the dirt under the rug trick is something we’ve all tried and in the end learn that it doesn’t make the dirt disappear totally. Eventually we end up having to deal with the pile of dirt that we missed the last time we tried to clean. What we did before only postponed the inevitable or the to be expected.
It’s the same issue when we do this when we clean our rooms and throw everything under the bed or in the closet. We may pass inspection from a quick eye from mom or dad but sooner or later we have to deal with what is under the bed and in the closet. It’s not going to clean up itself without our help. I’ve waited for years for the dish fairy to show up at my house but she never has. The dirty dishes I left in the sink last night will still be there in the morning.
This is a vital lesson as kids you need to learn on how to deal with issues as they happened. Putting them off will only postpone something that is not going to go away. More important issues than a pile of dirt or dirty clothes are the things going on in your life daily. When you start to get overweight do something about it early before the problem gets even bigger. It’s easier to lose 10 pounds than 100. If you’ve suffered from sexual abuse don’t try to bury it in your heart, find a friend, counselor, youth pastor that you can talk to. If your grades are failing, don’t wait till it’s too late in the year to seek help and apply yourself start now improving what needs to be improved.
Your spiritual life and walk with God needs to be handled the same way. If there are things that are stopping you from walking as Jesus would want you to then deal with them. Don’t holdup the things that will never go away on their own. Maybe your attitude could use a pruning to be like Christ. Perhaps your thinking and the words out of your mouth need cleaned up in order to shine as Jesus would want them too. Waiting until you die and facing Jesus will be too late. The rug we hide these things under will be gone but the dirt will still be there. Don’t delay, deal with things today, God is there to help if only we would let Him.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
WTLB~~Be proactive (411 call for information) vs reactive (dialing 911 in an emergency)
January 31, 2008
The telephone world has gotten pretty creative and simple lately. It used to be you had to dial a 7-digit number in order to get information. Now all you need to remember is 411 and you have worldwide phone information at your fingertips. The old familiar 911 hasn’t changed, it is still set up the way it always has been to call in times of emergency for the help needed to rescue and save.
The one is used proactively or as a practical, hands on, get down to business sort of thing. You know what you want and therefore you call them up and request it. The other is a reactive, spur of the moment, I need help fast, come quickly sort of a thing with no guarantee that the outcome will be successful.
In our Christian walk with the Lord we need to learn to be more proactive. Calling up the Lord using the avenue of prayer that He opened for us to communicate with Him. Getting our information ahead of time, using it, as it should be utilized. If calling 411 and getting information from a doctor prevented you later from having to call 911 to get an ambulance to your home quickly wouldn’t it be smarter to start with 411?
That’s the way we need to be. Instead of waiting until we are having a spiritual emergency like falling away from God in our attitude, actions, and thinking we need to learn to call ahead of time. Also we need to dig through His Word that is full of the information for our own personal use to prevent most spiritually emergency situations.
We don’t need the thrill of being reactive. We need the peace that comes from being prepared. Prepared in our hearts and minds for any situation that life can throw at us. Thanks to God. Thanks to His guidance. It’s true when the Bible says that He will never leave you nor forsake you! Call on Him today.
The telephone world has gotten pretty creative and simple lately. It used to be you had to dial a 7-digit number in order to get information. Now all you need to remember is 411 and you have worldwide phone information at your fingertips. The old familiar 911 hasn’t changed, it is still set up the way it always has been to call in times of emergency for the help needed to rescue and save.
The one is used proactively or as a practical, hands on, get down to business sort of thing. You know what you want and therefore you call them up and request it. The other is a reactive, spur of the moment, I need help fast, come quickly sort of a thing with no guarantee that the outcome will be successful.
In our Christian walk with the Lord we need to learn to be more proactive. Calling up the Lord using the avenue of prayer that He opened for us to communicate with Him. Getting our information ahead of time, using it, as it should be utilized. If calling 411 and getting information from a doctor prevented you later from having to call 911 to get an ambulance to your home quickly wouldn’t it be smarter to start with 411?
That’s the way we need to be. Instead of waiting until we are having a spiritual emergency like falling away from God in our attitude, actions, and thinking we need to learn to call ahead of time. Also we need to dig through His Word that is full of the information for our own personal use to prevent most spiritually emergency situations.
We don’t need the thrill of being reactive. We need the peace that comes from being prepared. Prepared in our hearts and minds for any situation that life can throw at us. Thanks to God. Thanks to His guidance. It’s true when the Bible says that He will never leave you nor forsake you! Call on Him today.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
WTLB~~Be Creative, don't get caught in a Rut
January 28, 2008
Wow! Great! Super! “They told us to be creative and not get caught in a rut so that is our invitation to go out and party and live it up!” WRONG! Being creative doesn’t mean going out and seeing what trouble you can get in to or how big of a party you can throw just to escape the boring rut you think your life is in. First of all you need to understand what a rut means.
A rut is something we get ourselves caught in that is hard to get out of. The daily routine of getting out of bed, going to school, coming home to do homework and clean your room isn’t a rut. Sorry! It may seem like it but that is just a part of every day living. You will soon learn it’s no different when you’re an adult. You get up every morning, go to work, come home to do what needs to be done around the house like cooking supper and cleaning up after yourself or paying bills.
What gets you into a rut is your attitude about what you are doing. The more negative the thoughts the deeper the rut, the more complaining the wider the grooves. When you are not growing spiritually inside, making progress in your everyday emotional growth you are in a rut that needs escaped in a creative manner.
Where would Walt Disney have been if he didn’t have that creative mind to build what he did? What about Orville and his brother when they were experimenting with something that was suppose to make them fly. The world is full of creative people who took their creativity and developed it. Being creative isn’t limited to the “big stuff” that you could do to make you rich or famous. It covers many areas both big or small, simple or huge.
It is at this point I would like to apologize for our generation and the generation after us that decided that learning how to be creative wasn’t important. Instead they decided they would do it for you by bringing amusement to you instead of you to the entertainment. Another mistake or lie that we have passed on to your generation is the lie that you have to be entertained to get anything out of life. The sermon at the church needs to be “entertaining” in order to learn about Christ. The classroom at school has to be amusing in order for you to learn. Oh dear, wrong again.
No, being creative (resourceful, imaginative, inspired) can be done in the simplest of ways and its up to you to find those ways within the boundaries that God provides. In the process enjoy the journey. You’ll be surprised how fun it can be staying on top with the Lord instead of down in the rut where Satan would rather us be. No one but yourself can get you out, make the right choice. Go with God.
Wow! Great! Super! “They told us to be creative and not get caught in a rut so that is our invitation to go out and party and live it up!” WRONG! Being creative doesn’t mean going out and seeing what trouble you can get in to or how big of a party you can throw just to escape the boring rut you think your life is in. First of all you need to understand what a rut means.
A rut is something we get ourselves caught in that is hard to get out of. The daily routine of getting out of bed, going to school, coming home to do homework and clean your room isn’t a rut. Sorry! It may seem like it but that is just a part of every day living. You will soon learn it’s no different when you’re an adult. You get up every morning, go to work, come home to do what needs to be done around the house like cooking supper and cleaning up after yourself or paying bills.
What gets you into a rut is your attitude about what you are doing. The more negative the thoughts the deeper the rut, the more complaining the wider the grooves. When you are not growing spiritually inside, making progress in your everyday emotional growth you are in a rut that needs escaped in a creative manner.
Where would Walt Disney have been if he didn’t have that creative mind to build what he did? What about Orville and his brother when they were experimenting with something that was suppose to make them fly. The world is full of creative people who took their creativity and developed it. Being creative isn’t limited to the “big stuff” that you could do to make you rich or famous. It covers many areas both big or small, simple or huge.
It is at this point I would like to apologize for our generation and the generation after us that decided that learning how to be creative wasn’t important. Instead they decided they would do it for you by bringing amusement to you instead of you to the entertainment. Another mistake or lie that we have passed on to your generation is the lie that you have to be entertained to get anything out of life. The sermon at the church needs to be “entertaining” in order to learn about Christ. The classroom at school has to be amusing in order for you to learn. Oh dear, wrong again.
No, being creative (resourceful, imaginative, inspired) can be done in the simplest of ways and its up to you to find those ways within the boundaries that God provides. In the process enjoy the journey. You’ll be surprised how fun it can be staying on top with the Lord instead of down in the rut where Satan would rather us be. No one but yourself can get you out, make the right choice. Go with God.
Monday, January 21, 2008
WTLB~~Be a Positive Role Model
January 21, 2008
Living in a world where things are never good enough for people and complaining is at its highest its hard to be a positive role model. Borrowing the example from Peter Pan you can go a long ways on a “happy thought.” No, you will not fly through the sky with the greatest of ease because you thought of your favorite game you like to play or something. However, you’d be surprised just how far you can go on the strength of being positive. Being negative is a dead-end street that only gets you further into the negative. You are the one who needs to control your thinking, what you think is often a choice, a habit sometimes and you need to start out with good habits that you can grow on instead of bad habits you will have to change later. God was positive when He sent Christ to save us, instead of saying, “Oh those people are too far gone to be saved.” He said, “I’m sending my Son to die for these people because I know they can be saved.”
Instead of saying, “Oh this is going to be a bad day.” Start your day by saying, “I’m going to have good day no matter what.” You are what you think. Thinking positive is not being wimpy just like thinking negative thoughts and being negative is not being “cool.”
The battlefield with Satan is in our minds. That’s where he likes to attack us the most. It’s definitely true that if you don’t make up your mind, Satan will do it for you. The best way to make up your mind is doing it up in positive thinking focused on God, the one who cares about what is going on in your mind.
Living in a world where things are never good enough for people and complaining is at its highest its hard to be a positive role model. Borrowing the example from Peter Pan you can go a long ways on a “happy thought.” No, you will not fly through the sky with the greatest of ease because you thought of your favorite game you like to play or something. However, you’d be surprised just how far you can go on the strength of being positive. Being negative is a dead-end street that only gets you further into the negative. You are the one who needs to control your thinking, what you think is often a choice, a habit sometimes and you need to start out with good habits that you can grow on instead of bad habits you will have to change later. God was positive when He sent Christ to save us, instead of saying, “Oh those people are too far gone to be saved.” He said, “I’m sending my Son to die for these people because I know they can be saved.”
Instead of saying, “Oh this is going to be a bad day.” Start your day by saying, “I’m going to have good day no matter what.” You are what you think. Thinking positive is not being wimpy just like thinking negative thoughts and being negative is not being “cool.”
The battlefield with Satan is in our minds. That’s where he likes to attack us the most. It’s definitely true that if you don’t make up your mind, Satan will do it for you. The best way to make up your mind is doing it up in positive thinking focused on God, the one who cares about what is going on in your mind.
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About Me
- Karen
- I reside in Oregon, with my husband of 32 years. I'm a mother of one and grandmother of six, counting my two newly adopted grandsons. I teach a women’s Bible Study. In June of 2007 God asked me to take with me the things I had learned in my own Christian walk to help those traveling down similar roads. A journey that started with a head injury in Jr. High School and the epilepsy it was to create later for 7 long years. One day I was given the key to my cure. In order to have the surgery to cure the 10% of my seizures that were truly epileptic I was told I had to get rid of first the 90% that were stress caused. For the next five years I took my stress issues to the Lord, leaning and relying on Him and His word as well as catchy sayings of others to see me through. As peace, obedience to God and giving up bad habits replaced worry, stubbornness and disobedience my stress seizures began to disappear. Finally I qualified for the surgery. The end result after 20 years has been being seizure free and pill free all those years. Praise the Lord. God is the cure. I can be contacted at karijo_fluffy@yahoo.com.