Month: August 2016

When Children Think They know Better

I once saw a bumper sticker that said, ‘Hire a teenager while they still know everything’. I remember the conversations I had with my friends when I was a teenager, where we discussed ow different we would be as parents. If I only knew then what I know now. My childhood was no paradise and I had a an abusive parent and one who I had thought had abandoned me but that is a story for a different time. Yet no matter how bad or good my parents may have been, I was still a youth and still had much to learn. In my anger and hate I made some terrible mistakes, like so many others have.

Now here are two daughters who made a very bad decision and the result of their action.

Genesis 19:30-38 / Lot and His Daughters

30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab.[b] He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi.[c] He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Footnotes:

  1. Genesis 19:22 Zoar means little
  2. Genesis 19:37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father
  3. Genesis 19:38 Ben-ammi means son of my people

The sons these women gave birth to became the fathers of the nations that became enemies of Israel. They were conceived in in sin. They had perverted the relationship with their father. Scripture tells us how important it is for us to honor our parents.

Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 5:16
“‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long,and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Matthew 15:4
For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

Matthew 19:19
Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Mark 7:10
For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

Mark 10:19
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”

Luke 18:20
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness,Honor your father and mother.’”

Ephesians 6:2
“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),

English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

As children of God our Lord and creator we still act like children towards are earthly parents no matter what our age is. We think we can do it better and that we know best, but guess what? We don’t and we are wrong.

Psalm 94:11
The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.
Isaiah 55:8
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 55:9
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Do you remember the old T.V.show ‘Father knows Best?’
Well the title of this show is true, Our Father in Heaven truly knows what is best for us, and we need to stop arguing with Him and learn to honor Him truly. Don’t think you are arguing with Him? Okay, when was the last time you did something your own way? You didn’t have to say a word your actions said it all. You trusted in your own ability instead of seeking His guidance.
Jesus told us if we loved Him we will keep His commands. We like to rate which commands are more important and which sins are the worst. We also like to judge each other and point out each others faults. Hateful looks are given and we reject someone when they are down. I hate to say I have been guilty of this myself. So you can call me a hypocrite and you would be right. Thank God that I have acknowledged this flaw in myself and that He is teaching me how to change, not just in word or action but He is changing my heart and mind. I failed in honoring my mother and father when I was a child and I have failed to honor my Heavenly Father, so I am thankful for His grace and forgiveness and for the ability to repent and change. I pray now to honor Him with all of me, even when I face troubles and attacks. For honoring Him truly blesses with me. For He forgives me and gives me eternal life through Jesus, His son.
I admit now I don’t know it all but I m willing to be taught by The Greatest Teacher, Jesus. For He is the Word, and His Word lights the path I am to follow.

A Tale of Three Women 2.0

Wonderful lesson.

Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth.

Introduction: Several years ago I posted this sermon of mine. I remains one of the top posts on my blog. I have had opportunity to bring this message to four other churches since then. It challenges us to think about what it means to incarnate Christ-like grace to the broken, the lost, and the outcast. The safest place on earth to confess your sins should be the church and the safest people to share your brokenness with should be Christians, but too often this is not the case. My friends we are not called to merely rejoice in God’s grace, but to incarnate and share that same grace with all who need it, especially the lost, the broken, and the outcast! My prayer is that the Spirit will bless your reading of it and be moved to live in such a way as to make Jesus and His offer…

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Dating

Good message, the writer of this post made some excellent points. Single or married I hope you read his post.

Adam desmond

Since we’ve been discussing marriage recently, I thought I’d share my thoughts on dating.

In short, I hate it.

If dating is supposed to prepare you for marriage, I believe we are setting ourselves up for failure. I wonder how many marriage problems can be traced to this.

In many ways, I think dating is a reaction to courtship rituals of days past, from arranged marriages to dowries. I don’t want to get into the morality of arranged marriages or the fact that women were once treated more like property, but in many ways, arranged marriages are a better path to a lasting marriage than dating, assuming both people are interested in making the marriage work. There are, of course, problems inherent in both systems, but since we are unlikely to reintroduce arranged marriages in our culture, I feel that addressing the shortcomings in dating might be a more practical approach…

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WAKE UP!

dragon night

   The other night I had a dream in the dream I was dreaming that someone was trying to kill me. I told my sleeping self to wake up before it was too late. Okay most of us have heard that if you die in your dream you die in real life but who really knows if this is true. Now this is not the first dream I have had where I was dreaming inside of a dream but the words I told myself have some insight. When I woke up I did not need someone to interpret the dream I knew the meaning. We are living in a dangerous world and in a time that if we do not wake up and see clearly what is going on all around us we could end up both spiritually as well as physically dead. Scripture tells us to be alert and on guard at all times and that even the elect will be deceived. We need to be aware of the events that are taking place because we may not know the exact time when Jesus will return but He had told us about the things that must first take place before His return. He even told a parable about ten virgins, and how there were virgins who had not been prepared and were not ready when the groom came for his bride and missed their chance. They had no one to blame for this but themselves. There were also the virgins who were prepared and ready when he came and were able to leave with their groom.

IMG_0001 (16)

   We must wake up and be ready before the alarm sounds. It is funny that I say this because I hate it when I wake up before my alarm clock goes off. This is something I did not do before. I actually had three alarms. The first was in my bedroom, then the second in the hall, and the final in the living room. Now I wake up before my alarm goes off and all I want to do is sleep especially since I don’t get much sleep. Yet I know the importance of being alert and being prepared. We cannot afford to be off guard or let ourselves be deceived. Especially those of us who God created for the purpose of being watchmen and intercessors. Wake up, be alert, and be ready.

calenders and clocks

Luke 21:36 ESV – But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Isaiah 51:9 ESV – Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?

1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV – Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps[a] and went to meet the bridegroom.[b] 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, andthe door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying,‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Acts 2:17 – And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Amos 3:7 – Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Joel 2:28 – And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Bible Contradiction? How many men were possessed with demons at the country of the Gadarenes?

The Domain for Truth

Demons cast into pigs contradiction Source: Brick Bible at http://thebrickbible.com/02_nt/02_the_ministry_of_jesus/12_the_gerasene_demoniac/#image-0

Here’s another Bible contradiction that we’ll be looking at: “How many men were possessed with devils at the country of the Gadarenes?”

Here’s the answer the skeptic annotated Bible gave along with the Scriptures quoted from the NASB that allegedly demonstrate there’s a contradiction:

Only one man was possessed with devils.

They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. 2 When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, (Mark 5:1-2)

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in…

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Get out of the dark!

Too many of us deal with depression. I have dealt with depression myself, I wish I could say that I have conquered this battle but the war rages on. I have more days that are better than bad now I am thankful to say. I have learned recognize when I am having a bad day that I keep my home dark. I keep the blinds and curtains closed to keep the sunlight out. You can’t grow in the dark. With darkness my depression deepens and my will to live dies. I now understand the importance of getting out in the sunlight, letting the warmth in and the light brighten my day. I have learned if I want to change and grow in love that I can’t stay in the dark.

Light in us

Receiving  Jesus as my Savior invited His light to live within me.

Candlelight1

Learning that even in the darkest of my days His light was there. He gave me hope when I was hopeless, and gave me a reason to live when I saw none.

Light of the sun

Even on a cloudy day His light breaks through just as His love overcomes the darkness. The choice to be in His light is however up to me to live in. Letting light into my home has caused many plants to grow.

Letting His love in has helped me to grow beyond the depression. I still have days that I the darkness overwhelms me but it is up to me to get out of the dark and into the light.

Bible Verses About Darkness and Light

http://www.topbibleverses.com/bible-verses-about-darkness-and-light

“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12 ESV

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” Proverbs 4:18 ESV

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 ESV

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” John 8:12 ESV

“May that day be darkness; May God above not seek it, Nor the light shine upon it.” Job 3:4 NKJB

“So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.” Exodus 14:20 NKJB

“and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:18 NKJB

“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5 NKJB

“And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4 NKJB

Even In The Dark

Hold on to hope.

myheadintheclouds

Even In The Dark1

Even in the darkest moments

When you feel hopeless and alone

Even In The Dark2

He is there for you  

Wanting to comfort you

Even In The Dark3

Art by Julie Sheppard /Acrylic Paint

Wanting to love you

He will never leave or forsake you

Even in the dark

When you think you are alone

He is with you

I can’t count how many times I have felt abandoned and alone. When I wanted to give up. I was hopeless and drowning in my depression. Yet even during those times I know now I was not alone. He listened to my cries and never let me down. He is the reason that I am still here to write and paint, and more important to share His love. He brought me out of the darkness and into His light.

Proverbs 23:18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The LORD is the one who…

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Spiritual Warfare Decree

Pure Glory

imagesby Apostle Gabriel Cross

This day, in Jesus’s miraculous name, I loose the pure powerful witchcraft breaking, law fulfilling, heart transforming love of God, against every spirit of fear, fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being hurt again, fear of success, fear of starting your business, fear of writing your business plan or vision down, fear of poverty, fear of wealth, fear of fame, fear of the future, fear of intimacy, fear of marriage, fear of abuse or being abused again, fear of the past, fear of the present, fear of authority, fear of church, fear of relationship, fear of truth, fear of oneself, fear of abandonment, fear of not having enough, fear of the unknown, fear of being alone, and all the such like. I command fear to rot and dry up in your life and cleanse all the lesser demons out with it.

We speak division…

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